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So i think  eveyone agrees that the cycles hit around the seasons (solstice) change and the equinox's.  But i have seen ranges .. ie 2 weeks or 4 weeks etc. Has anyone noticed if the lenght of the "in cluster" has any correlation to how close someone lives to the equator ? ie the closer the shorter the time duration. like 2 weeks if your close to the equator and 4 weeks if your further away .. or vice versa. Maybe the change is more rapid the further from the equator so its a shorter time period .. ie. 2 weeks  ?

sorry if this is a stupid question.

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There are no stupid questions   ;)

Dealing with a rare illness that is known for horrific pain, undiscovered causes and no known cure .......

There are REALLY no stupid questions  :D

The seasonal variation on the Earth's surface, which is indeed greater in proportion to the distance from the Equator, is represented mostly by the amount of daylight hours per day.  Temperature and pressure differences are also present, as a direct result from less/more hours of sunlight.

Surely, there is some relationship in CH cycles beginning/ending (especially for the Episodics) based on the light available for the beginning and ending of these Equinox periods.  Fall and Spring are several months after the largest raises and falls in light variation, mostly in the mid-latitudes where we all live.  I would guess that the Equinox times have there highest effects on the body because of the lag time that is typical for all of Mother Natures forces.

Again, if we had some sort of simple data base on us clusterheads ....... where we live, frequency and intensity of CH.   CH could then be correlated to any weather/seasonal phenomenon.

I'm chronic, no such seasonal perks for me  :'(

weatherman

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cycles hit around the seasons (solstice) change and the equinox's.

As common as this appears to be, not all CH'ers have such a correlation for cycles.

When my first CH cycles hit, they'd start back up every year plus 1 month for several years, then every year plus 2 months, etc. with remissions gradually expanding longer and longer, so I've probably had a cycle start up every single month of the calendar year by now.

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I really like weatherman's idea for a data base.  It would definitely be interesting to see if any correlations could be recognized. 

I also recognize the total randomness of CH cycles described by Jeebs.  And not only for episodics, but chronics alike.  I kept a CH diary for years, recording such anomalies as barometric pressure (including rising, dropping or steady), among other things. 

I even traveled south of the border to Ajijic, MX for a four week stay to see if it would make a difference.  National Geographic describes this area as enjoying the second best climate in the world.  I had been chronic for years when I made the trip, and I was hammered every day I was there up until the day before my flight back to GA.  I went PF and stayed that way for over six months after my return home! 

About the only hard fact that I know about CH is that there is no hard fact about CH, other than the horrific pain.

Still, as weatherman says, "There are no stupid questions", and I think that it is incumbent on all of us to ask all the questions we can, and follow up in the best way we can to answer those questions.

Carry on...

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A really interesting question (not silly at all). It would great if we could find a perfect, cluster free spot on the planet. OK, now I'm just being silly.

But it might be interesting to see if there are any seasonal patterns. Elevation, climate, all those things could be looked into.

However, I tend to agree alleyoop, the only hard and fast rules with clusters is that there are no hard and fast rules. I tend to say it this way: No two cluster sufferers are exactly the same, and just as soon as you start to figure yours out, it changes.

MG

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  • 2 weeks later...

i can totally relate to the statement  " just as soon as you start to figure yours out, it changes. " as this relates to menopausal symptoms as well.

alley  -- any chance all that time in mexico increased your vit-D levels ? have you tried Batch's vit-D regmine ?

thanks all .. drs. apt for my son on wed. with dr. Kudrow

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didgens,

There's a very good chance that my remission was kicked off by increased vitamin D levels from my stay in MX.  There was lots of equatorial sunshine with temps at that time of the year averaging in the upper 80's, right before the rainy season. 

I did try Batch's vit- D regimen about 2 1/2 yrs ago briefly, but after a seemingly increase in CH activity, I gave up on it.  FF to late 2011.  I got blood work done which showed low D levels and my GP put me on 100,000 iu D3 weekly.  I had to go to a compound pharmacy for this.  He kept me there for 60 or 90 days (can't remember), and then cut me back to 10,000 iu daily. 

I have been there ever since, except for a brief period of a few weeks last year when my levels were at 115 ng/ml.  My GP then wanted me to cut my intake back to 5,000 iu daily.  I did this until I started getting mild hits, and then went back to 10,000 daily. 

I don't take any calcium supplements as I am stuck on 480 mg of verapamil daily.  I have tried any number of times to taper off of the verap, with no success.  It used to bring on the CH when I would get down to 120 mg, but now with my age, it's not the CH, but after over ten years @ this dose, if I go to 360 mg, my blood pressure jumps significantly.  So I suppose I am stuck with it for the remainder of my life.  :(

Other than the verap, I take B complex and 800 mcg folic acid daily.  And I for years I have taken 9 - 10 mg of melatonin at night.

I also bust whenever I feel any CH activity at all.  After 18 months PF, I was having some activity in the evenings -- very mild and easily knocked out with 02, so I busted twice 5 days apart with mild doses.  I had a wake-up hit (still mild) last Sat AM, and dosed that night.  So far, so good.  Fingers crossed.  8-)

So to answer your implied question, YES, I do think that low vitamin D levels play a big part in CH, at least for me and many others.

Hope this helps,

Bob

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Hey thanks for asking CHf ,, we went to see Dr. Kudrow yesterday. Finally got him O2 and imitrex injectables.  He has not had a CH now for almost a month now so will be preparing for sept/oct which seems to be his pattern (if you can call it a pattern after only 2 years).  He said that my son is a-typical as he doesnt get them multiple times a day or even every day when he's  "In cycle" but all the other descriptions fit to a tee. (which we already knew) .. i am kicking myself because i did not push for D3 blood test (honestly i forgot as the appt ran about an hour with all kinds of questions and neuro tests and MRI review).  So im glad that at least we now have a doc that knows whats what.  I honestly did more listening to the doc then talking ,, i dont really like to tell a doctor what i know about something in case they get the "Hey im the doctor and know better" ,, I also wanted him to question my son without my interference or influence to see if he came to the same conclusion i/we already had by reading here and elsewhere.  Should our relationship with this doctor progress then i will push for more things and ask more questions of him.

hows your daughter doing ?

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She's in her thirties.  They started when she was in college, or maybe sooner, but she didn't seek treatment for them until considerably later (and then had a misdiagnosis for several years).  They have some patterns that seem related to the time of year, but they're not "like clockwork" in that regard.

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Well, it is a known thing that MS is more prevalent further from the Equator, so it stands to reason that other health issues could be too. I even wondered if there is difference in cycles based on barometrics and hours of sun etc.

The brain-storming happening on these threads is awesome ~ and I agree...no questions are stupid

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thanks  ;) .. i read somewhere last week about the magic 37 degrees either side of the equator of optimal Sunlight and vitamin D synthesis by the human skin.  we are close at 34 degrees ..that and the fact my son has become nocturnal .. lol ,, not sure he has any vitamin D in his blood  :(

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didgens,

His regular MD can test for vit. D.

I garden and spend a lot of time in the sun during the summer. When I had mine tested a few years ago, it was 30 in August - when I was quite tan despite using sunblock often. Just wasn't metabolizing it. Then the expected cycle started. When I went on the D3 I got it up to 101 at 10,000 units/day after several months. I throttled back to 5,000 and am still there.

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I know many clusterheads on our sister site have been checked for Vit. D levels in cycle and off cycle, it would be nice to try to gather that data, I don't know if Batch has kept a record of the data he was submitted through the years.

Gathered data would be nice for any aspects of clusters, where we live, our levels... maybe a professional could get something out of this

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