Tuesday

Thank you all so much for your advice and support! This seems like a really helpful forum/community. I am glad I found it. I have been doing a lot of reading here and in general and feel more hopeful about treatments. Energy drinks are kind of out, I try to avoid caffeine due to my anxiety, also stopping my Paxil is not really an option right now, my anxiety is fairly severe and I am not emotionally stable enough yet to go med free. Again, thank you all so much, I am planning to talk to my Dr about the oxygen right away. I am also reading/looking into the other suggestions offered. ~Tuesday

Hello. I am in my third cluster headache cycle, it just started today. I got my first cluster headache about a year and a half ago. I was sitting at my computer and then all of a sudden I felt like someone had shot me in the head through my right eye. My vision blurred, I screamed out loud and actually collapsed to the floor. I crawled (the pain was too intense to get up) to my bedroom and curled up in a corner rocking back and forth, crying out loud. It stayed the same intensity for what seemed like an eternity but was about 30-40 minutes, and then was gone. I felt drained and shaken, crawled up to my bed and abruptly fell asleep. It was strange and painful, but in my mind at least it was over. Imagine my shock and horror when the next day I was greeted with the same pain all over again. I immediately made a doctor's appointment. I have history of brain tumors and anyeurisms in my family so my doctor was concerned. He sent me for an MRI, which came back normal. After that he told me about cluster headaches and said he thought this was what I had. He told me to keep track of the frequency and pattern of my headaches. He also gave me some Imitrex which he admitted would probably not help much since it needs to be taken before the headache to be effective. I had about 10-12 of the headaches over the next 2 weeks and then they stopped. I had a similar episode about 3 months later, but then nothing until today. Naively I thought they might have been gone for good. This morning I awoke with a start with the familiar intense pain, always on my right side. I cried out from the pain and the helplessness. The resignation of knowing I will have to go through this again tomorrow and for who knows how many days? I have never tried to treat these in any way, thinking it was hopeless. I have pretty severe anxiety and take Paxil for that, otherwise I am drug free. I have experimented with many drugs recreationally and am open to try anything that will help with this horrifying pain! So please, give me your advice, success stories, and suggestions. Thanks! ~Tuesday