Posted by Bobbie P. (161.184.19.158) on October 27, 1999 at 20:38:35:
Okay, time to shake things up here. I have decided to indoctrinate you guys into my “once in while theorizing mood day”. For all of you out there who may be taking medicine that inhibits the daily constitutional, and just happen to have a laptop, here’s your reading material for the john. Here goes:
There has been a lot of talk lately about stress and the connection to clusters with lots of comments both pro and con. I am of the opinion that stress is involved with the workings of cluster headaches. Yes, I have heard all about the “ I live with stress all the time and it doesn’t change my CH pattern”, etc., etc. I am intimately familiar with heavy duty stress. I live with it on a daily basis for 12 months of the year, with and without cluster cycles.(It’s called being self-employed in the trade -woodwork, not street ---, although that must be pretty stressful too) business and raising a family.) I too have rolled my eyes at people who say “well if you could just lower the stress level your headaches would be better….bla, bla, bla.” Yeh, like I’ll go out tomorrow and get a fairy god mother to take all my stress away!
It makes my blood boil too, having people put us in the same category as a puny tension headache.
Now, having said that, I still think there IS a connection between stress and cluster headaches. It begins with the adrenal system and what stress does to it. I had my suspicions but a near accident and a sudden snowfall changed my mind. We live in the country so highway driving is a daily occurrence. Anyway, I was driving along, on our secondary highway minding my own business when suddenly this yahoo twit in the opposite lane decides to pull out and pass where it’s insanity to pass! There I am on a road with no shoulders to speak of, coming to a bridge and this idiot is barreling towards me in my lane! Well I slowed down real damn fast, the driver he was passing did the same, the insane driver speeded up in a darn hurry and needless to say I’m not dead. Man, it was close (whites of eye close, well not quite but …). My heart was tripping so hard it took the rest of the way home to settle down (10 min.) and I was shaking for a good hour after that. Then the next day I drive hubby into the next town to pick up his work van and on the way back I run into snowstorm that becomes a whiteout. And I have 16 miles to go yet! Well I crawled along doing 15 mph riding the non-existent shoulders all the way home. I was praying and crying the whole way. I should say that I’m not really fond of winter driving at the best of times and this trip did me in. I remember saying to myself that this is the kind of adrenaline stuff that would probably bring on a CH if I was in my cycle. Well wouldn’t you know it, the next day my cycle started. It was not due to start, which brings us to my point. I am not a doctor so bare with me here in my description of what happens:
Stress and clusters theory Part 2 tomorrow (unless of course I get “tomatoed” for this part in which case those of you who were vaguely interested will just have to find something else to read in the biffy.
TTFN
Professor Onionhead