Sinus/Cluster Headaches........

[FarmerChick]

Never have I heard that one at all. BUT as icky as it sounds shoving rolled paper up my nose when I am suffering next time I will try it. makes sense I guess

If it worked for you, then I have to say I will try it!

 

[bigscoop]

Never have I heard that one at all. BUT as icky as it sounds shoving rolled paper up my nose when I am suffering next time I will try it. makes sense I guess

If it worked for you, then I have to say I will try it!

You know how it is, in light of the pain, I'd stick the space shuttle up there if I thought it might help. I mean, it's not like it's gonna hurt to try.

 

[FarmerChick]

I hit like on that post and still have to give ya a

 

[mamabear]

I started having cluster headaches a while back. went to er cuz I could barely walk. had migraines in past so I knew it wasnt that. doc said it was the nerves. they were irritated & swelling? called it neuritis. gave me a magic pill & it went away. it was not a narcotic or a pain killer it was speciffically for nerve pain. chk it out. I went from bed with blankets over my head, to outside mowing & enjoying life.
Hope you can get rid of them.

 

[Crispin]

"If they are truly sinus related try this....will stop them from getting bad and really shorten them. Take a clean tissue and roll the end of it into a very fine point a couple of inches long. Now this is kind of gross, but it works. As soon as you feel the headache coming on stick this up your nose until you feel it tickling those tiny follicles that make you sneeze. Here's what happens......as we age some of us lose the required sensitivity in these follicles for one reason or another which is important. When we sneeze our sinuses and tear ducts open up and purge/flush themselves, without this natural release they will continue to build pressure, often becoming very dry and swelled. So in essence, you want to tickle these until you sneeze and you'll be amazed at how fast your sinuses and tear ducts will open and pour, thus releasing/flushing the pressure it is failing to do naturally. May take two or three good sneezes/releases but I promise you you'll notice immediate relief. This same tactic will even stop my headaches from getting too bad and shorten duration if I can do this soon enough. Like I said, the real crushers usually come at night, or when I'm just to busy during the day to take the time out to address them as soon as I get the sense that one is on the way. Sounds nuts, but it works most of the time."

Big Scoop. No disrespect intended but that is a bunch of mularkey. I strongly advise nobody ever try that. HAs can be extremely difficult to treat because they can come from a variety of sources. It is maddening for an md to track down the cause because more often then not the patient is not compliant with treatment. If you truly have cluster HA's then that is a genetic condition and there are medicines that can help. Other sources of HA's can include the following:
1. Withdrawal from nicotine.
2. Withdrawal from caffeine.
3. Withdrawal from alcohol.
4. Allergies from the outside world: mold, pollen, grass, etc...
5. Allergies from the inside world: scented candles, laundry detergent, fabric softeners, stuffed animals, mounted animals.
6. Irregular sleep cycle.
7. Depression.
8. Nerve impingement or previous cervical injury.
9. Work stress.
10. Eye strain (staring at a computer.)
11. ...and numerous others.

The list goes on and on and on. Imagine trying to treat a patient for HA's when they refuse to stop smoking and drinking coffee. I understand, I'm a coffee addict myself, but I can't give a magic pill to prevent what people are doing to their bodies. I agree, it is difficult to get good treatment at a VA. I truly am sorry that you have HAs, but if you see the right specialist there is help...

 

[bigscoop]

"If they are truly sinus related try this....will stop them from getting bad and really shorten them. Take a clean tissue and roll the end of it into a very fine point a couple of inches long. Now this is kind of gross, but it works. As soon as you feel the headache coming on stick this up your nose until you feel it tickling those tiny follicles that make you sneeze. Here's what happens......as we age some of us lose the required sensitivity in these follicles for one reason or another which is important. When we sneeze our sinuses and tear ducts open up and purge/flush themselves, without this natural release they will continue to build pressure, often becoming very dry and swelled. So in essence, you want to tickle these until you sneeze and you'll be amazed at how fast your sinuses and tear ducts will open and pour, thus releasing/flushing the pressure it is failing to do naturally. May take two or three good sneezes/releases but I promise you you'll notice immediate relief. This same tactic will even stop my headaches from getting too bad and shorten duration if I can do this soon enough. Like I said, the real crushers usually come at night, or when I'm just to busy during the day to take the time out to address them as soon as I get the sense that one is on the way. Sounds nuts, but it works most of the time."

