Posted by Tom on February 13, 1999 at 19:29:01:
In Reply to: New to the family posted by Lorne Istre on February 11, 1999 at 19:35:47:
Lorne,
I just read your posting on the CH page. I just found the page tonight. I've had cluster headaches since I was 16. I'm in the USAF and having a chronic medical problem isn't a bonus so I haven't spent too much time taking drugs for the headaches. I've held prestigious, high stress (a trigger for me) jobs and been on the Personnel Reliability Program (PRP) several times and had headaches through it all.
I don't have any real advise for you. You just have to try to survive each headache. Find whatever works best and hold onto that. I try to remember that the waves of pain will only last about an hour and the residual pain is nothing.
I lift weights, get mad, lay in the dark with ice on my temple and try to focus and wait. When the headaches are really bad I go to the ER and get hooked up on O2. I'm not on PRP in my job now so I'm trying the drug route again. Verapamil seems to be decreasing the frequency and severity of my headaches and lidocaine (nose drops) often stops the piercing pain. Cafergot helps too but takes awhile to start working so you have to kind of forecast the pain.
After years of this I can only say I'm sorry you're suffering too.