HI

I have been lurking in the shadows for years. I stay up to date with the site and read treads that intrigue me, and have new info. This site has been a security blanket for me going on 7 years now. I was finally diagnosed with CH back in 2005 after two years of suffering. My wife finally got fed up and took me to the emergency room in the middle of the night, the second time I woke up screaming, for care. I got to see a specialist on my 25th birthday and walked out of the doctors office with an O2 tank.(my wife found it humorous). Cense that day I have had my ups and downs. A few good years an a lot of bad ones. I had quit a very stressful long time job just before last year and did not work much for most of the year. That year by far was my best. The few cycles I had were short and mild. That all changed this year when my spring cycle came around about the end of February. Last night was the worst by far, but the last week has not been fun. I am averaging about 1 to 4 hours of non consistent sleep per night and 5 to 9 headaches per day. I have to say that my support staff is the best I could hope for. Beyond my wife and this website, I have the amazing work at the Green Mountain Chiropractic and Message in Lakewood Colorado (for those of you in the 303 area check them out and see Dr. Wolff). They have taken a special interest in my head and have done their own research to design a Acupuncture regiment with targeted Message on the neck and shoulders front and back. This treatment with O2 and and water X3 has been my treatment method and has worked great. In the past I have tried and been proscribed many different drugs including Verapamil and others that I have long forgotten. But now I think I may need to start looking in to new options because my cycle has started to change and at times have an immunity to everything I try. What I need right now is a full night sleep and anything that will give me that would be great. I refuse to let CH affect my daily life. I keep a O2 tank in the truck for the times I need a fix on the go, and get messages on my days off. Take the pain away and you got a pampered life.

Jon

Welcome aboard, Jon. Like Bob, I'm somewhat confused. Perhaps you can share a bit more about your cycles and what you use? It is probably not universally true, few things about CHs are, but I cannot recall a posting that verified massage or acupressure or accupuncture actually aborted a cycle. Helps with tension but not, it would seem, a full on hit. Yours would be among the first, I think. As to preventatives like verapamil, so many only used label doses (around 240-360mg/day) and have found it was nowhere near high enough to be effective. Anyway, welcome again, and if you have any questions, ask away. Blessings. lance

I apologize for the confusion.
a little more about my head. I am still trying to get around my cycles myself. last week was the worst I have had in some time I would guess about two years or so. as of three days ago I have been free of CHs at night and now I seem to get one heavy long one at 5:00pm for about 2 hours. I did not ease into the schedule change it just happens like a light switch. My cycles are like that though from week to week they change in strength, time of day, and number of attacks. But it will fallow that pattern for 5 to 10 days or so. short cycles are about 3 weeks and long cycles are about 8 weeks, and I will get 3 to 5 cycles a year. As for why they change I have not figured that out yet, it could be anything from taking a nap in the afternoon and changing my sleep pattern to taking a day off and going into the mountains for the day. But that is not always the case.
As for the individual CHs they are always on the right side they don't move to the left. O2 works 90% of the time works to push the CH in 10 to 15 min. but after awhile it seems to me the CHs can only be pushed back so many times before they make me suffer though one or two.
To the questions about the acupuncture message and chiropractic, my experience is, the severity and amount of CHs I get are in general are reduced after a session and some times relieved altogether. Now I wont deny there may be other factors that are at hand and my sessions have nothing to do with it. But I cant prove it ether way. right now I am 24 hours after my first session and Ch free so far. granted, I am 6 weeks in to a cycle and can't tell if I am done or not. But with the fact that no one really knows much about how to treat CHs (I am referring to my past doctors and neurologists that just stare and scratch their heads at me) and every one reacts different to drugs and treatments. I am trying everything within my resources.
Now for the verapamil that I was taking, I was on 120mg twice per day, which was too low to be affective, but made me very slow and mentally unaware. and with my job, that could cause me and the crew around me a lot of danger, I could not afford to be lightheaded.
Triggers, my cycle pattern seems to be following the sessions or at least major changes in weather patterns. it also my be related to levels of stress and my work patterns which I am busiest around the change of the seasons. As for individual CHs the only thing I seem to find is alcohol. 1 drink in a cycle and I can count on one in the next few hours.

my head is hard for me to explain in person and more so to explain by typing. But I figure, it can't hurt to throw my story out there and see if it can help me or anyone out there.

Also is it posable that I was only have 1 or 2 CHs last week and the O2 was just pushing to onset back an hour. my schedule looked like this that week.
Awakened with CH at 11pm 10 to 15 min of O2 and fall asleep.
20 min to an hour later again awakened hit O2 and fall asleep.
after two or three times it will not go away and I suffer though one for an hour
I follow that pattern till 8 in the morning then I'm fine for a few hours and then I might have one or two in the afternoon around 1pm or 2pm. but they where not so reliable.

any way if you have any more questions please ask
jon