After reading, reading, reading on both this site and clusterbusters for the past few weeks and thinking back on my history with CH, I have had an amazing revelation!

Shortly after the Tet offensive in 1968 ( I was stationed in Chu Lai with the 1st Marines ), I started having what I thought were severe toothaches that radiated across my upper jawbone and into my eyesocket on the right side of my head.  Dental care was almost non existant in South Viet Nam unless you had a broken tooth or were in dire need of an extraction so I just muddled thru them the best that I could and they just went away shortly before I rotated back to the US for discharge in June of that year.

Fast forward to late 1984 - early 1985 when I began experiencing the same type of pain again. Since I knew that I had some cavities in my right upper jaw I went to the dentist after several weeks and had them all fixed and quit having the pain so thought that was it.

The pain came back in 1986 so I went back to the dentist thinking he'd missed something but xrays said no.  Again, I just muddled thru the pain and a few weeks later it went away.

It came back again in late 1987 at which time I made my first trip to the VA hospital in Dallas. After countless visits I was diagnosed with Atypical migraine headaches and the treatment began with one drug after another ( the ones we're all familiar with ) but of course, nothing seemed to work.

By 1989, at the end of my wits and with no health insurance coverage, I found my way to a leading neurologist here in Dallas ( $600 for my initial office visit! ) and was diagnosed with CH.  He gave me Imitrex injections and put me on Varapamil building up to a 480mg per day dose.

Found out about O2 in 2005 or 2006 on the CH.com site during my last cycle before the one I'm in now.

So, to bring you up to date, I was in an almost 3 year remission when this cycle started about 10 weeks ago. I've now been PF for over 48 hours and think maybe the beast has been beaten into submission one more time.  Yeeee Hawww!!

Oh yeah, now to get to my point!  It's about that period between 1968 and 1984 that I had nothing to write about.
You see, shortly after returning stateside in 68 I did what many did; dropped out, tuned in, and turned on.  So, in my best estimate, between mid 1970 and late 1983 there was never an interval greater than 2 to 3 months that I didn't ingest LSD or Shrooms.  Due to some druglife violence that took the life of my best friend and that of my then wife I walked away from that lifestyle and have since remained drug free other that the occasional toke.

So, did I unintentionally beat the beast for that extended period of time?  After all the reading I've done I'm inclined to think so and at 62 years of age I can assure you that come springtime I will be back in the fields that I picked so many years ago in search of "Teonacatl" for my next cycle!!

PFDAN's to all

Dallas Denny

Probably. No way to know for certain, but if I were a betting man, I'd say yes.

It would fit the pattern.

I'd bet "yes".

Funny how paying a doctor $600 for just one visit to get started on powerful drugs is widely accepted as the only legit way to get treatment, and the alternative of "picking the fields in springtime", as effective as it can be, is illegal (!!)

What the heck, its one nutty world.  :-?

Quote:

What the heck, its one nutty world.

That it is, sir. That it is.

Denny, it sounds definitely like a link to me.

My brother, who has since deceased, was pain free during his active cocaine addiction.  He had clusters before and after that period of his life.

Joni,
That may have worked for your brother, but I will tell you from first hand experience while in college during my party days.  I had clusters while high on cocaine and it was not fun feeling all up like that with cluster pain.  Your brother might have had a long remission, but who knows.  What works for one may not work for the next.  I am sorry for your loss though.

Interesting, Chad.  You just never know for sure.  It sure was coincidental.  Thanks for your condolences...I miss him terribly.  He was my best friend and only 50 years old. 

Another interesting story...My husband has always had terrible allergies/hay fever and when he had a round of chemo for several months, he was totally free of it for a couple of years.  He still jokes about knowing a good cure for allergies!

Joni