My first time trying....

[Napoli]

Well I was starting to convince myself that my cluster was over as it had been over 36 hours since my last attack but then i woke up last night at around 2 30 am. At first I went through the usual denial. "It's not an attack.  Your just having trouble sleeping" and then "It won't be so bad, just stay in bed and you'll be able to fall back asleep".  Of course I was wrong.  As the pain started to increase I decided to run over to the fridge and try pounding a red bull since I've read that it has been useful for so many. I chugged my red bull and opened by balcony, sitting cross legged . It was very cold last night and I figured the fresh air and cold temperature could help out (I've read that lowering your body temperature could also help abort an attack). Soon enough I was actually shivering because I was so cold, but worst of all my head really started pounding. I was between a 8-9 KIP for a good 20-25 min. I couldn't stand the cold air anymore and I remembered that a lot of you had also had some success using ice packs.  Well I didn't think I actually had an ice pack but I decided to go to the freezer and find something to use. I remember we had some frozen chicken in there! To my surprise, we actually did have a small iceback in the back of the freezer!  I took the icepack and placed it on the side of my temple. About 15 seconds later the pain seemed to completely cease for a sec. It shortly came back but was definitely less intense and manageable. I felt that where I placed the icepack and at what pressure also seemed to have various results on the pain. In the end, I felt most comfortable placing the icepack about a millimeter or so away from the side of my head and temple or to place it there without any pressure whatsoever, not even allowing it to rest on its own weight.

Woke up this morning with another CH but of the manageable 4-5 kind.  I drank my other red bull and the pain was gone after 20 min or so.

Overall feedback:

Icepack and redbull will definitely become my new best buddies during attacks! I think the redbull takes a while to take affect so I guess its important to take it as early as possible. In my case I think it definitely decreased the overall length and intensity of the attack.

Question: How much red bull/monster do you guys actually drink?  I think for my more intense attacks I will pound atleast 2 next time. For the weaker ones one seemed to work fine this morning.

The icepack seemed to have a more immediate effect (which was also amplified by the fact that by the time i grabbed the icepack the redbull was probably just starting to work its magic).  Like I said, I probably need to work a bit on the placement and pressure.

Question: Where do you put the ice pack and at what pressure?

Trying to lower my body temperature was a horrible failure for me. Freezing my ass off in the midst of an intense attack didn't seem to do anything but increase my overall suffering.

Question: Has this worked for any of you?

Wish you all a pain free day!

[tingeling]

LOL ;D Red bull is my riend as well sometimes. I need a 500ml bottle, along with lots of ice cold water. For me lowering my body temp is good, together with movement and Red Bull. Must look very manic ;D

But what i noticed, regardless to what it was that helped, is that the pain gets increased before it slips.

Some days i cannot sit for more than three min, then it starts, so on the jog all day, drinking mainly lots of water and sometimes Red Bull. I try not to overdo Red Bull, i`m a little afraid of getting some form of rebound from all the sugar. But from what i can read, Taurin affects how our body respond to sugar. It is positive for diabetics, Taurin. So hopefully this works agains eachother, and levels it out, a bit at least. Haven`t noticed any rebound actually.

[Napoli]

i used only a 250 ml bottle.  worked pretty effectively on the weak one this morning but i will up the dossage for the next big attack.

i think ill try lowering my body temp with ice cold water next time.  i was shivering from the cold outside and i didn't notice any effect on the pain.

i also notice that i start start moving a lot when suffering from a strong attack. Sometimes i rock back and forth while sitting in a meditation position, other times i walk around, other times i stand but start leaning my body in all different directions with my head tilted toward my painful side (this last one must look REALLY demented to someone watching me).

[This isnt fair]

Hi, Good work on defense. couple of tips if you dont mind. #1. Never try and convince yourself its not happening...... At the first feeling...... you attack it!!!! Redbull,icepacks, o2. never hesitate.!!!!  # 2. I use frozen vegetables inside a extra baggie.they mold to your head better,for better coverage. I have several, as there only cold for a little while then I switch to another while refreezing the first.#3. I have recently started to go to sleep with the veges already placed on my pillow, I fall asleep with my head on them .kind of as a preventative. seems to work 70% of the time. #4. Until you get o2, if the ice  and redbull isn't working, go to the freezer and stick your head in and breath deep for awhile.. I throw a towel over the top of the door and drape it over my head and close the bottom. like a hood.( trying to keep as much as the cold air in the freezer as possible.)# 5. get o2!!!  Rocking back and fourth is normal for us. best wishes!!!!!

