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Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/18/2018 in Posts

  1. Hi Peggy, Firstly, I would get thee to a neurologist (with a headache specialty) if you haven't been yet. What you describe could be cluster headaches, though I can tell you I've never been able to put on an ice pack and go to sleep when I'm having an attack. Normally, attacks are far too severe for that to work and necessitate rocking back and forth or pacing to cope with the pain. Bad attacks usually involve me intentionally scalding myself in the shower or banging my head on a wall/ doorknob. Thankfully, my condition has improved enough that that doesn't happen very often anymore but in order to treat yourself, you need to know exactly what you're dealing with first. As far as relief goes, Imitrex is the standard abortive medicine for both migraines and clusters. The generic form is called Sumatriptan. You can get it as an injectable (which is a necessity for most folks with CHs) or in nasal spray or pill form. I have it but only use it as an emergency because I have found it causes me to have rebound headaches. But for stopping a headache, it is miraculously effective. I gave my wife one (a pill) for a severe migraine she was having last week and she was absolutely blown away by how fast and how well it worked. The Vitamin D regimen was developed by a fella with CH who goes by the handle "Batch". Standard doses of Vit D on Batch's regime are 10,000 ius/ day. I personally take 20,000/ day. This is substantially more than even a heavy load recommended by doctors for, for example, multiple sclerosis. When you are taking Vitamin D in such large doses, you need to take magnesium and calcium supplements to help you absorb the vitamin D and to counteract any deficiencies arising from its use. Furthermore, you need to take it with food, preferably a large meal. Batch's Vitamin D3 write-up in the ClusterBuster Files can give you more detail; I'm giving the broad strokes here. Batch is insistent that you get a blood test to monitor your Vitamin D blood levels (details in the file) to insure you have reached the therapeutic level. After you've been diagnosed with CHs, standard medical procedure is to put you on Verapamil and steroids. Many folks find this helps them. Many folks don't. YMMV. when you say you've done oxygen: people with cluster headaches need at least 15lpm through a nonrebreather mask for effective aborts. And you need to be huffing on it pretty hard. It's a specific process. I hope this helps you and I'm sorry about your headaches.
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  2. Good morning Verna! So sorry to read that ya'lls 2nd round of dexalog12 injections didn't work as well!! We've had just a few folks who've reported here about Dr Mikes protocol but I know many clusterheads in the Facebook patient communities who have had varying success.....and some who didn't get as much relief from their 2nd round.....Hollywood Dan, who initially found out about Dr Mike initially has had great success for close to 2 years now and I think 4 rounds.....I'll shoot him a message as I'm pretty sure his last round was after Dr Mike passed away Dallas Denny
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