| Welcome to The New Coffee Room. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| Sup? | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 21 2009, 05:25 AM (1,063 Views) | |
| Copper | Jan 21 2009, 02:50 PM Post #51 |
|
Shortstop
|
I've had some of this with migraine, less severe (a few hours pain, a few days fatigue), less frequent - maybe 2-3 per year. You may have already done this, but let me suggest a journal or diary. Maybe you can't do it during the pain, but afterward. A simple text file with a couple bullets on your PC could do it. Write down, food, drugs, physical activity, travel, work stress, dehydration, weight gain/loss - whatever might help cause it or enhance it. Maybe you’ll spot a clue after a while, it could take years, but it’s a small investment and may help. |
|
The Confederate soldier was peculiar in that he was ever ready to fight, but never ready to submit to the routine duty and discipline of the camp or the march. The soldiers were determined to be soldiers after their own notions, and do their duty, for the love of it, as they thought best. Carlton McCarthy | |
![]() |
|
| justme | Jan 21 2009, 03:06 PM Post #52 |
|
HOLY CARP!!!
|
when I had mine, Frank, we even kept a record of the barometric pressure changing. And, seriously, try cutting out yeast and other fermented products or at least cut back on them. For example, I used eat toast in the morning (bread), a sandwich for lunch (more bread) and than bread or rolls with dinner. Not only was I getting fat! I was getting headaches. Now I limit my bread intake to one slice a day, if that. Good luck. I'm sure you've received all kinds of advice over the years. |
|
"Men sway more towards hussies." G-D3 | |
![]() |
|
| Improviso | Jan 21 2009, 03:08 PM Post #53 |
|
HOLY CARP!!!
|
That skateboarding video was quite intense.
|
|
Identifying narcissists isn't difficult. Just look for the person who is constantly fishing for compliments and admiration while breaking down over even the slightest bit of criticism. We have the freedom to choose our actions, but we do not get to choose our consequences. | |
![]() |
|
| dolmansaxlil | Jan 21 2009, 03:18 PM Post #54 |
![]()
HOLY CARP!!!
|
Frank, I was just thinking of you the other day and hoping that the headaches weren't back. I've told you about my friends/family who have suffered through them. All I can do is say that I don't envy you. I remember my mother sending my father to work with strict orders to "talk to that guy and buy something that will make this stop". He came home with something...certainly illegal...but it at least helped, so none of us particularly cared at that point. Hang in there. |
|
"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson My Flickr Photostream | |
![]() |
|
| Optimistic | Jan 21 2009, 03:26 PM Post #55 |
|
HOLY CARP!!!
|
I'll add my name to the list of those glad to see ya back, Frank. I had thought you had missed your cycle this season. Sorry to hear I'm wrong.
|
|
PHOTOS I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a week, sometimes, to make it up. - Mark Twain We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. -T. S. Eliot | |
![]() |
|
| Frank_W | Jan 21 2009, 03:44 PM Post #56 |
![]()
Resident Misanthrope
|
Thank you, everyone. The headache journal is a good idea. MSG is DEFINITELY a trigger, I think for migraines as well as cluster headaches. The worst hits I've had have come after eating Asian food with various sauces, etc. So far, that's really the only trigger I've found. |
|
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin." Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!" | |
![]() |
|
| dolmansaxlil | Jan 21 2009, 03:52 PM Post #57 |
![]()
HOLY CARP!!!
|
Frank - what about seafood? My mum's biggest trigger is shrimp. And of course, she loves shrimp. |
|
"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson My Flickr Photostream | |
![]() |
|
| Frank_W | Jan 21 2009, 05:54 PM Post #58 |
![]()
Resident Misanthrope
|
Hrmmm.... I really don't like shrimp or most seafood, so I tend to stay away from it. (I like sushi, but I'm staying away from it until this cycle is over with.) Tonight, I've had some chocolate. I guess we'll see if I get nailed with a headache... That's really been the useful side of this cycle. I seem to only get hit if I consume something that's a trigger. MSG, definitely. Rum, possibly. (as much as it pains me to admit that!) As for anything else, I don't have a clue. Every other cycle has just ramped right up to 4-5 hits a day, every single day, no matter what I've done or haven't done. If, by studiously avoiding MSG, I can never have a hit like I had last night, then I've really accomplished something. I just got home from dropping off my shotgun and two handguns with my friend. I honestly don't think I'd ever do it, but... better not to even have the option for my mind to toy with, you know?
|
|
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin." Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!" | |
![]() |
|
| brenda | Jan 21 2009, 05:56 PM Post #59 |
![]()
..............
