FunGuy Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 Greetings all: I'm going to start a thread for conference updates. As already announced, the conference will be in Chicago on the weekend of September 16. It will be in the Rosemont area, near O'Hare, the hotel should be finalized shortly. We are working on several things to make this the best conference yet. Transportation, dinners, etc....... stay tuned. We will be adding details as they become available. Please, ask any questions and post any ideas. FG PS: First announcement in follows!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunGuy Posted December 29, 2010 Author Share Posted December 29, 2010 Perhaps once or twice a year, somewhere on our planet, there is a room filled mostly with Cluster Headache sufferers, along with a few loved ones and medical professionals. In that room, there exists a rare opportunity to better understand ourselves, each other, and our condition. Such an opportunity will be possible at the ClusterBusters conference beginning September 16, 2011 in Chicago Illinois, led by a fellow clusterhead and licensed psychotherapist, Dr. Larry Schor. Dr. Schor describes the sessions as this: There are a number of common factors that are hard, if not impossible to explain to others. My sense is that nearly everyone with this condition has been psychotic. Apparently it is quite common during an attack to feel compulsions like, “Maybe if I get the pliers and pull some of these molars it would help” or “If I drill a small hole in my head it might relieve the pressure” There also seems to be a pretty universal experience of assault by some otherly beast. The attached picture seems to capture this for many of us. Suicidal thoughts, attempts, and completions are alarmingly high among CH sufferers. For many, it also seems that the suicidal ideation is not even so much about stopping the pain, but more as a way of killing “It” even if it means I will die in the process. There is a fear that this might sound like melodramatic hyperbole to outsiders. The existential therapist, Irvin Yalom identifies the therapeutic factors of group work (see link below). I believe these principles offer particular relevance for our group. On the Saturday afternoon of the Conference, Dr. Schor will facilitate two group sessions. Our first group meeting will focus on the theme of what we have in common that makes us an “us.”  What this means is that we clusterheads have all or mostly felt psychotic helpless, been misunderstood by people who suggested unhelpful things, been traumatized by the assault of a cluster attack, contemplated suicide, felt the need to hide for various reasons, etc. There appears to exist a PTSD-like quality among some. The individual and cumulative effects of enduring attacks alter aspects of our lives. Our second group meeting will explore “what helps.” Recognizing that no singular treatment works for everyone, we will share our successes and failures; medically, emotionally, and relationally as we collaboratively approach some of the difficult choices required to navigate through this condition. Registration details will be available shortly. Mark this conference date on your calendars, you’re not going to want to miss this. Link: Therapeutic Factors in Group Work: adapted from (Yalom and Leszcz, 2005) http://www.agpa.org/guidelines/factorsandmechanisms.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tingeling Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 This sounds just incredibly important, this can`t be missed. I`m impressed, you folks are really professional. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alleyoop Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 I'm really looking forward to the conference in 2011! And I'm looking forward to having martinis with you Lynn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hipshot Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Belvedere, slightly dirty. Shaken. Damn right. Lee Ann and I are excited as we can be. Can't wait to meet some of my best friends. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alleyoop Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Grey Goose, slightly dirty, 3 blue cheese stuffed olives, stirred. Gotcha Lynn! I am a bit more traditional: Grey Goose, clean but very dry as in wave the vermouth over the glass, shaken and served with a twist of lemon. 8-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brew Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 So, would Scotch drinkers be welcome? I'm more of a 12-year-old cask-strength Macallen guy... I would, however, eat those bleu cheese stuffed olives. Probably a whole jar of them. Get a year's supply of sodium in one sitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaboom Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Sidekickkk will be coming with me. Are there any other teenagers/young people planning to attend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hipshot Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 I act like a teen most of the time. Tell the sidekick that I will hang out with her. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alleyoop Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Maybe I missed it, but have we got a date for the conference yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunGuy Posted January 28, 2011 Author Share Posted January 28, 2011 Yep, the weekend of September 16. The hotel should be confirmed any day now. More speaker announcements to come shortly. Working on it. FG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaboom Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 She's looking forward to meeting you, Dan. Your sense of humor is right up her alley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonkers Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 Dan, Don't forget that you can't come within 300 ft of underage females as part of your probation. Just trying to be a good friend. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunGuy Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 Cluster Headache, a Kid's View. ClusterBusters is pleased to confirm a presentation by a young lady whose mother has cluster headache and of her personal journey into becoming a supporter of someone with this condition. She will share how she felt the first time she witnessed a high level attack and how she now helps by assisting with the oxygen, ice and sitting with her parent during an attack. Through this, they both have found decreased feelings of helplessness and have reduced the worries, frustrations and fears we all often experience around our cluster headaches. "A Kid's View" will be a wonderful story from the perspective of a teen supporter, filled with moments of pain, insight and laughter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clustermom13 Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Sidekickkk will be coming with me.Are there any other teenagers/young people planning to attend? Andrew is planning on attending, he has CCH and is 19, and school schedule permitting, his girlfriend and other support person Liz who is 18 will be with us as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaboom Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Yay! That's great news, Clustermom! As the date draws closer, we'll have to get in touch so we can figure out some fun things for them to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brew Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 I haven't yet brought my 19-year-old son into the know about my busting. You know how they can be about just having to tell somebody about stuff like this. But if I do tell him before then, he may come with us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clustermom13 Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 As the date draws closer, we'll have to get in touch so we can figure out some fun things for them to do. That's a wonderful idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clusteruk Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 hi guys im from the uk . i am hoping to attend your confrence in the uk . money and head allowing hoping to get some multiple cranial nerve blocks start of sept (pre booked ) so head will make the journey. i can sort my flight out but need details of hotel and price so i can get all this covered as on a tight budget. anyone else coming from the u.k if so we can fly out together support each other on flight ect. looking forward to meeting the guys i speak to online . if you want to talk or let me in on a cheap way of staying in america for the confrence you can get me on facebook name is GRAHAM MOORE look forward to hearing from you all ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hipshot Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I just read FunGuys post about our getting a kids view. Superb idea. ...and Ron, I am well aware of what I can, and can't do while on parole 8-) Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunGuy Posted March 27, 2011 Author Share Posted March 27, 2011 [movedhere] General Board [move by] FunGuy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrell Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Hey Graham, It'd be great to see someone make it here from the UK. Do you know Ben Kahn? You're not going to get a much better price on a hotel than the $79 at the conference hotel. Also, do you have any idea how many Graham Moores there are on Facebook? I stopped looking after about 100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shocked Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Hi ya Darrell, Great to see you posting and that you seem to be well enough/confident enough to attend our conference. Have a good one mate. Unless I have sent Graham a masx at some stage, I donÂ’t think we know each other. Have a good one, all of you. shocked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1961mom Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 I also found out in the session that my husband almost left me due to the madness of clusters. He's still around, thanks to this new treatment.Smiley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tingeling Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Hi If anyone who travel to Chicago stops in Amsterdam around 11.00 sep 14, let`s hook up!! Tingeling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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