Posted by FC on June 01, 1998 at 17:42:08:
In Reply to: Re: cluster headaches posted by JIM on May 27, 1998 at 22:14:37:
Gentlemen.....thank you so much for your communiques and your input! I'm pretty new at this communicating with other "victims" of this mine-field/explosions in my head and face stuff, and I'm grateful to be connecting with others of you in the same boat-though I'm sorry that ANY of us go through this terrible thing! To answer some questions, and volunteer some input for your research, I'm in California. These things began two years ago, and have increased over the past year to two a day, or sixty attacks a month, beginning with nighttime attacks, which have now moved into day and night attacks. (Just came off one about forty five minutes ago, and still pretty shakey.) They range in intensity and duration, from five to forty five minutes - from pain to real cold-sweat, "get me outta here" explosions. They begin over my right eye, expand to my head, face, and around my neck (all one one side.) I liken it to feeling like I'm being crushed beneath a train, and nobody's able to get the damned train off me, or stop the excruciating, terrifying pain. To answer more questions, I am a very high allergy type (neophylactic) from both ingestion and inhaling triggers. We haven't as yet determined if the trigger is allergy related, "environmental" related (molds, chemicals in the air, etc.) or a problem with the trigeminal nerve and its tributaries where these pain attacks are located. Your various bits of information are helping me to try to put the pieces together, hopefully for more than just myself. As for the medications some of your kindly suggested, we're working on researching those things right now, and your information is very helpful. I'm after two things, to find what causes these damned things - and to put a stop to it. In the meantime, I'll take all the help and advice I can get, to stop the pain. Sometimes, the medical profession is slow to catch up, but those of us who endure these monstrous attacks can pool our information and look for common denominators. As for it being genetic, that's possible, but in my case, a family history of headaches, but nothing like this. And I find your various references to "cycles" interesting, particularly since In my own case, there are no cycles, just constant being on alert because they can hit at any time. I'm also interested in your references to friends and family members who don't understand. Send them through a damned minefield or explosion in their heads, time after time, and see how they do! You fellas are right, we do tend to get a bit cranky with lack of real understanding. "Charm goes out the window with our dispositions when these things hit! I know our first priority is to make these things stop, but if among ourselves we can solve the mystery and help others, we will have accomplished one hell of an important and vital task. In between these attacks when our minds and bodies are functioning normally, perhaps we can do it - it's certainly worth the try - for all of us!