Personal Diary Cluster Headaches Day 1 – The Beast Is Back
Published April 9, 2009 | 
Thursday morning 4.20 am, my husband wakes up with a terrible headache attack. It’s there, we have been waiting on it since December (as he normally has an active period then), but now in April it’s finally there. Luckily we know what to do and we work like an olied machine. He goes somewhere where it’s really dark while I put everything ready he needs. A bucket for when his stomach starts getting upset and a bottle of water to start his water treatment. It worked the last time to reduce the number of attacks so we start again this time. When the attack is finished he calls his job as he won’t be working today, the first few days he always feels terrible so he won’t be working for the rest of the week.
After his last active period I found a specialist that could help us, but we were waiting for the next period to make an appointment so today we made the call. He can come tomorrow evening so maybe we will finally find something that can help him besides the normal migraine treatments he was getting until now. Our GP isn’t bad at his job, but like most GP’s he doesn’t know much on cluster headaches. And that makes it more difficult to find the right diagnose and the right treatment.
During the day he drinks his water, every hour a glass and it helps keeping the attacks away for now. But he walks around whole day with the feeling of an attack that wants to break through, not a nice feeling but as long as it stays away we’re happy. When he goes to bed around 10pm he didn’t get another cluster headache attack, but we both know that the night is long and that it’s possible he won’t go through the night without one.
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Posted in Personal diary cluster headaches | 
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This sounds so familiar. I can set my clock by it every night for 3-4 months during my times. I use to think it came with weather changes,but then it got speratic. I started getting clusters when i was 20, 21. Im now 33 and it seems to be getting better. What once was 3 times a year is now every 18 months I use hot water on back of neck and nasal area,and a rocking chair to relax myself into a slow recovery.My father has clusters as well. The medication that he takes did nothing for me when perscribed. The late nights are the worst. They only thing i have taken that helps immediatly is the imitrex injections ( and who can afford 200$ per headache). So i guess untill we ban together and all get phd’s ill have to continue rocking myself into the night.
Thanks for helping me vent.
Ken Harris
I know this feeling all too well.
Unfortunately, my doctor won’t diagnose me with clusters, despite the fact that we’ve ruled everything else out.
Mine come at 1:30 and 6:30 am, or thereabouts. It’s always +/- 15 mins. This isn’t so great when I have to be at work at 5:30am. I’m exhausted all of the time and my relationships have gone downhill due to simply not having the energy to make conversation.
It’s beyond frustrating… If people can’t understand the pain of a cluster, the very least they can do is try to understand the inevitable and devastating effect it has on the rest of our lives.
Whoever is out there, I hope they’re watching over us.
Dave, I’m wondering, is this your regular doctor or a neurologist? If it’s your regular doctor, please make an appointment with a neurologist. If it really are cluster headaches you need the proper treatment. My husband has had 7 years before he had a diagnose and even then it took him three years to find the right doctor that could/would give the medication he needs.
If your doctor doesn’t want to work with you, I can only give you one solution: change doctor, and fast.
Thank you very much for that reply, admin. I guess, from your own words that it may be the best course of action.
I have no doubts that they’re clusters, so thank you again. I’ll update you when/if I find out more.
My cluster headaches started 4 years ago, it is supposed to be a young persons illness but I was 45 when mine began. I thought it was sinus problems or allergies to begin with and my Dr. didn’t know what it was until this year. Finally I can put a name to it. I have an appointment with a neurologist but it is a real financial strain on us as we have no insurance (I lost my job and my husband just started a new one). I have found that alternating hot/cold packs helps and somtimes a shower and washing my hair will help. When the headaches started 4 years ago I had them in early Nov and Feb they always lasted about 6 weeks. Then for a year and a half I didn’t have any, it was heaven and I thought they were over. I can understand why they are called suicide headaches, sometimes the pressure is so bad I just want to drill a hole in my head to let the pressure off. I wont do this of course but the thought had crossed my mind. I wonder if this would qualify as a disability as I have already lost 2 jobs because of them? I just hope the neurologist can help.