Big Scoop. No disrespect intended but that is a bunch of mularkey. I strongly advise nobody ever try that. HAs can be extremely difficult to treat because they can come from a variety of sources. It is maddening for an md to track down the cause because more often then not the patient is not compliant with treatment. If you truly have cluster HA's then that is a genetic condition and there are medicines that can help. Other sources of HA's can include the following:
1. Withdrawal from nicotine.
2. Withdrawal from caffeine.
3. Withdrawal from alcohol.
4. Allergies from the outside world: mold, pollen, grass, etc...
5. Allergies from the inside world: scented candles, laundry detergent, fabric softeners, stuffed animals, mounted animals.
6. Irregular sleep cycle.
7. Depression.
8. Nerve impingement or previous cervical injury.
9. Work stress.
10. Eye strain (staring at a computer.)
11. ...and numerous others.

The list goes on and on and on. Imagine trying to treat a patient for HA's when they refuse to stop smoking and drinking coffee. I understand, I'm a coffee addict myself, but I can't give a magic pill to prevent what people are doing to their bodies. I agree, it is difficult to get good treatment at a VA. I truly am sorry that you have HAs, but if you see the right specialist there is help...

Maybe that's the issue, "the right specialist"....I certainly have seen my share over the years and I am very compliant, just no root cause was ever found. Gets very frustrating and expensive on this end as well. As far as the tickling of the follicles, this was something that an MD suggested to me some time ago and all I can tell you is that, "it works." Just did it last night and again today, worked both times. And this is another area of frustration, I have yet to get the same suggestions or treatments from different doctors & specialist, each always applying their own insights to the problems. As a patient, I can't tell you how frustrating this gets. The plates and screws in my neck, two different emergency rooms diagnosed it as a torn muscle when in reality I had disk that had shattered. So while I understand you frustrations, the same is also true on the other side, the paying side. All I can tell you is that I am a walking example of someone who is still suffering after many, many, attempts with the various medical professions. Why should patients have to keep paying without results for so long?

 

[bigscoop]

Crispin,

Maybe you can offer some insight into this. When I was younger I suffered from really bad hey fever, kept having to have my nose cauterized to stop the bleeding. One day I am sneezing and my head is just draining like crazy so I cover the left side of my nose with my finger and I try to blow like heck out the congested side. Well, what came out was really strange, like this tiny piece of Honey Comb cereal, never will forget that. Looked like torn tissue but firm. I've always wondered if maybe I didn't blow a piece of sinus right out of my head? I'm serious, it actually happened just as I'm telling you. Any idea what that might have been? It was about that time that my headaches began.

 

[Chadeaux]

Crispin,

Maybe you can offer some insight into this. When I was younger I suffered from really bad hey fever, kept having to have my nose cauterized to stop the bleeding. One day I am sneezing and my head is just draining like crazy so I cover the left side of my nose with my finger and I try to blow like heck out the congested side. Well, what came out was really strange, like this tiny piece of Honey Comb cereal, never will forget that. Looked like torn tissue but firm. I've always wondered if maybe I didn't blow a piece of sinus right out of my head? I'm serious, it actually happened just as I'm telling you. Any idea what that might have been? It was about that time that my headaches began.

I've had something similar a couple times from the left sinuses. I was having the worst allergy type symptoms along with the headaches back in 1995. At times felt like I would drown from the drainage . . . sometimes it would unexpectedly flow from my nose like a nosebleed and just as fast. Once the "chunk" came out, my allergy symptoms soon went away.

Definitely looked like it was human tissue, very firm and large enough that I wasn't sure how it came out of the nasal opening. Happened a couple times that year.

Same thing happened in 2002 or 2003 and again at least twice had the same bit that looked like human tissue.

In both instances, the allergy symptoms AND excruciating headaches soon went away. Also, in both cases, shortly before the incident I would get smaller bits of that material each time I blew my nose.

 

[bigscoop]

I've had something similar a couple times from the left sinuses. I was having the worst allergy type symptoms along with the headaches back in 1995. At times felt like I would drown from the drainage . . . sometimes it would unexpectedly flow from my nose like a nosebleed and just as fast. Once the "chunk" came out, my allergy symptoms soon went away.

