Posted by Bobby G on May 30, 1999 at 04:55:30:
In Reply to: Good News for OUCH posted by Barbara D. on May 29, 1999 at 17:58:28:
Commercial proposal 1 "Did you hear about Bill?"
Opening: Two women are enjoying coffee, while seated in front a table with a computer on it.
Woman 1: "Did you hear about Bill? Mary had to take him to the hospital again, he was banging his head against the wall this time. Isn't it awful?"
Woman 2: "Oh my god, it's just a headache. Take some aspirin and get over it! I think it is all in his head anyway! After all a headache won't kill you and as many times as he has been to the hospital if really had anything seriously wrong, they would have found it by now."
Woman 1: "I don't know, I was over there the other night and he got one. One eye swelled, his nose started to bleed a little, but what got me was the look in his eyes. You could tell he was in excruciating pain but he just kept looking at Mary. I think he was really worried about Mary. He broke down and cried and kept telling Mary, "I am so sorry." That's all he kept saying over and over. Mary helped him get to the shower."
Woman 2: "Really? I didn't know a headache could do that, I mean make your eye swell and all that."
Woman 1: "But that's not the worst of it. When Mary came back while Bill was in the shower, she began to cry and told me that he lost his job. His boss said he was missing too much work. Mary doesn't know what to do. Bill will have his insurance for a while but then he won't be able to pay for the emergency room trips. She said that the bills from medical were already piling up and that now they wouldn't even be able to pay the regular bills, much less the doctors bills. She thinks they are going to lose their home and everything!"
Woman 2: "Are you telling me that they are losing everything they have because Bill is having headaches? Come on, your kidding me, right? A headache can't do all that. I know people who have migranes for 3 days and they are alright, their not losing everything. And his aren't even migranes, I asked Mary one time and she said that he didn't have them all the time and that when he did they were always over in a couple of hours at the most."
Woman 1: " I am not so sure it is all that simple, I sure wish we could help. I wonder what kind of headache it is or why I have never heard of anything like it before?"
Woman 2: "Probably doesn't exist. Hey…wait a minute! Let's see if we can find something on the internet! If there is any information on anything its on the net. I can see what there is…"
Woman 1: looking at screen. "Look at that. There is something on headaches. Look it says there are three types: Tension with mild to moderate pain, Migrane with moderate to severe pain, and something called a cluster headache with excruciating pain. What is a cluster headache?"
Woman 2: "It says they are also known as suicide headaches…. That the headaches cluster together and that the pain lasts for 15 minutes to 3 hours… No known cause established, No known cure. Marginal success with experimental medicines in alleviating symptoms for a small percentage of patients."
Woman 1: "That sounds like Bill's problem, lets call Mary and tell her."
Suddenly the doorbell rings and woman 3 comes into the scene.
Woman 3: "Have you heard about Bill? Mary found him dead and she went into shock and is in the hospital! Isn't it awful?….. Fade out.
Spokesman.
"Cluster headaches can't kill you, they just drive you crazy until you want to kill yourself."
For More Information contact OUCH (organization for the understanding of cluster headaches)