[tingeling]

LOL ;D I wondered how we look to others sometimes. I go around and i get cranked and tilt towards the bad side, and moving around like crazy ;D

[tingeling]

Your veges and freezer tip...LOOOL ;D ;D

Good idea, gonna try it!!!

[This isnt fair]

TY Ting.  You know we will try just about anything. Some things work well, some dont.

[Hipshot]

i stand but start leaning my body in all different directions with my head tilted toward my painful side (this last one must look REALLY demented to someone watching me). 

Too damn funny. Not making light of your situation. You just described us in a position that we can all picture ourselves in.

Get Oxygen 15 lpm with Optimask. That's the best thing ever happened to me prior to mushrooms.

Dan

[Napoli]

Thanks for the advice!

@hipshot    no offense taken!  it must seem like something out of a horror movie! 

I know this cluster will bust soon.  It just likes to go out with a bang. It pretends its gone and then puts together a few really nasty punches before going back to sleep. 

Like i've said.  I'm lucky my clusters come few and far between but i've noticed they tend to follow a certain pattern.  First they come quite sporadic.  Manageable but annoying.  Then they become more consistent, several times a day, stronger and are longer in length.  Finally they become even more sporadic. I think they are gone, but when they come OH BOY DO THEY COME!

At least now i have some method of fighting back and dont feel completely powerless.  Thank you all for your help! I couldnt imagine anything more helpful than this group.

[Hipshot]

it must seem like something out of a horror movie!

The Night of the Living ClustrHeads! Scary.

[This isnt fair]

it must seem like something out of a horror movie!

CThe Night of the Living lustrHeads! Scary.

Now thats funny right there!!! only reading it!!! not living it.

[tingeling]

TY Ting.You know we will try just about anything. Some things work well, some dont. 

TY?

Seriously, it sounds like a good idea to me. Just thought it was a bit funny, a creative bunch we are.

[This isnt fair]

It does sound funny, but the veggies work.  Just remember to place them in a zip lock bag, You don't want the bag to open and squirt defrosted veg juice on your pillow, your head and into your bed!       Don't ask how I know, I just do!       Also ,if other folks live in your home, mark the bags as DO NOT USE FOR FOOD.Don't want someone cooking them after they have been defrosted and refrozen several times.  I have also used the freezer trick many many times the cold air helps me. I tried going outside for the cold air but at 2 am when you had been warm and in PJ's,It doesn't work so well as you start to shiver. so the freezer it was, but I was loosing all the cold air out of the open door,so had to come up with the towel or (hood) trick to keep most cold air in freezer as possible.

[alleyoop]

At least now i have some method of fighting back and dont feel completely powerless.

You just said a mouthful Napoli! 

We have all been through that feeling of being powerless with CH.  The more weapons you have, the more you start to take back your life.  You will know that you've really turned the corner when you start feeling that you are in control of your CH, and not the other way around.

Bob

[Bejeeber]

For cold air aborts, if its not freezing outside, I prefer jumping in the car, putting nose right up to blasting/freezing air conditioner vent, and deep breathing.

Granted, it is much more comfortable to do in the hot summer months.

I don't know why I didn't think of also holding ice cubes in my mouth on the cluster side at the same time, but if I find myself attempting cold air aborts again, I'll certainly be trying that.

[kaboom]

For the cold air aborts, I like the car a/c while sniffing a Vick's inhaler and eating Altoids or menthol cough drops.  The air just seems colder. 

My vegetable of choice is peas.  I even found some flexible ice packs that resemble frozen peas with velcro straps at CVS last year.  They are meant to attach to your knee/elbow, etc - but I just strap one around my head so it covers my eye/ear and one to my neck.   Super sexy. 

I prefer a combination of taurine tablets, ginger capsules, and a b-complex vitamin followed by a big cup of black espresso over energy drinks.  Sometimes I use the little shot bottles of energy drinks (like 5 hour energy).  They are easier to slam because they aren't carbonated - but they have artificial sweetener.  If I feel like I'm going to be especially sensitive to the artificial sweetener, I use the energy drink Rev-honey (carbonated).   

[johnny]

TY Ting.You know we will try just about anything. Some things work well, some dont. 

TY?

Seriously, it sounds like a good idea to me. Just thought it was a bit funny, a creative bunch we are.

in deed we are. one of the ole timers on ch.com (batch) said he takes  tiny zip lock bags filled with water, then rotates them into the freezer between attacks. he takes a tiny ice bag and puts it on the crown of his head. his strategy is that this makes the brain think that the body is freezing and constricts the blood flow down around the outer parts of the body and concentrates the blood flow to the vital organs. it works.

[tingeling]

Hmmm, got to try it out!!

CH`ers really work for PF or what?!