Definitely looked like it was human tissue, very firm and large enough that I wasn't sure how it came out of the nasal opening. Happened a couple times that year.

Same thing happened in 2002 or 2003 and again at least twice had the same bit that looked like human tissue.

In both instances, the allergy symptoms AND excruciating headaches soon went away. Also, in both cases, shortly before the incident I would get smaller bits of that material each time I blew my nose.

I only recall it happening once, but it clearly looked like a piece of firm human tissue in the shape of a honey comb. My headaches are on this same side, the right side, main pressure is right above the right eye in the brow area, just above the tear duct. From here it radiates up and over the right side of my head, down my neck and into my shoulder blade area. Also invades the cheek and jaw and general right side of my face and head. When they get really bad the vision on the right side can get blurry and extremely sensitive to light. The other thing that happens just prior to an attack, "everything" gets extremely dry, eyes, throat, nose, etc. I know a sudden change in pressure triggers them, such as an approaching storm, but this only seems to come into play during the spring and fall, sometimes in the winter, but never in the summer. And the other thing.......I don't have bad allergy reactions like I use to have when I was younger, no typical runny noise, constant drainage and sneezing, etc. Just the quick influx of pressure and then the headaches, then all the other typical stuff starts happening. Headaches may last an hour or so, but they may come a dozen times in 24hr period. Prevent one and the next one is always worse. Stop three or four and there is no doubt a real monster is building and that's it's inevitable.

 

[Crispin]

The thing blowing out of the nose is a piece of human tissue but not what you think it is. What happens is a small irritant will get lodged deeper into one of your sinuses. Macrophages will encase the pollen (for lack of knowing exactly what is.) The macrophages then trigger Interleukins and Interkinins which cause the immune casecade to follow. The problem is that this is not happening with just one tiny pollen particle but thousands. Eventually they build up and start to cause irritation...leading to a sinus pressure headache. When you blow that chunky stuff out it looks like tissue but is not in the technical sense of the word. However, that is something the body created. Judging from what you are describing it sounds like you are having severe sinus pressure headaches. Cluster Headaches are familial...I can't imagine what they feel like but several of my patients have told me that suicide seems like a reasonable option. Some allergists recommend having your sinus' "cleaned out." That is effective for the season but will just build up again for the next one. Three times a day sinus rinuses can be helpful but you will still get headaches. Have you been to an allergist for testing? It is a long, expensive process, but if they can isolate what you are allergic to then you can build up an immunity. Again, sorry about your headaches. They are one of the hardest things to treat in medicine. Have you tried amitriptyline? If amitriptyline is helpful then that would eliminate a number of different sources. The plates in your neck could also be a cause. You would need to have an x-ray. I can't tell you how many plates and screws I've seen broken. If that was the case then what you are having is referred pain and cymbalta would be very helpful...good luck. Happy to answer any more questions. Just to make it clear, I am not establishing a doctor-patient relationship through this post. I am talking about HAs on general terms.

 

[Red James Cash]

Maybe that's the issue, "the right specialist"....I certainly have seen my share over the years and I am very compliant, just no root cause was ever found. Gets very frustrating and expensive on this end as well. As far as the tickling of the follicles, this was something that an MD suggested to me some time ago and all I can tell you is that, "it works." Just did it last night and again today, worked both times. And this is another area of frustration, I have yet to get the same suggestions or treatments from different doctors & specialist, each always applying their own insights to the problems. As a patient, I can't tell you how frustrating this gets. The plates and screws in my neck, two different emergency rooms diagnosed it as a torn muscle when in reality I had disk that had shattered. So while I understand you frustrations, the same is also true on the other side, the paying side. All I can tell you is that I am a walking example of someone who is still suffering after many, many, attempts with the various medical professions. Why should patients have to keep paying without results for so long?

The usual scenario is you come out of the hospital worse off than when you went in,thats if you come out.I've seen that quite a few times.A friend of mine a number of years ago went in,he never came out.He died while having a catscan.Choked to death on his own vomit because the nurse left her station.I'll pass on hospital and their greedy money sucking B.S.,The same goes for doctors.