|
Good. |
|
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” ~A.A. Milne | |
![]() |
|
| Frank_W | Jan 21 2009, 06:04 PM Post #60 |
![]()
Resident Misanthrope
|
My buddy looked at me very worriedly when I told him what I was doing and why. *sigh* Ah well... He's good people, and in the end, he understood. I think it really drove the point home. Most people really don't understand until they actually witness someone actually having a severe cluster headache, and they understand the frequency, duration, and intensity of them. |
|
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin." Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!" | |
![]() |
|
| brenda | Jan 21 2009, 06:17 PM Post #61 |
![]()
..............
|
I have never had cluster headaches, but I have had severe pain that would last for days, even weeks, and came in episodes over a period of many months. The pain was so bad I could hardly move except to go to the restroom. I could not even rock in a rocking chair. I had to stay as still as possible. The pain meds started to give me an ulcer. Enough of that. I have not had what you have, but I can almost imagine how awful it must be and the toll it would take in so many ways, physically and mentally. So, yes, you done good. |
|
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” ~A.A. Milne | |
![]() |
|
| sue | Jan 21 2009, 06:26 PM Post #62 |
|
HOLY CARP!!!
|
hey Frank, I'm sure you've probably eliminated all obvious possibilities for triggers, but I thought I'd mention aspartame. Really bad news for me, worst headaches I've ever had were triggered by it. The kind of headaches were I wished I could die, the pain was so bad. Might not be a problem for you, but I remember an allergist telling me that anyone who has chronic headaches should stay clear of it. Can even cause strokes in some people. Hope you have a peaceful night, pal.
|
![]() |
|
| Frank_W | Jan 21 2009, 06:37 PM Post #63 |
![]()
Resident Misanthrope
|
You understand then, Brenda. It doesn't matter what the specific malady is. The point is that it's unremitting, unrelenting pain that robs a person of rest, sleep, sucks every bit of joy out of life, and turns everyday grey and two-dimensional. While other people more or less sail through each day preoccupied with their various cares, those in this kind of pain just drag and claw their way along through each day hour by hour, sometimes minute by minute... There are few people who can truly grock that, but yeah... I can see that you've been there. The most hellish thing, is that I don't know why. I mean, if I break my arm, it hurts like hell. I know why I've broke my arm, and although it hurts, I know it will mend and when it's done mending, it won't hurt anymore. There's a clear reason, a beginning, a progression towards healing, and an end. With this, it came on suddenly when I was around 27 years old. I don't know what precipitated it or predisposed me to it. No one knows. It's not congenital, and it doesn't seem to be related to any specific cause found to be common to other sufferers. As for a progression towards healing... There is none. The symptoms can be treated, I suppose. The torturous pain can be mitigated with heart-destroying medications of the triptan family, but even that is pretty much hit or miss, and eventually, that medication turns around to becoming a contributing cause in the form of rebound headaches. The only end that I can pin any hope on, is that each day brings me closer to the cycle's end, unless I am going from being episodic to chronic, in which case, there IS no end, because chronics have this condition 24/7/365. (And in which case, I would give very serious thought to blowing my head off.) I love this life enough to hold it lightly, if that makes any sense. Lastly, there are only three possible ends: 1. Death. Obviously. 2. A spontaneous remission. The condition came on spontaneously, so perhaps it will heal just as spontaneously, but really, that's little more than a pipe dream... I have heard only of one case of this. 3. Anecdotal evidence suggests that near the age of 60-65, the headaches do spontaneously come to an end. It's been suggested by a leading neurologist in the field that perhaps as the brain shrinks a little in the skull cavity due to the natural aging process, or perhaps as hormonal fluctuations begin to calm and wane, that this is what causes sufferers to go into permanent remission. So... Great. If I hang on for a mere twenty more years, I might experience a spontaneous healing.
|
|
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin." Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!" | |
![]() |
|
| Frank_W | Jan 21 2009, 06:42 PM Post #64 |
![]()
Resident Misanthrope
|
Thank you, Sue. I don't use anything with aspartame in it. You're right: That stuff is bad news. Perhaps for 99.9% of the population, they are able to use it without ill consequence, but... I've been wary of it, and perhaps rightfully so. Thank you for your well wishes. ![]() Funny thing: Yesterday, we had a Japanese dish called Okonomiyaki. It's basically a kind of batter almost like pancake batter without the sweetness, into which cabbage, pork, ginger, and other stuff is folded in and cooked on a hot-plate. When it's done, it's topped with Japanese mayonnaise and a tangy sauce called "bulldog sauce." It's very good. I was looking at the ingredients for the batter: MSG. I looked at the ingredients for the mayo: MSG I looked at the ingredients of the sauce: MSG It seems I basically super-saturated myself with MSG, yesterday. No wonder the hit was so horribly intense! Sheesh... |
|
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin." Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!" | |
![]() |
|
| brenda | Jan 21 2009, 06:44 PM Post #65 |
![]()
..............
