Posted by Doug Ross (209.30.65.205) on July 08, 1999 at 17:44:38:
I just had a name put on these things by an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor yesterday. And, what do you know, there's a Web site for it. What a blessing. My wife actually found it. She has always been sympathetic and as helpful as she could, but I believe she now understands for the first time, that I haven't been exaggerating one little bit.
I'm sure my story is probably old news (if so, please forgive), but just in case it someone hasn't been through MY particular relief sequence I offer it as one more alternative.
I first began suffering with these things in college during the early 70s. All the OtoRhino guys I saw in the 70s and 80s, referred to them as "Sinus Migraines" and treated them (as best they could) as a sinus/nasal cavity-induced problem - swelling in that region was causing the attendant symptoms of white hot ice-pick in the brain over my right eye, tearing like a fire hose, hot all over, hard to breathe and you know all the rest.
About 1984 my OtoRhino doctor was a Charles Van Wart in Houston (now retired to Alabama) and he was trying very hard to solve these things. As are all good doctors, he was creative and willing to take a chance if it might pay off. Looking to shrink chronically swollen mucus membranes he suspected were causing the pain (remember, these things didn't even have a name, much less established therapy, then), he decided to take advantage of a post-menopause equilibrium restoration drug he'd heard of that had shown mucus membrane drying as a solid side effect. It was designed to help with "hot flashes" which, for me, seem to be a part of the experience.
It was called Bellergal-S from the happy head folks at Sandoz (their Cafergot was one of the things tried on my headaches by doctors at college…with little success). Cut to the chase: Damned if it didn't work!
It's a combination of Belladonna Alkaloids, Ergotamine and Phenobarbital…and it will make you sleepy until you get used to it. Typical dosage is one pill every 8 or 12 hours, depending on your size, chemistry, etc. The little tablets are scored so they can be broken into halves and quarters for more frequent, lower-level dosing (it mitigates against the grogginess while keeping a steady level of medication in the system.)
I went on something of a long term self directed maintenance course with the stuff and by 1985 had tapered off of it entirely. But kept a bottle carefully stored and handy.
I had been basically headache free since then. Oh, once in a while in the late 80s and early 90s a light one would pop up (I still think mine are somehow related to getting overheated, that's when the sporadic events would occur), but I would take a few of the Bellergal and they would be gone, quickly.
Another episode, long-term it seems, came around early last month. I went to my PPO family physician (I still thought these things were sinus infection related), she saw evidence of infection in the ears and throat and prescribed antibiotics and decongestants (she'd never heard of Bellergal and didn't want to prescribe it, and I didn't push the issue…sinus infection sounded like a reasonable diagnosis). It had been a long time. I Thought maybe there had been progress.
Yesterday, two kinds of antibiotics, nasal spray and many, many of the awful, familiar headaches later, I decided a specialist was in order and went to another Ear, Nose and Throat doctor I had seen for other matters over the years, but never headaches.
X-rays of my head showed nothing (yuk, yuk)…no sinus blockage, fluid buildup, nothing. Slight deviated septum, but we knew about that. As I described the symptoms, the frequency, the fact a steroid shot (given by the G.P. in deperation during a full blown nasty headache episode in her office) had given immediate relief…Dr Card said it sounded like I had Cluster Headaches. I had never heard the term before.
He prescribed more Bellergal (here 15 years later it has gone generic and I received something called Bellaspas at Walgreens, but it is the same stuff and is still a cross-scored tablet)…I took two in 6 hours (kind of goosed the dosage, but anyone with these things understands the urgency of getting the blood medication level up fast). It works slowly at first and a bad headache gradually drifted away in a drug haze. I passed out and slept straight through the night for the first time in over a month. I woke up feeling "clean and clear" for lack of a better term.
I flirted with a light headache around mid-day today, but fought it off in about a half hour by staying under a ceiling fan in a dark, cool room while holding Igloo cooler ice packs variously on my neck, face, forehead, armpits and any other place I know blood vessles are near the surface, abundant, or both…hands, wrists, sternum, other places. It's good to keep several in the freezer.
I'm taking the Bellergal on a half tablet every 4-6 hours schedule, and it "feels" like I'm safe again.
Sorry for the length of the narrative, but I wanted to put things in context. I hope maybe it might help someone, somewhere.
I have been blessed many ways in my life, and during my bouts (and they can go 8 to10 hours as you know) with these things, when part of me (big part sometimes) would be tempted to curse the Almighty for my pain, I would try to remind myself that there are others in the world hurting much worse than me. I'm not sure I ever believed it very vigorously, but just trying seemed to distract from the pain a bit.
May God Bless, Strengthen and Comfort everyone trying to deal with these hideous headaches while meeting life's daily demands.