See Monday’s Post

  
Thank you all for the advice you have given me about my headaches. I plan to try the essential oils. Many of the conventional cures for cluster headaches, I went with my doctor. I have a type called chronic cluster headaches because while they hurt in the same place as traditional cluster headaches and go in cycles, there is no relief during one of the cycles like in regular episodic cluster headaches. Also, I do take Verapamil every day, which has for the most part, lessened the intensity and frequency of the cluster headaches. I have been under a lot of emotional stress since my friend died and it caused the frequency to be more often.  

I’ve tried Imitrex as an abortive measure, and found that it intensifies the headaches. I think it is because it is a traditional triptan and it raises my blood pressure, thus nullifying the effects of the Verapamil. For the really bad cluster headaches I take a combination of Flexeril and Bupap or Flexeril and Norco (the Norco is much less effective than its predecessor Lortab). Either combination seems to work. The problem is that Flexeril, I need asleep for at least 10 hours or I am groggy and can barely stay awake, so I need time to go to bed and sleep off the cluster headache, which I did last night.

I completely understand why cluster headaches are called suicide headaches. The pain can be so intense that you really think death could be an alternative. While I have felt that way, I know the medications work and when I take my medication, the feeling of about 30 minutes later of the easing of pain is (almost) better than an orgasm.

I know for at least one person this post might seem familiar, but since I had a headache last night, I largely cut and pasted from our email the day before.