|
You're right. It's partly physically impairing, and also emotionally taxing. I, too, went through a time where there was no end in sight. To say it was awful it just such a gross understatement. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. |
|
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” ~A.A. Milne | |
![]() |
|
| Frank_W | Jan 21 2009, 06:54 PM Post #66 |
![]()
Resident Misanthrope
|
Yep. It wears you down physically because you can't rest, or your rest is interrupted, so you miss that really deep, healing Delta wave sleep. Without adequate rest, your mental and emotional resources for dealing with the pain begin to plummet. Once that happens, then depression sets in. At that point, it's like drowning in a well. There's nothing left in the tank. There's nothing to grasp onto for purchase. It even feels as though you've been abandoned by God, and this can cast you into a crisis of faith. The whole thing, as it progresses and drags on and on seemingly without end, pulls us down, stands on top of our heads, and drowns us just as surely as if we were dropped into the middle of an ocean. |
|
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin." Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!" | |
![]() |
|
| brenda | Jan 21 2009, 07:02 PM Post #67 |
![]()
..............
|
All true. And worse yet, I get crabby. And I mean really crabby. Seriously, it's nothing to mess with at all. That's why I support your gun removal wholeheartedly. It's scary to think where a nasty episode can take a person, even a rational person. Well, mostly rational in our cases.
|
|
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” ~A.A. Milne | |
![]() |
|
| Frank_W | Jan 21 2009, 07:21 PM Post #68 |
![]()
Resident Misanthrope
|
Yeah... Like I said, I haven't been the most sociable person, lately. I've kept my emotions in check through contemplation and discipline, but some days, (especially after a night like last night), it's all hanging by a gossamer thread. Not a very flattering form of self-knowledge, but... there it is. |
|
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin." Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!" | |
![]() |
|
| brenda | Jan 21 2009, 07:28 PM Post #69 |
![]()
..............
|
Here's a comforting thought: No matter how crabby you get, you'll still fit in here at TNCR. |
|
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” ~A.A. Milne | |
![]() |
|
| Frank_W | Jan 21 2009, 07:31 PM Post #70 |
![]()
Resident Misanthrope
|
Honestly, I try to keep things in check, and I do a pretty good job. I save the brunt of it for telemarketers, snake-oil salesmen, door-to-door evangelists, and other such
|
|
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin." Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!" | |
![]() |
|
| Frank_W | Jan 22 2009, 06:20 AM Post #71 |
![]()
Resident Misanthrope
|
Got slammed again, last night. Awoke at 12:12, kicking the covers off because I was sweating, and then here came the headache like a train, right into my eye... I pulled myself out of bed and went to the freezer for the ice-pack. The hit wasn't a screamer the way Tuesday night's was, but as a seeming exchange, it lasted for 40 minutes, instead of 20-30. By the time I put the ice-pack away, it was warm and no longer an ice-pack. At least I got some rest, after it subsided... |
|
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin." Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!" | |
![]() |
|
| brenda | Jan 22 2009, 08:26 AM Post #72 |
![]()
..............
|
Does stress aggravate it? |
|
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” ~A.A. Milne | |
![]() |
|
| Frank_W | Jan 22 2009, 09:14 AM Post #73 |
![]()
Resident Misanthrope
|
No. Not at all. In fact, the worst hits have been while I was sound asleep. ![]() I'm not one to really get stressed out, anyway. Certainly, things are stressful at times, but I'm very good at letting it roll off rather than dwelling on it. |
|
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin." Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!" | |
![]() |
|
| Free Rider | Jan 22 2009, 06:21 PM Post #74 |
|
Fulla-Carp
|
Hey Frank, I was in the neighborhood and wanted to toss in my good wishes. I've been super busy as it is winter and I work 2 jobs...but i am sorry to hear that these headaches are back. Hang in there, man. |
![]() |
|
| Newpianoplayer | Jan 22 2009, 08:23 PM Post #75 |
|
Senior Carp
|
Frank Hang in there. That's easy to say when you're not the one having the attack. I used to suffer horrific headaches until 2005 when they disappeared. Have you tried oxygen treatment. |
![]() |
|
|
|
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · The New Coffee Room · Next Topic » |











8:47 AM Jul 13