I have broken down in tears twice while reading this AMA and I expect it to happen at least once more while writing my comment. I am 52 now. My first Cluster headache was in the late seventies while I was a teenager. I suffered through them with no idea what was happening until I was diagnosed at the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago. At that time, they could do nothing more than offer their sympathy for my pain and recommend some drugs that "probably wouldn't help much". Lucky for me, the headaches were seasonal at that time and I could go months without an on-set. As I got older, they became worse and stayed year round. I found a sympathetic Neurologist in my late twenties. She had never successfully treated Cluster headaches and would experiment on me with different drug combinations. I could write a couple of pages on those experiences, but I will spare you for now. One of those experiments was Imitrex. It was so new that it was not available in pill form and I had to inject myself. Combined with oxygen, the Imitrex seemed to work if it was taken before the pain was too severe. I had also developed my own heat therapy that seemed to help most of the time. When I was divorced with no insurance and a single father of a little girl, the heat was the only thing that helped me survive. Your description of the pain is what caused me the break down the most. I have never heard anyone describe it so well. In all these years I never thought anyone understood what it was like. There were times I was certain my only relief would be to open a vein to remove the blood that was torturing the blood vessels in my brain.
My daughter became my nursemaid at age six. When I could afford the medicine, she would make sure I didn't hurt myself with the needle. When I couldn't afford it, she would heat wet towels in the microwave. She would sit by my side and put her little hand in mine and wait until the pain was gone.
I decided to change my lifestyle in my mid thirties. Exercise and a vegetarian diet became my main focus. When I turned forty the headaches started to diminish and were at a very manageable level, and by forty-five they were gone. Maybe I grew out of them and maybe the lifestyle change helped, I'm not certain.
Those headaches changed my life. Sitting through that pain gave me perspective. Small problems have no place in my life. I lived through unimaginable pain and now it's over. My daughter is grown/successful and we have an unbreakable bond. I run 5 half marathons each year, remain vegetarian and thrive in my career. I encourage all of you to keep fighting. This is the life your were given. Live and make yourself happy.
brutarianart65 karma
I have broken down in tears twice while reading this AMA and I expect it to happen at least once more while writing my comment. I am 52 now. My first Cluster headache was in the late seventies while I was a teenager. I suffered through them with no idea what was happening until I was diagnosed at the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago. At that time, they could do nothing more than offer their sympathy for my pain and recommend some drugs that "probably wouldn't help much". Lucky for me, the headaches were seasonal at that time and I could go months without an on-set. As I got older, they became worse and stayed year round. I found a sympathetic Neurologist in my late twenties. She had never successfully treated Cluster headaches and would experiment on me with different drug combinations. I could write a couple of pages on those experiences, but I will spare you for now. One of those experiments was Imitrex. It was so new that it was not available in pill form and I had to inject myself. Combined with oxygen, the Imitrex seemed to work if it was taken before the pain was too severe. I had also developed my own heat therapy that seemed to help most of the time. When I was divorced with no insurance and a single father of a little girl, the heat was the only thing that helped me survive. Your description of the pain is what caused me the break down the most. I have never heard anyone describe it so well. In all these years I never thought anyone understood what it was like. There were times I was certain my only relief would be to open a vein to remove the blood that was torturing the blood vessels in my brain. My daughter became my nursemaid at age six. When I could afford the medicine, she would make sure I didn't hurt myself with the needle. When I couldn't afford it, she would heat wet towels in the microwave. She would sit by my side and put her little hand in mine and wait until the pain was gone. I decided to change my lifestyle in my mid thirties. Exercise and a vegetarian diet became my main focus. When I turned forty the headaches started to diminish and were at a very manageable level, and by forty-five they were gone. Maybe I grew out of them and maybe the lifestyle change helped, I'm not certain. Those headaches changed my life. Sitting through that pain gave me perspective. Small problems have no place in my life. I lived through unimaginable pain and now it's over. My daughter is grown/successful and we have an unbreakable bond. I run 5 half marathons each year, remain vegetarian and thrive in my career. I encourage all of you to keep fighting. This is the life your were given. Live and make yourself happy.
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