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This is my first time with CH diagnosis and I have been in cycle since July 4 (I may have carried this for years, thinking it was sinus headache - but this year has been almost unbearable). Can you experienced folks help me understand what you experience when you come to the end of a cycle? Does the cycle end come suddenly? Are there subtle changes? Can you normally sense when things are winding down? By the way, THANK YOU for all the great information and experience. I am finding some pain relief through this forum, as well as emotional strength through our shared pain!

...mine were like a bell curve every 6-8 weeks for yrs...slow ramp up...level off...slow ramp down.....I ALWAYS knew when the cycle was over when I got hit at the very end of the ramp down by a HUGE one. it was weird...I used to "pray for the whopper". If I was in a hurry there was always the beer test...a guaranteed yes/no on cycle end for me. I think you've said alcohol is not a trigger...so I guess the best I could say is to attempt what you think MAY be a trigger... ...mental health wise...I think it's just easier not to dwell on it (easy to say when you know your cycle...so keeping a journal helps)….

Welcome Andy! It seems that for some,they just peter out. Others wake up one morning and realize they slept all night. For me, I often still wake, to find that the hit is just a hint and go back to sleep. Instead of four 2.25 hour hits per night, I get three. It just winds down for me. Others are different. Mine start with one a night and then grow to the standard four. Often, I will still wake at 'hit time' and there is no hit. That does take a few weeks or more to stop. But hey, a glass of water trip to the bathroom and back to bed is GOOOOOOD!!!!! Stay with us! This is the best place I have found for CH. Gave me my life back.

Darren - I have been in cycle since July 4. I have triggered twice minutes after some longer more strenuous runs. On the flip side, every day for the past week I start to get a hit sometime between the hours of 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. I have learned that running on the treadmill for 12-14 minutes is a great abortive technique - has not failed. To add icing, those are also the nights I sleep all the way through without a hit. If my daily hit does not come during the late afternoon / early evening time frame, the odds are good I'll be up at 1:00 am on the treadmill - it still works, but then there's no sleep for awhile. So exercise can be both a trigger AND and abortive. I have found that reducing the intensity of my normal workout does NOT trigger. You might try just easing back a little bit. You are right though - seems to be no consistency with this thing!

Darren, Hi! I think that what many of us want most is what we consider 'normal' out of life. With that goal in mind, we test the limits. NO one wants to live in a cage and CH can make us feel 'caged'. If you are running successfully, continue. Triggers, as you noted, usually cause a hit quickly. Sip of beer perhaps. I have gotten that brain crusher before the beer was to the shoulder of the bottle - like two sips. So, yea, for me, triggers are pretty darn immediate. Hours later? I would vote for pollen, weather change, passed by an asphalt truck kind of thing. Triggers are very quick for me. As long as you are benefiting I would continue with the work out. It is so good for you mentally, right? Frame of mind is pretty darn up there in 'Important Stuff'. ATB!