maskedmarvel Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 Hello I have gotten these for about a month in 2012, 2015, Feb of 2017 and now starting about a week ago. This is the first time that I really know what it is. The day before I got them I was drinking a few beers with friends. I rarely ever drink but have a history of smoking weed a lot and depression.. I am sort of kicking myself now for being depressed before this as I feel like if I could just be free from CH I would be so much more willing to accept what life brings. My sister happened to have shrooms so I ate them here and there on Christmas morning from 10am and had the last bit around midnight. Boxing day I got a couple but they were only about half strength. I thought I was good to go on the 27th but I learned the hard way that cheese can trigger a headache.. And trying to smoke weed that day kind of brought them back a bit as well.. They were milder until yesterday morning.. I went and got some cbd oil. I have been taking the cbd regularly and they seem to be keeping them at bay but I still feel traces of CH and am afraid to do anything. I took shrooms again yesterday evening and it seems like I waited long enough (3.5 days or so) because I felt the affects of the shrooms.. However they were less effective on the CH this time. If anyone can help me "bust this cycle" I would be very grateful. My heart goes out to people who have gotten them more frequently than me. A few insights I had that might help others.. If you are getting one do not curl up in a ball or sit holding your head etc.. I find walking outside while breathing deeply into your lower abdomen makes it a lot more bearable. Maybe this is old news, or maybe some will disagree but I am certain chronic tension is playing a role here. In my early 20s I started getting pain\discomfort in a specific area\pattern on the left side of my neck. When the headaches started it was almost like the familiar neck pain had mutated into a painful headache following a period of great stress. I have spent a lot of time over the last 5 years or so doing a lot of stretching and self myofascial release (foam roller, lacrosse ball etc) and I feel like that might account for my relatively low frequency of CH over the years. Recent discoveries in fascia "fascial research" has shed light on a lot of physical issues. Searching for Tom Myers on youtube would be a good place to start.. Also a book called Move Your DNA by Katy Bowman really opened my eyes on how our bodies adapt to our "mechanical environment" (how often we sit or do repetitive movements etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoxieGirl Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 Hi MaskedMarvel, (good nick, btw) Welcome to the group, sorry you have to be here. Most people, probably 90% or so, find alcohol to be a trigger, and many also find pot to trigger attacks. I don't with either item, thankfully, but many do. Many people use alcohol to see if they are out of cycle or not. Obvious advice, avoid them for a month or so. Means an alcohol free New Year's, but better than the alternative. No idea about CBD oil and its affects on clusters, others might comment. Waiting 3.5 days between shrooms is good, 4 days is better. We typically recommend 5 days, but it sounds like you are already aware of that. Often, after busting, you'll get what we call 'slapbacks', which will be oddly timed attacks, or stronger, or sharper, or shorter/longer, etc. Basically, an attack that doesn't fit into the norm. This is a good sign that the shrooms are working. But, it sounds like CBD oil might be holding these off, which is interesting. Most people find it difficult to stay still during an attack. Cold, fresh air should help, along with a cold drink. Caffeine, coffee, energy drinks are all also really good to abort attacks with, I usually keep an energy drink in the fridge for just such an occasion. For more serious aborting methods, look into high flow oxygen. I don't know a lot about it personally, am sure others will jump in with advice. Also, read up on the Vitamin D3 Regimen (aka Anti-Inflammatory Regimen). It's very effecting for a lot of people. You'll also want to read up on busting between cycles to prevent cycles. All this info is in the Clusterbuster Files section. As a trained massage therapist, huge thumbs up for myofascial release techniques. I generally find massage helpful for several forms of headaches, and stretching and releasing your soft tissue is a huge benefit. Don't give up hope. I was suicidal before I found this site. There are solutions and ways of managing this illness. Hang in there, and ask questions, we're here to help. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maskedmarvel Posted December 30, 2018 Author Share Posted December 30, 2018 Thank you so much. Someone told me today that thier dad had cluster headaches and it was related to a liver thing. Have you ever heard of that? I was once diagnosed with a slightly large liver but a follow up test was deemed "not worrisome". I am unable to find any info linking CH to liver function. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoxieGirl Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 No, never heard a connection to the liver. Mine started when I was on HRT, and changed my body from a Testosterone based system to an oestrogen based one, and it screwed up my hypothalamus. Clusters are linked to the hypothalamus in the brain, which controls the body clock and body temperature, among other things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatHurtsMyHead Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 MaskedMarvel, Also never heard of CH having anything to do with the Liver. I'm thinking someone is toking a little to deep on that one. : ) As moxie mentioned, for busting our CH, it's best to stick to 5 days. For some reason the medicine is less effective with shorter or longer time spaces. PFW, J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatHurtsMyHead Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 Oh, and any foods high in Tyramine are trigger foods for most of us with CH. Anything fermented or high in preservatives. Alcohol, Cheese, preserved meats, over ripe fruits or vegetables etc. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maskedmarvel Posted December 31, 2018 Author Share Posted December 31, 2018 Thanks so much everyone. I am now pretty much headache free for over 24h. I had a small one later on yesterday.. Today I actually feel pretty good and even went out and watched a little tv this morning. I am glad you told me that about fermented foods since I like kombucha and thought of having one. I have been eating fermented vegan protein bars but luckily they did not seem to trigger one. I don't feel quite out of the woods yet and am still taking it easy. Thanks to clusterbusters this is sooo not as bad as the last time I got them. Its been less than 2 weeks since they started and I feel like I'm turning a corner. I feel some traces of a headache here and there but its not escalating. I am going to wait 5 days since the last shroom dose and take them one more time. I have been taking cbd oil 2-3x per day since Saturday and I think that might be helping as well. Hopefully I'm on my way out of this and can be someone who can help others with it. I am seeing a lot of lists of trigger foods.. And am wondering what actually is ok to eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxx Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 There are several migraine studies that have shown avoiding sugars and wheat products is prudent in diet selection. I'd also add eating organic NON GMO veggies and fruits along with free range organic meat, poultry and eggs is a great way to go. A serving or two of wild caught fish a week is also great.The rationale for avoiding GMO food types is they all contain glyphosate - a herbicide called Roundup. Nearly all GMO crops were genetically modified to resist Roundup. As the friendly colonies of bacteria called the microbiome living in our GI tract are all nearly all members of the plant family, herbicides kill them off... That's not a good thing as our microbiome is responsible for 70% or our immune system. Just do an Internet search of food types containing Glyphosate... The following links on this topic should perk your interest in eating Organic NON GMO food types. https://www.ecowatch.com/monsanto-glyphosate-cheerios-2093130379.html https://janeshealthykitchen.com/avoid-these-foods-with-monsantos-glyphosate/ Take care, Happy New Year... and watch what you eat... V/R, Batch 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maskedmarvel Posted January 2, 2019 Author Share Posted January 2, 2019 Geez.. 48h without one. I just woke from a weird dream where I was crying uncontrollably.. I woke up with a 50% headache. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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