random headaches

Hi Yvonne

One of our members once said cluster headache is the nearest thing you will get to a designer disease - no two people have the exact same experience in their attacks and no two attacks or cycles are the same.  CH just does what it wants to when it wants to which makes life extremely difficult for all sufferers.  if they have changed markedly from the usual, we would suggest that you get a referral back to your neuro, any changes in symptoms and attack patterns should be investigated.  Some of the problem may be - and I stress may be due to the seasonal nature of CH and the weather has been very changeable recently; I know these last few days we have had thunderstorms in Wales and very close and stuffy weather and my head has been all over the place.  Woke up with a real horror this morning, the first for a week or so and I'm shadowing mightily (for those new to CH, 'shadowing' is a term we use to describe a dull background headache or feeling of pressure which does not go to a full blown CH attack).

Others will no doubt chime in here.

Val.

Glutamate !!!

As colin said, glutmate?  Did your neuro prescribe that?

Val.

Yvonne as Val explained and far better than I could (Well said Val) CH is a strange condition. The gory bits, before I was diagnosed I got absolutely battered for 2 weeks, I was afraid to go to sleep. That's when I finaly went to my GP, I'd suffered for 5 years. I was very very lucky my GP immediately recognised the symptoms, long story short he told me I should also google "cluster headaches" that's when I found OUCH.

The GP gave me a prescription for Imigran injections 2 weeks after my previous visit. I was actually wanting another attack so I could find out if the injection worked, yup you guessed it the beast would not strike. Around 4 weeks later he paid me a visit, I waited for 5 to 10 mins (when the pain set in) then whacked that injection into my thigh. Viola 10 mins later I was pain free, I'd finally after 5 years beated that horrible beast ;).

I've now suffered for 15 years and gone from episodic to chronic back to episodic and back to chronic. It's crazy. I've read some triggers can be heat, doesn't seem to affect me, I do think that for me sleep is a trigger. My attacks are mostly between 10pm and 8am so I tend to sleep during the day, that said rarely I do get a visit during daylight hours. Other times I get attacked at anytime of the day or night, my record lol is 10 in a 24 hour period.

i know from reading this forum that everyone is different, some get the attack around the same time daily, I do not but wish I did that way I could plan my day .

Glad you found this excellent forum and the knowlage provided by the regular posters, sorry you had to tho.

I wish you long pain free periods but ask as many questions as you please, the fine members here can and will answer them.

Hi Yvonne

If you are going on holiday, depending on where it is you might be able to arrange oxygen (if you are already prescribed it that is) to be delivered to your holiday destination - even in Europe.  I've even managed to arrange it in Australia.

Also, I don't know what your actual travel arrangements are, but to get you through the journey you could ask your GP for frovtriptan tablets [brand name Migard], they have a half life in the body of up to 26 hours and they  keep me PF during flights to the Antipodes.  We thought we had discovered a really good preventive, but the more you use the frovatriptan the shorter the painfree period gets, but used occasionally they are brilliant. 

Just a thought.

Val.

Yvonne, the frova' will work within 40 minutes of taking it