Posted by Todd (204.90.27.46) on November 13, 1999 at 16:48:42:
In Reply to: This is cool! posted by DC on November 13, 1999 at 11:16:54:
Hi Deana and Murraka--
One of the ancillary 'joys' of being a clusterhead is the continuing fight to educate and re-educate both medical professionals and laypeople. Once again (though surely not the last time) here are some of the 'facts' as they are best known and generally accepted by knowledgeable individuals:
1-Women DO get clusters, though the incidence appears to be approximately the reverse of the gender distribution of migraines....i.e., approx. 15 - 30% of clusterheads are female.
2 - MOST men suffer onset far before middle age.
3 - MOST of us (male and female alike) DO NOT have hazel eyes.
4 - Incidence of ruddy complexion, though not statistically examined, appears far higher in the fishing and agriculture occupations than among clusterheads.
5 - Square or 'lantern' jaws are definitely more prevelant among cartoon characters (esp. Dick Tracy, et al.) than among us.
6 - As garyg states often, clusters are a VERY specific disorder, with several (though not all) symptoms that seem to present in virtually ALL of us. Mis-diagnosis, like mis-education, is an evil we must all vigilantly fight.
Welcome to our group. We're thrilled that you finally got an accurate diagnosis. Please surf the site, grab all the info you feel may help and share it with your neurologist.
KTSSU,
T