Posted by Brian W. on May 04, 1998 at 20:42:31:
In Reply to: Cluster sensation posted by Cameron Thompson on May 04, 1998 at 02:39:02:
Hi Cameron,
Yup, after being chronic for 10 years and having Sansert take the major
pain away, i still get shadow clusters. The sensitivity is always
there, as if the monster is lurking, waiting for his chance to come
alive. I also occasionally get hayfever symptoms on the cluster side
complete with a white spot on my nose that would only occur during a
live cluster but no real pain.
I have found that taking Magnesium supplements has helped, especially
with the light sensitivity. I take 250 mg per day and it took about a
week to make a difference in light sensitivity. (I am talking about the
squinting at bright light or even normal light, the kind that makes a
person wear sunglasses inside the house).
It seems for me that as the light sensitivity decreases so does the 'cluster shadow'.
I maintain a regimen of no alcohol, very little caffeine and no nitrites. With a relatively
clean system it seems i can monitor any cluster trigger by paying attention to the
'cluster feeling' and light sensitivity. All sufferers should also be aware of
the time lag between triggers and the pain. Sometimes the time between consumption
and pain can be as long as 48 hours. Again, some triggers are almost instant, i.e. alcohol
or flying.
Hope this answers your query, email me anytime.