Cluster Headaches

Where have I been? Well, it's that time of year again when I'm injecting myself with Imitrex and trying to keep my sanity as cluster headaches take over my life and rule my schedule and destroy my sleep. Cluster headaches are some kind of cruel torture created in hell by the lowest of demons and inflicted on unsuspecting humans, I'm sure, as punishment for past sins.

If you don't know what cluster headaches are, read this:

Cluster headaches are severe, one-sided headaches that recur in groups, or "clusters," over a period of weeks to months. While common headaches can be painful, cluster headaches can be debilitating. Cluster headaches are sometimes referred to as "suicide headaches" because they are unbearably painful. Although cluster headaches can be temporarily disabling, they do not cause permanent damage.

Cluster headaches are relatively rare, and are one of the few types of headaches that affect men more often than women.

"Suicide headache" is right. The pain is so unbelievably unbearable, there have been times I thought my body would give up. I'm not really a suicide thinker, but I'd do anything to get rid of the headache. Which is why I have no hesitation to give myself a shot of Imitrex.

Symptoms include burning or sharp, piercing pain on one side of your head. The pain radiates around the temple and eye, with the affected eye becoming red, watery, or puffy. The eyelid may droop, and you may have a runny or stuffy nose on the affected side.

....

The pain usually intensifies quickly—within 5 to 10 minutes of onset—and may last for around 30 minutes to several hours. These headaches may begin at night, within 2 to 3 hours of falling asleep. They may start while you are dreaming; however, they can occur at any time. Cluster headaches can continue for days, weeks, or months before you stop having symptoms (remission). You may not have another cycle of cluster headaches for months or years; less commonly, your headaches may become chronic and continuous.

Some historical figures have reported severe headaches that seem to fit the description of cluster headaches. Edgar Allen Poe and Friedrich Nietzsche are a couple of guys who self-treated their chronic headaches with opium and alcohol. I know what it's like to have these headaches without immediate relief. I've had cluster headaches since before Imitrex was created. Then I can only imagine not knowing what's going on because of the butchers that passed themselves off as doctors back then. I can imagine to avoid a lobotomy, opium seemed like a good idea.

Imitrex is a wonder drug. Within 10 minutes of an injection, the headache is gone--completely. The downside to it is that a single, two-dose box, which is how the drug is packaged, is $135.00 at Sam's Club. My insurance doesn't cover the meds. For me to have what I need to get through a cycle of headaches, I have to cough up $2000 or more. So I take the pills when I don't need to go anywhere. They are slower, but I don't go broke treating the headaches. My goal for next year is to have a health savings account with enough money in it to cover a cycle with Imitrex injections.

I'm going to get back to writing this week as the other treatments have made things bearable. I'm on Prednisone and Verapamil, which are both used to shorten the time I'm in a cycle. All of this is a lot to be on at the same time. But then again, I like my sanity.

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