Posted by Victor (24.240.219.47) on December 06, 2001 at 13:06:39:
In Reply to: I found you! posted by Roel Overduin on December 06, 2001 at 10:57:42:
about the cure. Some feel we have an out of wack hypothalamus, hard to say if it is indeed haywire or if some stimulus is causing it to malfunction. Most of us do not have cluster headaches 24 hours a day so I lean toward the stimulus side of it.
I just feel there is a mild swelling that somehow pinches a nerve that sends false signals to the brain making you think someone is pounding a railroad spike in your eye, maybe an over reactive auto immune system, who knows.
So the treatment revolves around anti-inflamatory, blood pressure reducers, nerve deadeners, brain activity reducers (anti-seizure), constrictors, auto-immune suppressors, or simply brain (pychotropic) deadener type drugs.
Doesn't help if your brain activity is low to start with then take a pill to make it even lower, nor does it help to have very low blood pressure then take a pill to drop it to zero.
I don't know the cause of these damnned headaches, just know if other family members catch a common illness, I not only get that illness, but get the CH's with it, kind of like frosting on the cake.
I also know that I never got a CH standing on the shores of the Pacific ocean in Oregon but can get plently in strong industrial areas or on stalled interstates, especially on a hot windless day with 50,000 cars around me blowing out exhaust. So I try to avoid these areas.
I think it's good for you to log your environment to learn if this has any affect on your headaches or maybe your hypothalamus is screwed up and it won't make any difference.
Anyway, welcome to this board, you will find quite a variety of treatments, but mostly understanding from your peers in pain.