 

[FarmerChick]

Big, if you feel it is totally a troublesome lifestyle problem, you need an MRI of the sinus/face/head area.

you got the bucks . go find a Dr. that can help.

I would.

we aren't the same because I know mine is allergy (dog, grass, trees, weeds, pressure changes in weather related) and yes I am gonig to do something about it some day. but yours are extreme. medical advice on it would not be a bad thing

go find the right person. they are out there and you know that.

 

[FarmerChick]

The usual scenario is you come out of the hospital worse off than when you went in,thats if you come out.I've seen that quite a few times.A friend of mine a number of years ago went in,he never came out.He died while having a catscan.Choked to death on his own vomit because the nurse left her station.I'll pass on hospital and their greedy money sucking B.S.,The same goes for doctors.

and from someone who says they will kill themselves if they have a medical problem, I can understand this post.

where do you live? in some back woods area with no good hospitals or is it just the staff that is redneck and can't handle patients?

 

[bigscoop]

Crispin,

Understand, and thanks for the insight. My plate and screws came much later in life and have no problems other then leftover tingling in my right fingers from the crushed nerves. So I think the plate and screws are fine.

I can tell you this, I use to have to write down everything I ate, drank, etc., and when. Eventually they arrived at mold and pollen as being my two major menaces. I can't recall all the scripts I've been on over the years but I can tell you that what seemed to help one year would have no effect the next, for some reason? Recently I tried 120mg Pseudoephedrine Hydrochloride extended release tablets but I gotta tell you, couldn't hardly pee when I needed to so I quit that stuff before I ever got to see if it helped. Some of the scripts I've had over the years I couldn't take simply because of the job I had, troubleshooting automation systems and a lot of time at heights, over furnaces, etc. I also operated heavy machinery and tooling machines so those that effected me adversely I just tossed away. I've found it easier and less risky to sleep in a near upright position when I'm having headaches, won't always help but sometimes it will allow me to get several hours of uninterrupted sleep. I do use a Neti Pot rinse but honestly, it's just not getting into my sinuses and, because of frequent use, it has actually irritated things a bit. But the good news...."I think".....had some clotted blood this morning while blowing and today my head is feeling much better, at least for now. Makes me wonder if I'm not possibly getting an upper sinus infection due to the mold/allergy problem and that maybe that is leading to the headaches?

Question: So the storm fronts/change in pressure thing, only comes into play once the sinuses are already irritated/overloaded?

 

[Red James Cash]

where do you live? in some back woods area with no good hospitals or is it just the staff that is redneck and can't handle patients?

I couldnt tell you,i dont go to hospitals,I never had a need to since i was 9 years old.

 

[bigscoop]

By the way, I have no problems or issues with most doctors or hospitals, just the cost. I use to troubleshoot machines so I can only imagine what troubleshooting humans must be like.

 

[FarmerChick]

I couldnt tell you,i dont go to hospitals,I never had a need to since i was 9 years old.

that explains alot

 

[Red James Cash]

And your comments explain quite a bit about you eva

 

[worldtalker]

The usual scenario is you come out of the hospital worse off than when you went in,thats if you come out.I've seen that quite a few times.A friend of mine a number of years ago went in,he never came out.He died while having a catscan.Choked to death on his own vomit because the nurse left her station.I'll pass on hospital and their greedy money sucking B.S.,The same goes for doctors.

Doctors are good mechanics,fix a broken bone,sew up a gash,they know NOTHING of CAUSES,all they do is give you a pill for a symptom,I say eliminate the CAUSE,you won't need a pill!! An understaning mind is needed here folks!!! God Bless Chris

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I dealt with migraine headaches for over 25 years, pain was so intense I had to go to a dark room with no light or sound, both light and sound made the pain worse.. I knew when they were coming on as 99% of the time they would start with a hallo around any lights, and I would see clusters or starts around the lights. this lasted for maybe 25 years, would get a few a year, slowly over the years the headaches went away but still get the hallos and stars, usually if I get a sudden bright light in my eyes... Had eyes checked and many visits to doctors, nothing was ever found....

The cost of hosipitals are high, but I also know some very good doctors.... Most doctors and nurses care very much about their patients...............We even have some that are members here, they just prefer to keep their profession private....