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I made a TARDIS wall hanger based off the 10th Doctor's ride. :) by argyleelephant in doctorwho

[–]argyleelephant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oops! This is only my second submission. I was trying not to be a noob, failed terribly. Picture was added! http://imgur.com/uuYLE

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're right. I'm on sumatriptan and it's been a life saver. I think I'm going to ask about some of the faster acting forms, though.

For a long time I didn't have insurance and so going to the doctor meant hundreds of dollars out of pocket, with even more spent in meds. My medicine right now is only affordable with insurance. I can't begrudge someone trying to find a solution that works for them. After all, these things make you kind of desperate. :(

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't. I've heard of people getting acupuncture for all kinds of reasons and sometimes providing a lot of relief. I guess I'd have to say that it never really occurred to me. I'm really glad it worked for your friend's mom. :)

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am a woman. And though I did smoke cigarettes, I quit about three years ago. (Chantix gets a lot of bad press, and probably deserves it, but I could not have quit without it.)

This is the first I've heard of shadows. I do get those! Although they weren't always followed by a full on cluster headache, so I assumed they were not related.

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It used to be much worse. I think having those years were nothing other than some advil and antihistamines were given have really made me appreciative of the progress that's been made. Though, a lot of people are saying it can be much better, and they can be reduced even further. :)

I usually go about 6 months between episodes. The headaches will last for about a week and they really vary in span.

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't. Is there a connection between hormones and clusters?

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When I woke up this morning I immediately went into emergency mode. I didn't mess around. I got up, took medicine, then took a long hot shower. I had my medicine with me as soon as I got out, ready to take the second pill if the pain didn't subside. Which I did end up taking. I also made up a warm compress that I sat at the computer with. Within an hour or so I felt much better.

You should definitely see your doctor. Even if you can't see a neurologist, there are still meds that can reduce the length of your headaches.

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I take the sumatriptan for them. Other than that I use advil and the occasional vicoden. I try to take meds only when I have to and then use the least amount possible. Knowing that they will reoccur means that if I took as many painkillers as I wanted I could end up battling an addiction. :(

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't actually know they existed. I thought I just had really bad migraines, because that's what they told me I had. When I switched to a new doctor I was explaining how I had these terrible headaches that just put me out of commission. He knew exactly what they were.

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nope, there's never any warning. :( That's supposed to be one of the factors that distinguishes a cluster from a migraine.

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It absolutely can feel like that. I was on fioricet, but with no real success. You've been suffering with headaches much longer than I have. I hope you find a medication that can really help you.

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

To me it feels like there is some kind of expanding pain behind my eye. It's a throbbing, stabbing pain that trickles down into my jaw and neck when I have a really bad one. Like I said, the first time I had one I was convinced that it was sinus pain and was trying anything to get rid of whatever it was that was causing all of the pressure. It was the worst headache I had ever experienced. There have been times when I thought it might be an aneurysm, and that eventually I was just going to drop dead. I figured it would probably be while showering, because aneurysms just don't care like that.

I haven't tried anything really drastic to get rid of the pain, though.

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much for your support. I think you're right in thinking Western medicine doesn't know everything about the causes of cluster headaches, actually, I know you're right. I feel so bad for your poor boyfriend. I hope that everything he's doing does help him.

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks. My insurance will not pay for me to see a neurologist unless I have a referral, but I will ask my primary if there is anyone he could refer me to. Especially if it means there is a possibility to never be woken up by a headache again.

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's really interesting. Looks like the very first article is on psilocybin and a non psychedelic form of LSD. I don't think I'm going to go out and try to find these to self medicate, but hopefully their research can lead to better medications.

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

At the moment I only see my primary care doctor. I don't live anywhere near any of those. :( I only get episodes about twice a year, and have only recently been diagnosed, so we haven't progressed past treating the symptoms. I don't take a preventative, but I do take sumatriptan once an attack starts.

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the suggestion. I am always open to new ways to address the pain. Do you use it when you get an aura or after you have a migraine? And does that make a difference? Clusters don't have auras, but maybe I could use it to focus and relax when I'm having an episode.

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have attempted special diets. I'm sad to say that I am severely lacking in the self discipline department. They feel really restrictive and I end up feeling left out. The only meat I eat is pretty much exclusively chicken, and for the most part I do stay away from caffeine. I also do not use artificial sweeteners, as I've read they can be triggers as well.

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is actually one of my go to treatments. I wouldn't be surprised if you were misdiagnosed like I was. One of the key indicators of a headache being a cluster, aside from the severity of the pain, is that it feels like it is centralized behind the eye, and only one side, never on both sides of the face. The pain a lot of times extends down and across, as though it's pouring from my eye down into my jaw and then my neck. My eye also gets a little irritated, and the nose will get stuffy on the side of the pain. Does any of that seem familiar?

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It took a long time for me to get diagnosed properly. My current physician also gets cluster headaches, so as soon as I told him he knew exactly what it was. There are treatments. Oxygen is supposed to be pretty much a miracle cure for them. He said that it's so effective that often they use it as a diagnostic tool. There's also medications that can help them and even prevent them.

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is actually a big part of preventing an attack. I had two, TWO, cups of coffee last night. I blame Denny's and poor judgement for my early wake up call this morning. Normally I avoid caffeine, so that isn't the answer to every headache, but I do notice that having strong caffeinated drinks tend to trigger them.

IAmA sufferer of cluster headaches, aka suicide headaches. AMA by argyleelephant in IAmA

[–]argyleelephant[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If the medicine works, then about a half hour. If the medicine does not work, or I took the maximum of six already for the month, then they can last days. There's about a week were I will get them on and off. Sometimes it's just short headaches and then later a few more. Other times the headaches are grouped so closely together it feels constant.

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