Posted by Jerry Smith (207.115.63.17) on August 11, 1999 at 14:29:56:
This is so great. I never knew that sharing my CH experiences could be so...emotionally relieving. Having never met anyone before who suffers from these, I thought I was the only one who knew what pain is.
I would like to mention two positives that have come from these in my life.
A) When I get a "normal" headache (tension, stress, etc...), I actually laugh at it. After hitting the 9-10+ pain in the past, a tension headache is a walk in the park and I can operate my daily life without so much as a second thought about it. I have to force myself to remember that aspirin will work for these...lol. All in all, my tolerance for physical pain has really increased the past 15 years. Last Sun I was hit in the thigh with a bad tee-off drive during a golf game (a golf-ball sized bruise on my thigh is the color of a California sunset right now...lol). Sure it hurt, but after a Tylenol and "walking it off", I simply joked about it, telling my partner "this is nothing, you should see the headaches I get! (Obviously he didn't get the joke).
B) After a CH, the first 20 minutes or so is like a re-birth. Life IS good. I talk to people, I enjoy (muted) aromas...the weight is lifted and I feel overjoyed there is no pain. I'm walking on air. There is a transient sense of euphoria.
Maybe these are small comapred to the actual CH itself, but I'm trying to find any good I can. While these examples don't make up for our agony, I try to force myself to remember these things when I'm contemplating pulling out that "insideous" temple vein.