Posted by Toni (209.183.90.93) on July 14, 2000 at 23:54:25:
Hi everyone! This is the first time I have posted here in over a year. My husband suffers with CH's. He is 37 years old and has suffered with them since his late 20's. Usually when his 'cycle' starts he takes a series of steroid's and they usually go away pretty soon after he has finshed the 'packet'. The last episode of headaches he had were probably 1 1/2 years ago. He was taking the imetrex shots at that time and between them and the steroids he was doing pretty good.
He started another 'cycle' about 3 weeks ago and our lives have became a living hell again. We seperated about the time the headaches came back. We are now back together and I am convinced that the headaches are the devils way of breaking us apart again!! I feel SO sorry for him, but I am SO tired of hearing about it all the time! I am tired of not being able to do anything without a headache coming on. I am tired of him going in the other room at 5-6 pm and leaving me alone for the rest of the night. I know all of this sounds pretty selfish on my part, I am not trying to sound like someone with no compassion, I am just SO sick of not being able to find anything that helps him out!! He has switched jobs in thje last year and now the insurance through his new job doesn't cover the imetrex shots (even though it's the SAME EXACT insurance company - just a different employer). The insurance company even had the nerve to TELL the neuro what to prescribe for him. Our neuro told them "NO" he wasn't going to prescribe it and it still did no good. He ended up prescribing the Maltrex tablets (in which my hubby noticed 'some' relief from) they gave him 3 refills on them. He ended up using all 12 tablets prescribed in 3 days. We went to get the script refilled yesterday and the pharmacy said that the insurance company was blocking it because the first script was just dispensed 3 days ago and that it couldn't be refilled for 40 days!!! I was SO mad when I walked out of there!! It's ridiculous!! It says right there on the script "can be taken at onset of headache - every 2 hours" so what's the deal? There are 24 hours in a day...which means he COULD HAVE taken the whole 12 tablet script in one day...right?
I don't understand what these 'people' think my hubby should do. I don't understand why in the h*ll we even have insurance if you can't use it!!
I read one time in a book about Clusters that in "extreme" case they will remove the nerve from your eye in which you feel pain. That way, you will still get the headaches but you won't feel them because the nerve is gone. Hubby told me the other day that we need to check into getting that done. He is going nuts, I am going nuts. He is going to end up loosing his job if he misses much more work - but he can't work while he has the headaches. It is a vicious cycle and we are about to lose it! I am sorry this is SO long. I just REALLY needed to vent!! Thanks for allowing me to do so!!
Take Care and God bless!
Toni