Posted by Renee Phelps (208.44.30.20) on January 21, 2002 at 08:15:58:
I have suffered with cluster migraines for more than 20 years. I've been to pain specialists, neurologists, etc. trying to get relief. I've even been to a hypnotist ... it didn't work, but I had to try. I don't think there are too many meds out there I haven't tried either. Some have worked for a while. I think the longest I was ever pain-free was one year. After reading some of the messages, it was comforting to know that others understand what this pain is like. It is so hard to explain it to those who have never had this kind of pain. My husband tries, but he often gets frustrated because nothing seems to work for long. One of the worst parts is the way I'm occasionally treated if I have to go to the ER for treatment. If I have to do this, it means the imitrex didn't work so it's a last resort. When you feel like you're going to die from the pain, it's unreal to have to deal with a doctor or nurse who thinks you're there for the drugs and tells you to go home and take some tylenol. That hasn't happened many times but even once is too much. All you have to do to tell if someone is suffering from one of these headaches is just look at them. I get sick at my stomach, my eyes feel like they are going to swell shut, I feel like I've got a knife buried behind my left eye, and I just want to curl up in a ball and die. The neurologist I see now has been very understanding and seems to be helping. But no matter how long I go without one of the really bad headaches, I live in constant dread of the next one and worry what will happen if the pain won't go away this time.