bk9896

I always thought of my pains as an insect with a rotating jaw trying to burrow its way out through my eye. I appreciate you doing this AMA because it seems like I'm the only one suffering with clusters. I think one of the hardest parts is that no one else really understands the pain and so just writes us (me?) off as exaggerating or as having a low pain tolerance. "Everyone gets headaches, right?"

I have also had the Bilateral Occipital Nerve Block a few times as well as steroid shots. Maxalt worked for me for a while, but the side effects of some of the more intense meds made the pain worse, not better. Have you ever tried Depo-Con? I have no idea what's in it, but the neurologist did IV injections when I had the ones that lasted multiple days.

Good luck, and I will be looking into oxygen therapy ASAP. Again, thank you for doing the AMA :)

All I know is that the nerve blocks cost my insurance over $2000 per injection and me around $78 each. After I lost my insurance the doctor did a cash discount and only charged $500. Topamax, my "preventative" drug cost $35 with insurance and $300 without it. Thankfully, the pharmacist gave me a cash discount and only charged $40 per bottle for that one. The Maxalt (triptan) that I took to "get rid" of the attack was just over $200 without insurance-I don't remember how much with-probably around $20/$35.

Thanks for that. It's always good to know there is hope.