Fabalicious

Hey Big Ed! Sorry you had to seek us out. J is correct in his descriptions of what differentiates a cluster headache from a migraine. I think some of the main things are the one sided head pain, the inability to lie down, and the sinus stuffiness/ eye drooping on the affected side (my eye would droop so much that my friends all thought i had a "lazy eye"). The "episodes" can last from a day to several years for chronic sufferers, but the "attacks" (the times of SEVERE debilitating pain) last from 1-3 hours and can occur many times a day. The pain can branch out from the area around the eye to the shoulder, top of the head, even cause agony in the jaw and tooth areas, but is mostly located around the eye and temple of the affected side. These things suck....big time. I would also concur with J about seeing a doctor for a diagnosis. Be careful with the docs though. Many GPs have never heard of CH, or they do not know enough about them to be of any help. Go to a headache specialist and tell them that you think you might have clusters. If you do they should give you an oxygen tank for home (i was skeptical about O2 at first, but it REALLY helps) and start you on a never ending bout of "OK that doesn't work...lets try this". If you do have actual clusters, stay on the site and keep reading...I know theres a LOT of info on the site, but everyone here knows what you are going through and really knows their stuff. Please keep reading and dont hesitate to ask questions...we are all in your corner! HUGS and Pain Free Wishes!

Wooot Toni! Look out we are getting dangerous! 8-)

Hey Jim! Happy Tday to you as well!

Could not have said it better! Just one person missing off that list Jeebies....YOU! HUGS!!!!

LMAO thats what shoes are for!! I had a pair of sandals that my daughters SWEAR could boomerang and get them around a corner. :

Self directed neuroplasitcity....sweet. I am liking the sound of that! 8-)

Sorry I havent been able to get on for a few days.....I was just sitting at my computer...and it just ...quit...2 days before TDay...my hubby "oh yeah ..its just the power supply" well the day before Tday he went into town and got a new one...then that evening figured out that he got the wrong part...by then it was too late to head back into town, and the next day was Tday...long story short (too late now) I finally have my puter back after several trips to the computer parts store in town, a LOT of whining (me), quite a few bad words (him...ok maybe a few from me too lol) and about 3 minutes of standing there silently staring at him with my patented Vulcan mind meld stare. I was only gone for a few days...I missed you all terribly. I wanted to thank you all too! There is no way I could ever repay you all for giving my life back. I am so grateful. I love y'all so much, even though I have never met anyone in person. Please know if any of you EVER need ANYTHING..please allow me to repay my debt. HUGS and gratitude!!!!

Awesome read CHFather! Thank you so much for posting this! I am printing it up to add to my file. HUGS!! and many many PFD!! and please excuse me while I go watch the you tube videos! This cortical plasticity stuff is really interesting to think about. You also got me thinking....I am going to scour the net today and see if anyone has ever some a series of imaging while someone (who is practiced in the art of meditation) is medding. Those would be really sweet to look at and compare.

Size DOES matter! [smiley=lolk.gif]

lol...but Texas is still so big...we prolly still live 12 hours from each other. But that being said...if anyone ever needs anything please feel free to PM me. I will be more than happy to do what I can to help. HUGS! and PFD !

Same here sweetie. HUGS!

Agree with Didgens about the rat thing....AND with Spiny about the sunscreen thing....The only time I even wear sunblock anymore is when we are going to be out ALL day. Our bodies need that sun to help us make da Vit D! :

I too can attest to that fact. Had these things my entire life, but that was just a tease of what the dragon had in store for me after I turned 50. My hubby is a certified divemaster, it was hard for him to talk me into going down with him ( he likes to go into wrecks...and caves../shudder) but the first few times I went were of no consequence as far as CH goes....but THMH is correct in that And attacks when you are out on the water....well thats just rubbing our faces in it...frickin beast.

Hey Phren! You are correct that the Trex tabs take a long time to work. Usually by the time they kick in your episode is over anyway. The injections do cost a lot more, I was dividing mine into 3rds (when I was taking Trex) but found that 1/3 was not enough so I settled on 1/2. The injections work much faster (10 mins) But be careful taking that stuff...its nice for preventative (well you THINK it is, but in the midst of an intense episode you will do just about anything to make it stop, even for just a couple hours) then you start taking more and more...then the side effects hit...not pretty. My best advice is...if something isn't working to help you...kick it to the curb and move on to try something else. Keep reading, there is so much great info on this site, and so many different options , you will find one (or a morph of 3-4) that is perfect for you. Good luck sweetie! HUGS and PFW!!!

Agreed. I never thought of the brain as a muscle before. Interesting concept. So pretty much the more you "work it" the better the performance? :

Lol Jeebies [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif]

I rock also, either rock or bounce my leg... :

I was actually wondering who all had really stressful things happen to you as a child? Not the normal childhood stresses but heavy duty stuff? Apparently this is the time when we learn how to deal with outside stresses and if there was something really bad...and no one to really help you through or teach you..you would learn to internalize at a VERY early age....then the older we get we just keep adding to it until it blows. "When the Body Says NO" ( thanks for that recommended reading Tony and LT2) .....

Haz, So sorry . Looks like your beast isnt gonna go down without a fight. Don't let the bastard win! Ditto... hang in there, we are thinking about you. HUGS and a bat to beat the beast with.

I did attempt to read the entire article, but its a bit over my head (just a bit, I'm not a TOTAL idiot) What would be a way to change the "wiring"? As simple as training our brains to think differently? or as complex as surgery?

And all for naught...that is such a waste..of your time, money and not like you aren't already in enough pain from the CH. I am so sorry to hear that. :-/

Awww sweetie...I wish I was in Poland so I could help. Hang in there! HUGS to you and PFW!

Holy crapola MG! Thats a real woman right there!

totally agree. I know that the sumatrip is terrible...but if you have to work...sometimes its the only way. Instead of the spray, maybe try the pills or injections? Injections are SO expensive, but they do work much faster...Just remember to keep an eye on your time frame...5 days 5 days 5 days HUGS sweetie...wishing you PFT!

It IS frustrating. We can't even get all the researchers on the same page, never mind the doctors. This is not only a well known fact, but just common sense really. I was thinking, ( i know...dangerous...lol) we have so many HIGHLY intelligent people on this site, and the skill sets of our members are diverse and encompassing. Could WE do some actual organized research ourselves? We could start with a general questionnaire (covering environmental, psychological, etc., a full spectrum) then work from there. We have to have one of the largest concentrations of CHers on the planet. I realize that we would not have access to things like CT or MRI, but (in my own humble opinion) theres been enough of that done, and there is really nothing more to be gleaned from beating the dead horse. We should look elsewhere. Maybe a REALLY thorough questionnaire would help us spot some common ground, I mean, we already know that none of us has (or has ever) had a "normal" sleep pattern, and from all the posts we all demonstrate obsessive behavior. What do you all think? Could we actually do this ourselves? or is this just my obsessiveness rearing its controlling head?