A ClusterHead’s Life

Hanging out on Twitter, I see a lot of talk about "cluster headache".  Some people actually know what they’re talking about.  But I suspect most do not.

Some seem to casually mention that they have a cluster headache today.  Some mix up terms completely, saying things like cluster migraine.  Or they say they have a migraine or a cluster headache or something.

I don’t get too upset at the people themselves, who are simply misinformed or uninformed.  But having some idea what cluster headache is (though I don’t suffer from them myself), I still get upset that the term gets thrown around so casually.

Cluster headaches are also known as "suicide headaches", and there’s a reason.  The pain is almost beyond comprehension.

I encourage you to read about the difference between migraine and cluster here.

But special thanks to A ClusterHead’s Life for posting some videos of people enduring a cluster attack.

I’ve posted one below, but I’ll warn you – it’s hard to watch.  And it’s one of the less graphic videos.  But if you want to understand cluster, take a look at a few of the videos here.  You’ll never use the word casually again.

Also posted is a lecture on cluster by Dr. Peter J. Goadsby, coauthor of many books including Mechanism and Management of Headache.

Cluster survivor from Canada: