riy08 Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I've been having all-day shadows for almost a month now without any real hits. Will busting work to get rid of the shadows? Coffee and energy drinks can't get rid of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunGuy Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Hi Riy The answer is maybe. ;-) Busting is not very complicated but it does require some thought and planning. The shadow lasts all day? Can you give us a bit more information about yourself and your headaches. What you've tried, what works and doesn't work, what you are taking now for abortives and/or preventatives. FG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricardo Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Been using the new chapter brand Ginger Force (supercritical CO2 ginger extract) and regular ginger pills lately for shadows with damn good results. (LOTS of them--usually taking 6 or 7 ginger force pills and 8 or 9 regular ginger pills, all at once) Only problem is it seems to work for a few days, then I must get tolerance to it, stops working so well. About 4 days off and it seems to be working again...This and a ridiculous amount of water seem to be my best friends lately... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riy08 Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 Hi FunGuy, I'm into the 11th week of my cycle. My cycles usually only last for a week then I get a remission of 3 years. The doctor had me taking Sibelium which is also a calcium blocker like Verapamil. I was taking 10 mg daily. I think that worked because the frequency and intensity of the hits greatly diminished. I was taking that for about a month until all I had were the morning hits. My neurologist gave me topamax for the morning hits. I was taking 25g of topamax daily along with 10g of Sibelium. When the morning hits went away, I stopped taking the Sibelium and I just took 50 mg of Topamax. All I have now are shadows and twinges. These shadows sometimes last all-day, sometimes I have them for most of the day. Thinking that maybe Topamax had something to do with it and since I was planning to bust in the next few days, I started detoxing. I haven't noticed any changes in my headache patterns since I started detoxing but the shadows still remain. I also tried the beer test a couple of days ago and I didn't get any headaches at all. Beer has always been a trigger for me in the past. Is it possible that I'm already out of cycle? Would you suggest busting to get rid of the shadows? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riy08 Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 I forgot to mention that my headaches started switching sides for my last remaining hits. And now the shadows are everywhere. Sometimes they are at the right temple, sometimes they're at the back of the head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apperception Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Hi all, I've been episodic for the past 27 years. I go into cycle about every 2 or 3 years. While in cycles, but not getting hit, I experienced shadows-pressure, discomfort "soft" painful spots on the side of my head and temple. It certainly feels like the CH mechanisms are active. When this feeling goes away, I have historically known that the cycle is over. About six weeks ago, I started getting these shadows most of the day ranging from a 1 to a 3 on the KIP scale. A couple have escalated to 4 or 5. At that point, I hit the Oxygen real hard for a few minutes and things subside. This feels very different than previous cycles. My sense/hope is that I am, in fact, in cycle, but for some reason just not getting the usual hits/attacks. Maybe I'll have an update at the conference and I am certainly interested in the experience of others. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dallas Denny Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Hey Doc Larry, I've been episodic for 27 years as well with cycles every 18 to 24 months. Last cycle was from Aug 15th thru Nov 26th of 2009. I've never experienced shadows......ususally when a cycle begins, I get a rogue hit followed by 2 or 3 PF days and it ramps up from there.......however, I have been experiencing episodes for the past 2 or 3 weeks of very minor pain along the same lines and points as is the past, watery eye and runny nose, buildup of pressure in my head......just like a full blown hit except for the fact that the pain level doesn't even approach the lower end of the Kip scale!!! I had one just a couple hours ago that was the strongest yet, but I still couldn't class it above a Kip 1. Another interesting point is that they've all occured during the daytime while I'm awake, while the majority of my hits in the past have been nocturnal. There's another thread on the board regarding the occurence of vivid dreams by another sufferer as a precurser to an approaching cycle.......I've never been aware of it before, but I have been having quite a few dreams the past few weeks and some of em were real vivid (jumped clean out of the bed last week gettin away from a BIG assed snake and landed knees first on hardwood.....woke my wife up and she was afraid I wasn't gonna be able to get up..lol) Along with you, I sense that I am in fact at the beginning of a cycle and the beast has just morphed one more time. Dallas Denny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 I feel what you mean. I have the same for 25 days now after busting. Shadows begin most of the time half the day and whole evening without giving me attacks at night. I tested several times with alcohol and even drink a lot of alcohol and nothing really happend. It looks like the cycle isn't over but did not give attacks anymore. I had the same thoughts about another bust or not but I want to leave it the way it is to see if it gets over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anthony g Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 very intersting thread to me. I have had shadows since my last and second cycle ever back in dec 09 which lasted till late apr 10. the right side (cluster side) of my head has not felt the same since that cycle. Some days the "shadows" are more intense than others but still not feeling a "normal head for all that time is not fun! I am actually "busting" tomorrow evening for the 1st time to see what happens. I too am a bit leary and dont want to rock the boat but at the same time I feel the need to give it a try. Will definitely keep u all posted. wish me luck Anthony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bejeeber Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Best of luck Anthony - I bet it'll be a good move! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHfather Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Haven't dealt with shadows -- but am I wrong in remembering that some people use the SPUT method (Small Pieces Under the Tongue) for shadows? 2-4 RC seeds or a small amount of psilo, kept under the tongue where it's easily absorbed. I know SPUT is discussed in TommyD's files, but I looked through a few and couldn't find it. Sorry if I'm dragging a red herring across the thread here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tingeling Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 My God Denny, hope you had some cloths on as you landed on your knees.... ;D I experienced all over the head shadows, or how you could explain it. Sometimes i have felt like when it was on it`s way to "leave" one side, it started to shadow and to funny things on the other side or like a all over feeling. For me, busting always took care of it. Good luck!! Tingeling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riy08 Posted September 8, 2011 Author Share Posted September 8, 2011 Hey guys, so i tried busting about a month ago. did it for about 3 times. still have the shadows though. I haven't had any real hits in about 3 months but i haven't exactly been pain free either. i've been able to drink beer and other alcoholic drinks so i guess technically i'm already out of cycle? could it be that these "shadows" that we refer to are just tension headaches that somehow developed after our cycle? anyway, whatever it is, i can't seem to get rid of it. any ideas? i'd appreciate any thoughts or advice you guys can offer. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamondmaker Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Ok, first I've heard of the CH switching sides. I have experienced this... anyone else? I also have gotten base of the skull and whole head stuff late afternoon and all night. The theories I have on this range from "tension headaches" caused by the extreme tension of our body reacting to the pain, to a "muted" and even "drawn out" effect caused by prescription blockers like verapamil, topamax, and even the triptans. Bottom line... when I am in remission, nothing happens... when I am not, anything can happen. Oxygen always helps, and busting? Not ready to comment on my results yet (after 36 years I have learned not to jump to conclusions too quickly). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clustermom13 Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I have learned not to jump to conclusions too quickly Not to mention "the Jinx"! Smart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clankfu Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 There's another thread on the board regarding the occurence of vivid dreams by another sufferer as a precurser to an approaching cycle.......I've never been aware of it before, but I have been having quite a few dreams the past few weeks and some of em were real vivid (jumped clean out of the bed last week gettin away from a BIG assed snake and landed knees first on hardwood.....woke my wife up and she was afraid I wasn't gonna be able to get up..lol) Along with you, I sense that I am in fact at the beginning of a cycle and the beast has just morphed one more time. Dallas Denny I start having vivid dreams when I'm about to start a cycle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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