Cluster Headaches

gothic

gothic

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Staff member
I have suffered from cluster headaches for over fifteen years. My episodes normally start about early to mid February and last anywhere between twelve and fourteen weeks. The number I get overnight can vary between three and seven. There have been what the Doctors call "skipped" years, when I don't get any.... I live in hope for one of those this year. I have Oxygen next to my bed and it does work, as soon as the headache starts I apply O2 which eases the symptoms.
At long last a spotlight has been put on these terrible, terrible headaches.

www.bbc.co.uk

Agonising headaches make me bang my head off walls

Daren Frankish says his cluster headaches are like being hit with a baseball bat and stabbed in the eye.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
 
Drawing attention to medical conditions is important, people don't realise just how debilitating some conditions can be and it can often leave other sufferer feeling isolated and depressed so talk about it to anyone that will listen because you never know who is suffering from what it might help someone come forward for support. Hope this year is a skipping year for you Tony.
 
gothic said:
I have suffered from cluster headaches for over fifteen years. My episodes normally start about early to mid February and last anywhere between twelve and fourteen weeks. The number I get overnight can vary between three and seven. There have been what the Doctors call "skipped" years, when I don't get any.... I live in hope for one of those this year. I have Oxygen next to my bed and it does work, as soon as the headache starts I apply O2 which eases the symptoms.
At long last a spotlight has been put on these terrible, terrible headaches.

www.bbc.co.uk

Agonising headaches make me bang my head off walls

Daren Frankish says his cluster headaches are like being hit with a baseball bat and stabbed in the eye.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
Click to expand...
My thoughts are with you, my late mother used to suffer badly with these cluster headaches and migraines and I recall she just had to lie down in a darkened room.

I'm guessing they are linked to migraines? I suffer with migraines periodically but just get the strange kaleidoscope aura which affects my vision for about an hour and then they disappear without further symptoms. Sometimes I can get several in a month then not have another one for several years.
 
Today is the 1st May, 2 little things have been indelibly etched into history (mine).
This year the headaches have not appeared..... headache free Yay! but also it has been one year to the day that I gave up smoking..... double yay!!
 
Well, I have been blessed with a clear year, but eight days ago I started to get a couple of overnight headaches. I had hoped it was a false positive, but nay, last night was the third night in a row that I had upwards of five of the evil nasty clusters.
What a lot of people don't understand is that the onset time for these headaches is seconds YES, SECONDS! and no known painkiller will give any relief. For some there are medications that are taken once a week, or others once daily that are supposed to ease the pain or symptoms, I am one of the very lucky ones where medication is not required (offered, but hey O2 works well).
Ah well another ten to twelve weeks of being too scared to go to bed, but too tired and too old not to.
 
Tony,

Well that's a heck of a way to spend your nights. Can you get access to oxygen and a mask? I hope you find relief quickly.
 
Marianna said:
Tony,

Well that's a heck of a way to spend your nights. Can you get access to oxygen and a mask? I hope you find relief quickly.
Click to expand...
I had a very forward thinking Doctor when it was first diagnosed (2008 I think) and Doctor Thornton said to me that she wanted to try something she had been reading about where Oxygen had helped ease the pain of cluster headaches very quickly. I was very unsure, how could this work? well it does!
I have a large cylinder by the bed with a spare in a cupboard. I just visit the Liquid Air website and order replacements when needed.

p.s. FYI Dr Thornton explained (later) that, in it's simplest form, the pain is caused when the blood vessel running adjacent to the optic nerve becomes inflamed and compresses the optic nerve which is the cause of the pain, the oxygen has the effect of easing the inflamation, consequently easing the pain.
I emphasise that the Doctor was explaining to me in the simplest of terms.
 
I'm with you all the way Pearl. I find that when you mention it to neigbors or friends they look at you strange, like 'a headaches a headache'...... WRONG a cluster headache is recognised as severe pain, and is nothing like a normal headache.
If they are sure then insist they try you on Oxygen first, it worked for me and the vast majority of sufferers out-the-box so to speak.
 
gothic said:
I'm with you all the way Pearl. I find that when you mention it to neigbors or friends they look at you strange, like 'a headaches a headache'...... WRONG a cluster headache is recognised as severe pain, and is nothing like a normal headache.
If they are sure then insist they try you on Oxygen first, it worked for me and the vast majority of sufferers out-the-box so to speak.
Click to expand...
Thank you Tony I will.
 
Pearl said:
... I've been getting random severe pain in my right eye region for some time ...
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You are supposed to take the spoon out of the tea cup before drinking from it. ;)

I recall a Brit-Com sketch where a patient is told this from their doctor. Because they were poking themselves in the face with the spoon while drinking. Sorry for the bit of levity, did not mean to take away from a serious topic. :fp:
 
I suffered for years with terrible heartburn, very terrible heartburn. Nothing helped, that is until my nutritionist had be take a test for gluten intolerance and I flunked. So I went on a gluten-free diet and instantly the heartburn was gone. So wonderful.
 
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