Hi My name is Pete and IM insane with pain (sic) 12 years ago due to a case of mitaken identity I found Myself on the wrong
end of 2 baseball bats for about 20 minuits, I only survived by
sheer determination, This has left me with a constant background headache that never leaves me, I wake up with it
I live with it Igo to sleep with it, the only time it feels any different is when it EXPLODES into the red hot screwdriver through the eyeball into the back of my brain, You know the one! When Your eyes are on fire and the veins in Your neck and head stand out like a road map of europe, I know when the 1st one is in the post, I get a puffy feeling in myleft eye
then it starts to twitch, my nose runs a bit b4 it blocks. Then a sensation like having a babies hannd with sharp finger nails grips the bach of my eye, If I havent taken my
rizotriptan by this point i am in big trouble because even with the medication, Im still in for a 5 hour hell ride, Holding My head in both hands throwing myself round the house crying, begging for help etc, sound familar.?? But the worst thing of all is knowing IM GGONG TO GO THROUGH THE SAME THING AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN,.
p.s to add isult to injury, the 2 who did this to me WALKED OUT OF COURT WITH A PROBATION ORDER.
I do feel better for getting that off my chest Hello

Welcome to the asylum Pete. Some quick reading assignments for you. ;)

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I abort my attacks in about 6-8 minutes just by huffing pure oxygen. It must be used correctly or it's worthless. It's all but eliminated my use of imitrex.

Then go to the meds section and read the post entitled "123 pain free days and I think I know why" A simple vitamin/anti-inflammatory regimen that's providing a lot of relief to a lot of people.

Are you on any sort of a prevent med? A med you take daily to reduce intensity/frequency of your attacks? Most common prevents are verapamil, Lithium and toipomax. Are you working with a decent headache specialist neuro? Our combined experience is most gp's and even garden variety neuros just don't have the knowledge base to effectively treat a CH'er.

Glad you found us, welcome aboard.

Joe

A red hot screwdriver through the eyeball into the back of the brain? Yep, sounds TOO familiar.

CH goes one of two ways - either manage it and lead a normal life, or leave it untreated and have a miserable existence with a very high risk of suicide. No prizes for guessing which is preferable. ;)

What kind of treatment are you getting at the moment? Are you using both a preventative and an abortive?

You never mention whether or not you have been diagnosed specifically with Clusters. It is clear you are in a lot of pain, and assuming that pain was not present before your head was mistaken for a softball, what you describe isn't specifically symptomatic for clusters. Who diagnosed you, and what was the treatment? Your situation sounds very medically complex and I would hesistate to offer direct advice. Take care, and God bless. lance

Hi Yes I have been Diagnosed with cluter headaches by the consultant neurologist at huddersfield Royal Infirmary, (yes Im in Yorkshire) I see a consultant once a month who has a interest in headaches who says that the assault has damaged the pain centre in my brain so in lay mans terms the switch that turns pain on and off in one area is shorted out and snapped off so the back ground pain will be with me till the day I die, The clusters didnt start til 5 years after the event,
I walked into a dark room where a tv had been left on, Reached down to turn the set off, As I stood up My whole world exploded and I just dropped to the floor holding my head screaming, The person who was with Me thaught  was having a stroke, What does give me some minor relief is to fill the bathroom sink with cold water and then lay the left side ot My head &face into it as the heat that comes off my head and particularly my eyes is frightening.

Hi Pete

What medication are you taking to prevent and abort your CHs?