Hello there,

I've been suffering from headaches for about the last eight years. I turn 32 next month.

Most, if not all, of the general symptoms occur for me. They typically happen on only the left side of my head but will happen on the right side every great now and then. My eye on that side feels 'blurry,' my sinus on that side feels stuffed, and i feel sort of like a toothache. The center of the pain is definitely my temple. They happen usually between February and June but occasionally occur outside of those months (like maybe 1 every couple of months). I get a short series of them around November but it only lasts a couple weeks instead of a number of months. They tend to happen around the same times each day. I feel a shadow of the pain before they hit, and they usually hit within a matter of 5 to 15 minutes or so and can last anywhere from an hour to three or four hours. When they subside, they do so quickly over the span of 5 to 15 minutes. Sometimes, they hit hard for an hour or two but then the rest of the day, it's present but at a reduced intensity - enough to be uncomfortable and make it hard to concentrate.


Despite these similarities to Cluster Headaches, there are two major points where my symptoms diverge.

1) I've read that CH's are comparable to giving child birth. I'm a male and I have literally no firm grasp of what child birth would feel like, but I'm quite confident that this pain is nowhere near that level. The pain is intense and makes it hard to concentrate on work (I write code and develop games), but i really can't say it's worse than going into labor. I also don't have too much problem staying still - I don't thrash about or pace. When they're more intense than usual, I will rock forward and back while holding my head. I have practiced a small but fair amount of meditation, and I find that I can cope with the pain better by closing my eyes, turning off audio distractions, and clearing my mind. However, when not meditating, I've found that neither light nor sound make my headaches worse or more unbearable. They just serve as distractions from 'zenning out.'

2) I've found that Ibuprofin either relieves my headaches entirely, or reduces the intensity to a dull roar. In cases where 400mg Ibuprofin does not entirely get rid of the headache, I sometimes take another 400mg and that helps. Other times, I use a heat pack and it helps.
I know that Ibuprofin and heat are vasodilators, and the consensus is that vasodilators make CHs worse. I used to smoke weed, and I did discover that it had roughly a 25% chance of relieving my headache if I smoked it early enough. I no longer smoke it so I can't say what effect it would have on the headaches now.



In short, are there any types of headaches that are similar to CH's? While most of the symptoms are basically text-book examples of CHs, these two major points are what have me curious.

Thanks!
Garret

Garmy,

Good, well spoken post. You have some very valid questions. I have by no means the expertice that some members of this site have, but I'll give you my 2 cents.

First I assume you've been properly diagnosed by a qualified neuro/headache specialist. But that's a big assumption since you make no mention of medications other than ibuprofin, which would not be prescibed.

Seems to me that there are no 2 clusterheads alike and no 2 cycles alike. Some thrash and bang their heads during an attack, I tend sit and rock back and forth holding my head like you.

As far as the pain level, for me they have gotten worse over time. I believe some us start out with a milder form of ch, same unilateral pain but less intensity and fewer attacks. I started having at about 14 but didnt have a full blown cycle till I was 28 (that's when I was diagnosed). Following that first real cycle had 5 yr. remission. But back every year since then.

I used to take ota's and I thought they helped. But it takes so long for anything in pill form to work,  I now believe the  attack just ended on it's own as ch tends to have shorter duration as compared to say migranes.

You might want to check the thread "123 days pf and I think I know why". It's a vitamin regimen that 81% have found effective. I'm starting to have some sucess with it as well.

Well that's all I got. Take care and good luck!

Garmy,

I've been diagnosed with both CH and paroxysmal hemicrania. The PH diagnosis came about because of a comment that I made to the neurologist. I told him that the headaches had changed slightly in that when I was waiting for the abortives to kick in I sat clutching my head and bouncing my leg instead of the usual pacing. He had me try indomethacin, which is an NSAID, as is ibuprofen. PH responds to indomethacin, where CH doesn't seem to. Everyone's HA are a bit different, but sometimes these small differences are important in differentiating between the many types of headaches. If you haven't already, it might be in your best interest to hie your ass to a headache specialist.  It's important to rule out any other diseases that may be a root cause of your headaches. And if it helps lessen the pain, that alone is worth the visit.

For me the pain of PH is normally not of the same order as the CH attacks. It can get as high as a kip 7 and last for hours. Thank god this is rare. Normally it's just an annoyance that I can work through. I'll get about a dozen attacks a day. They usually are around my right eye, which begins watering, and may amount to a kip 4. When they push harder the pain moves to include my temple. If the pain starts going down into my jaw and I have to pace, then it turns into a full blown CH hit. I'm starting to suspect that my headaches are both part of the same spectrum.

Give yourself the best present you can, make an appointment with a headache specialist. If you let us know where you live, someone will be along to give you a list of specialists in your area. And as Erk has suggested, try the Batch regimen. It's helped quite a number of us.

I have not been to a headache specialist. I live in the Seattle, Washington area if anyone knows some good places to check out. Can anyone estimate for me how much a specialist would cost me? While I write a lot of code, I'm technically not employed and I'm making very little income.

Also, I will be starting the vitamin regiment very soon.

LOCATING HEADACHE SPECIALIST

1. Yellow Pages phone book: look for "Headache Clinics" in the M.D. section and look under "neurologist" where some docs will list speciality areas of practice.

2.  Call your hospital/medical center. They often have an office to assist in finding a physician. You may have to ask for the social worker/patient advocate.

3. START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE On-line screen to find a physician.

4. START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE Look for "Physician Finder" search box. They will send a list of M.D.s for your state.I suggest using this source for several reasons: first, we have read several messages from people who, even seeing neurologists, are unhappy with the quality of care and ATTITUDES they have encountered; second, the clinical director of the Jefferson (Philadelphia) Headache Clinic said, in late 1999, that upwards of 40%+ of U.S. doctors have poor training in treating headache and/or hold attitudes about headache ("hysterical female disorder") which block them from sympathetic and effective work with the patient; third, it's necessary to find a doctor who has experience, skill, and a set of attitudes which give hope of success. This is the best method I know of to find such a physician.

5. START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE NEW certification program for "Headache Medicine" by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties, an independent, non-profit, professional medical organization.
        Since this is a new program, the initial listing is limited and so it should be checked each time you have an interest in locating a headache doctor.
===================

That Ibu. is effective is generally regarded as signaling this is not Cluster.

One major study found that 50% of the people initially diagnosed with Cluster were later found to  have one of a number of othier disorders, i.e., significant error rate which must be considered.

Take a look at: 
Link to: cluster-LIKE headache.
Section, "Medications, Treatments, Therapies --> "Important Topics" --> "Cluster-LIKE headache"

You could very well be experiencing a form of cluster-lite, if there is such a thing. Do know this, however- you will know if you get hit with a K-9 or K-10. Here's hoping that you never do ;)