Posted by Simon (193.113.185.163) on April 16, 2000 at 14:16:42:
In Reply to: August,I think your ignorance is only exceeded by your arrogance posted by NickD on April 16, 2000 at 13:40:24:
Nick,
I agree totally with your last point, ie. that if you have helped one person, that makes what you’re saying
worthwhile, so by all means keep posting along these lines.
However, I have to disagree with you with regard to triggers. There are some which are common (such as
alcohol and the nitrates used to trigger ch in cluster research) and that is interesting, but the fact is that they
exacerbate an already existing condition. This is obvious since both those particular triggers do not work
when episodic patients are given them out of cycle. Any question that alcohol or nitrates or MSG
cause clusters is patent nonsense since otherwise all users of those substances would get clusters.
The cluster condition comes first, and the trigger (in some cases) makes it worse.
Having said that, once we find our own triggers, there is a certain responsibility on us (for our own sake) to
avoid them.
I don’t disagree, then, with your premise that you are better off with clean air (wouldn’t we all be!), but feel
that to suggest that pollution or whatever is responsible is trying to allocate some form of blame, where none
exists - we have an unfortunate and excruciating condition, but what causes it is in ourselves. (Please don’t
misunderstand me, I’m saying it’s just our bad luck, not that we need to go on a self-healing binge or look
for faults).
As for your other points, I know from my own experience that rebound can/must be drug related, but
memory loss and wobbly legs often occur with me after a cluster attack (whether medicated or not). My
weight gain I put down to incessant snacking in the early hours when awoken by the beast!
(Sorry if this sounds a little negative - maybe it was the attacks on London - a fine city - and the apparent
suggestion that the UK was some of Eastern European environmental catastrophe - which got my goat!)
Simon