Posted by Paul (208.12.111.154) on September 26, 2000 at 00:34:36:
In Reply to: Stress, strain CH posted by Linda Howell on September 24, 2000 at 21:06:41:
Sorry, I tried to jam too many thoughts into one post. Obviously new to the site and it has raised many questions in my mind. First of all, I don't hang drywall for a living. I was trying to illustrate a point concerning what in my mind, may bring on these "spells" of CH. I guess what I'm trying to say is that hanging the drywall, digging the ditch, or using the over-head crane at work didn't cause me any discomfort during the actual activity. That is my point exactly. Other than these blasted headaches, I feel fine. When I said that I strained my neck and shoulder at work from repetive motion, I basically had no other symptoms at that time other than the CH. And that is what got me to thinking. That's when it all started to add up. (for me anyway) At the time that those particular series of headaches began, I was using an over-head crane to move parts around from machine to machine. The up and down operation of the crane was motor driven but all other motion was manual since the crane was mounted to an "I" beam. I experienced no discomfort at work or afterwork and the work itself was far from "heavy-duty". However, when I started keeping track of the CH, I realized that 90% of the time, the headaches only occured DURING the week when I was using the crane. Anyway, ( this is a long story) the first thing I did was go to a chiropractor (no help) and then to the company DR. who had me pulled off the machine and sent me to physical theraphy. The CH went away once I stopped using the crane! That is until the therapists switched from heating pads and electrical stimulius on my neck and shoulder to massaging my neck and pulling on my shoulder joint to "try to restore range of motion". The CH then came back with a vengence.
OK, I'll try to wrap it up. My theory is this. And I only speak for myself. There is something wrong in my neck and/or shoulder that I believe is related to the muscles that is causing these CH. If I strain these muscles in certain ways, I am putting myself at risk for these CH. I do not know exactly what types of activities cause this strain, but I have a general idea that it involves repetive motion and the muscles of the neck and shoulder including the trapezious (sp?) muscles and does not necessarily have to be strenuous in nature.
Here's another thought. Since I've looked around this sight, a few things have struck me. First of all, the "Water X3". When I asked my Doctor why beer would guarantee me several hours out in the garage battling one of these monsters, I was told that the possible reason could be that the alcohol could be dehydrating some muscles that were in turn bringing on these CH. So now after seeing the "Water X3" I'm wondering if there's not a blockage of some sort supplying the affected muscles that only an abundance of water could somehow supply.
Next item that floored me was the inhalation of oxygen for ten minutes to provide relief. I dunno, oxygen to provide relief sure sounds like a muscle related pain to me. The first thing that I think of is a person having a heart attack. What are the symptoms? Burning in the chest? Extreme pain? Aren't heart attacks caused by a blockage and lack of oxygen to the muscles of the heart? And also,what about an over-worked muscle that burns due to the acid produced within the muscle?
I dunno. It seems that I've got alot of theories that probably don't hold much water. I suppose that I need to read everything on this site and others before I start "runnin at the keyboard".In the meantime, I appreciate your response (bet you wish you hadn't!!) and I would appreciate also if you could direct me to any information that would dis-prove my theories or enlighten me in any way as to the type of headaches that I may be experiencing. I dunno though, when I clicked on that page that described the symptoms of the CH I was about in tears to see them described so accurately. I saw another page somewhere on the Web that described the pain as "Someone driving a nail through your eye". I'd say that and the fireball behind my eye is a pretty good description. Thanks again.