Hi all,

just want to ask what is the longest shadow duration you've experienced?

My past few cycles, the shadows typically gets better and resolves in a few weeks time. This last cycle, the shadows have been around for the past 6 months...

I'm fortunate in that my shadows mimic my attacks, don't go longer then an hour or so. I can usually defeat with an energy drink, oxygen, or if they get too intense I'll occasionally do the excederin migrain.

Joe

Hello,

I wanted to chimne in on this on. My shadows only last 3-5 minutes and come and go on random. And one thing is true, everytime a cold front moves thourgh the region,.. BOOM shadows. I can tell you when that front is moving in and when it seems to be right over top of me.. FREAKY??? Let me know..

Coach bill

I've been shadowing nearly with one looong shadow for the last 2 nearly 3 weeks. Have some peaks and some valley's, but no breaks. Never had this happen before, could just be the beast changing.

Similarly, the shadows seem to last about 5 - 10 mins.

Has anyone gotten hit by shadows for months after their cycle?

I only get shadows while in cycle, but occasionally get one or two during the cold season out of the blue.  My shortest shadow from what I remember was a couple of minutes, my longest 8 or so hours after a dandy hit.  I don't really keep account, so these are generalizations.

My cycle started June 09' with what i call shadows or mild cluster kip 2 for 4 months, had the major hits start in October kip 8-9  for 2 weeks. Started pred taper and verap. 240 mg daily, still shadowing 9 months later. This is the weirdest cycle for me yet. Usualy 4-8 weeks and gone.
I can feel the scalp tenderness and right nostril gets stuffy and very mild ha kip 1-2 daily. I don't know what it would be like if I was not on the verap. But I feel you man this cycle sucks. Hope I am not going chronic.  Jay

Red Ryder, I'm going through something similar.  My cycle started the last week in Dec (usually lasts 4-6 weeks).  Well I started cycling off my verapamil in mid/late Feb after not getting hit for a week and bam!  Got 5 hits in 2 days.  Started pumping up the verapamil again and have been getting woken up daily at 6am with shadows/light hits for the past 3 days.  I'm getting close to 11 weeks now and that's the longest cycle I've ever had.  Hopefully these shadows are my cycle tailing off, but as I tell my wife - you never know.

I seem to be hearing a lot of people talk about how last years cycle was their longest, hell mine has not ended and I am in 9th month with daily mild shadows. Months ago I asked if increasing the verap would have a chance of stopping the cycle, most said no, in fact that it might even prolong the cycle. My neuro wanted me to up it to 500mg from 240mg. and my headaches were not over a kip 1-2 "shadow". So here I am 9 months later in the same situation.

So I am in a catch 22 in that I don't know how bad it could be without completly not taking it, verap 240 mg, most people on the board told me to continue taking it untill no shadows for 2 weeks. I just don't want to risk not taking the verap right now and see the kip 8-9's sneak back. I can drink 2 beers and my right nostril will instantly clog up,weird!!!!    Jay

Hi all! This is my 1st cycle so don't have any comparisons but wanted to chime in. I haven't had a major blow since Jan. 7 but continue to have daily shadows k 2, come and go all day. Around 7pm they stay around for hours. Still have scalp nerve pain too and my eye is still droopy. Over 8 weeks now of shadows. Seeing my Doc next week. Wish me luck
Donna Mae

hey here is my 2 cents! my second cycle ever! havent had a major hit in a month! ;D been on verapamil 600 mg a day but have shadows everyday for weeks with kip 2 pain 4 way nasal 02  or exedrin migraine usually help with the shadows! more annoying than anything! take a shadow over the major hit but still sucks knowing the "beast" is still lerking!

I hope i dont get named a troll for this or get dipped into the bog of eternal stench, but i believe the verp has something to do with the PROLONGING of a cluster cycle.

Let the hits begin... Bill

coach_bill wrote on Mar 8^th, 2010 at 8:50pm:

I hope i dont get named a troll for this or get dipped into the bog of eternal stench, but i believe the verp has something to do with the PROLONGING of a cluster cycle. Let the hits begin... Bill

Now you see why i'm on an alternative method.  RC SEEDS :) 

If that fails, then i'll turn to Kudzu. 

Nature does wonders for some...

once i had an all day kip 2 shadow set off by 3 kip 9 attacks after i busted. what a strange evil day that was

Here's a thought I have been having on this subject and wanted to float it to the crowd.  When I use caffeine to avert my morning CH it has seemed to just push it back to the afternoon, not get rid of the CH for the day.  When using Psilocybin to abort an entire cycle it seems to push the cycle back a few months requiring another dose later.  My cycle usually only comes once a year for a few months.  By dosing on natural meds it seems like I need to pay close attention to the shadows so I don't let a cycle start a few months after aborting the last attempted cycle.

Given those 2 experiences and some others I have read on this site, it seems like if you don't medicate the CH cycles through and disappears until the next visit.  More painful but more predictable. 

When using different meds to help with the pain or avoid the cycle it throws the timing off and we get more diverse symptoms.  i think these techniques make the CH adjust as well.??  Resulting in more shadowing and prolonged shadows.

It doesn't seem to want to just go away because of a little medication.  It adapts and we adapt with it.  The trick for us of course, is never getting fooled twice by the same circumstance.   

Anyone?

--Shaggy

Quote:

When I use caffeine to avert my morning CH it has seemed to just push it back to the afternoon, not get rid of the CH for the day.  When using Psilocybin to abort an entire cycle it seems to push the cycle back a few months requiring another dose later.

That's why neither one is called a "cure."

It's just "therapy" or "treatment."

Shaggy,

Well said. But if what you said is true... Then all we got is hope no matter what the med, or treatment we choose.

But it still feels great to keep the beast's ass on the run, And i will take shadows all day, over them hits.

Coach Bill

I concur Coach!  It's always a bit of a chess game, some find it interesting and some find it tedious.  If we don't become good players then we find it very painful. 

Such great promise over the last 1 1/2 years with my fungal friends that I am very hopeful of permanent(?) pain management.  We'll see.  So far so good.

Shaggy