- Cluster Headaches
- Stories
beliefs and cluster headaches
Jul 22, 2019
Year Condition Began: 1994
I am a female, aged 60. I have a twin brother who started having headaches at the age of 13, he used to colapse at that time. I started having headaches at the age of 22, they were more like migraines at that time, lasting for 3-4 hours. At the age of 26 I had an operation: my intestins constricted. Then life changed completely - I had attacks for a week or two twice a year, and I did not know about cluster, so I waited patiently for the period to finish. In 94 I went to see a neurologist as the attack periods got longer than the attack free periods. I was diagnosed with Cluster and I was told it is incurable. I was given steroids in large quantities, and I got depressed. I stopped the treatment and I started to do research on the net, I changed diet: no cheses, no chocolate, no hot pepper, no alcohol.
After the steroids the attacks shortened to 6-7 weeks and one attack/night at 1:30 (5minutes before or after), In 2002 I discovered that large quantities of strong hot coffee are very effective in stopping the pains. The disadvantage was that I couldn't fall asleep after the attacks, so I stayed awake, I did meditation, reboot yout brain, EFT (brad Yates), listened to guided meditations and affirmations. I had attack free periods of 4-8 weeks until 2007 when I changed jobs. It was then, when I had 6,5 years of chronic attacks -one each night, cured with coffee! I started having memory and concentration problems in 2015 and in 2017 I realised I was not able to read the logic of the written texts. So I was forced to give up my job. Whenever I went to hospital for treatment, the medical staff could not believe that there existed such a disease. I hardly got 3 days off to have a rest. When I asked for oxigen at my home, I was refused because the Statistical Manual in Hungary prescribes oxigen only for patients with pulmonary or cardiac diseases.
After leaving my job I started learning to be a lifecoach and I undertook some manly jobs: I am skillful with renovating houses and flats. It was in February when I realised that making physical effort would cause cluster headaches at night.
Now I am looking for some medication as the number of attacks increased to 4/night and I do not want to live with this condition any longer. Kate
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