Posted by Denny K. on May 10, 1999 at 03:08:51:
Started getting Clusters 3 years ago while caring for my mother who was dying with a brain tumor, go figure. I'm 43, tired of these head aches, and can't believe some of you have lived with them for so long. That really sucks. oops, well it's true. It's 3 in the morning and one of my Clusters just went away, and here I am. I get them spring and fall, and usually at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning.
Things I do when it hits:
Get up out of bed ( like right now!!)
Grab a smoke and make coffee ( probably not the thing to do)
Start making myself yawn very deeply, I mean a mouth wide open, suck in that air, crack the jaw yawn.This seems to help alot.
Oxygen helps me too, but I took the damn bottle back 2 weeks ago, and didn't get another one. (DOHHH!!)
Applying pressure on the bone behind my ear helps sometimes.
Have used predisone and verapimil, to some success, been taking verapimil for a week now again, doesn't seem to be working yet.
Sleeping in the old lazy boy recliner seems to help,I've done that for weeks till the cycle passed. (Wife says she misses me in bed at night, though, yeah right!!)
With the yawning thing, atleast while I'm in full yawn, the pain is alot less ( almost down to migraine level,ahhhhhhhhhhhh)
Things I haven't tried, but would surely work would be to put my head in a paint shaker or inject a good heavy dose of rifled lead into my head. But, then we'd miss out one all those bright, beautiful, days when life is good and the pain is gone for now.
OK OK...I've rambled on enough, sorry, i get like this at 3:27 in the morning. I'm gonna go cuddle up with dog on the lazy boy now, and I refuse to have another head ache till tommorrow night. To all of you..Hang in there, pray for strength and relief, I wish for the very best for you all!!!! nitey night..move over dog!!!