Posted by Todd (216.199.4.97) on March 26, 2000 at 08:08:14:
In Reply to: I've had a... posted by Chana on March 25, 2000 at 23:03:20:
Hi Chana-
Since most of the medical literature states that clusters last up to 2 (sometimes 3) hours, I think it's extremely important that we (the greatest body of true knowledge regarding CH) determine the reality.
You said you had 'peaks and valleys'. I read this to mean that the pain varied from say, 10 to ? (something lower). How low did it go? And for how long?
Several people have posted about virtual 'back to back' clusters, with maybe as little as 30 minutes from the 'end' of one to the 'start' of another. [This, too, isn't often mentioned in the literature.] Do you think this may have been what you experienced, or are you convinced it was a single, 6-hour long attack?
Here's why I think this is important. First, diagnosis. Many docs would read the lit, hear yours lasted 6 hours and say "Migraine. It must be, CH doesn't last that long." Or "Must be tension headaches...CH don't come back to back."
Second, treatment. Imitrex, for example, has a limit on the number of doses we're supposed to take in a day.
Third, and perhaps most important, seriousness. Too much of the medical profession fails to take CH seriously. This might be because they think "Oh well, it only lasts 1-1/2 hours. He/She (the patient) can just tough it out." If we can demonstrate that CH can come back to back repeatedly, or can last 5 or 6 or 18 hours, that just might get them to treat CH (and CH'rs) with a bit more respect.
KTSSU,
T