Posted by Paul Kwo (134.68.89.85) on December 06, 1999 at 13:00:56:
This weekend, I held my 8 year old son as he had his first cluster. I remember getting these headaches occasionally when I was a boy, it was not until much later that I figured out what these were. It was hard to know what to tell him. I chose not to tell him what he may be in for, but rather asked him to tell me if they returned. The pain finally let up after 90 minutes and he has not had one since. Even though I felt badly that he had inherited this awful disorder from me, in a sense, I am relieved that he can benefit from my experience and the experience of others. I've had these clusters for 15 years (as has my twin brother) but have managed keep them away the last three years by taking anti-fungal agents on an intermittent basis as well as daily nystatin in conjunction with verapamil. Please see my previous posts with regard to this issue. I hope some day someone can figure out why we are susceptible to these headaches. I am certain that multiple triggers lead to a final common pathway, until better solutions are found, it is important to avoid triggers. As I believe strongly in the candida hypothesis, avoiding sugar is key. This has entailed considerable dietary changes for me but quality of life has been reasonable. This has not eliminated the shadows, and with clusters, I never gloat as I'm convinced they will find another way to try to return. All the best for the holidays, this is a great site.