cluster headache

20 February 2008

Free Medical Alert Card for Cluster

If you suffer from cluster headache, you should swing over to the Organization for Understanding Cluster Headaches for your free Medical Alert Card. I just love what OUCH has done, making a card available in pdf format for you to use. The information on it is clear and well presented.

It’s possible to create a free card for other medical conditions at MedIDs.com. Just fill out the online form and a printable card is made up for you with all the info neatly typed in.

Having a simple card like this with basic information is a great thing when you know you’re going to have difficulty communicating with a doctor who may not know your condition. Be ready for that unexpected attack.

Thanks, OUCH, for this great resource!

26 October 2005

PFO and cluster

James Discoveries & Stats 0

You knew that PFO, a congenital (present at birth) heart defect was related to migraine, but did you know it was related to clusters as well? The heart defect known as Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is an opening between the left and right atria of the heart. 1 in 5 people may have this defect. In most cases, that’s not a big deal.

At the Univeristy of Genoa in Italy, Dr Cinzia Finocchi and team found that cluster patients were far more likely to have the defect than others.

Why? It has been theorized that low oxygen in the blood may help start the cluster cycle. The mixing of blood through the hole could make enough of a difference.

Dr Finocchi doesn’t recommend everyone rush out to get the available surgery just yet, however. There’s no evidence…not yet…that closing the hole will end the cluster attacks.

30 August 2005

Sleep apnea and migraine?

James Discoveries & Stats 6

How are headaches related to sleep apnoea (apnea)? Recently someone asked me about the relationship between sleep apnea and migraine, something that I had never looked into in depth.

Of course, it’s well known that there’s a solid relationship between cluster and sleep apnoea. Some studies show that 80% of cluster patients may also suffer sleep apnoea. Those with this disorder actually stop breathing repeatedly in their sleep. The fact that it’s far more common in men than women may relate to the correlation with cluster, which is also more common in men. (Read more about sleep apnea at the Mayo Clinic)

When it comes to migraine, we do know that sleeping problems in general can trigger attacks. Diane Stafford and Dr Jennifer Shoquist write in Migraines for Dummies: Too much sleep, or too little, may lead to a migraine. Any type of off-kilter sleep (insomnia, sleep apnea, and so on) can spin off into a migraine.

A number of things may cause a relation here. It could be the oxygen/carbon dioxide balance, as is suspected when it comes to cluster. It could simply be interrupted sleep. James Weintraub, neurologist and sleep disorder specialist writes: Migraine headaches occur in direct relationship to the number of REM sleep periods that one has during the night. This relationship is even more pronounced with cluster headaches.

Migraine headaches usually occur either during or after REM sleep or in delta sleep which is the deep sleep that we all require in order to feel alert and refreshed the following day. It remains unclear whether the changes in the neurotransmitter or chemical systems in the brain, hormonal influences, or a combination of several different phenomenon are the cause.

It has also been suggested that sleep problems and migraine are both symptoms of an underlying cause, such as low magnesium levels. However, this would probably be the exception to the rule. Migraine attacks are very often directly related to interrupted sleep. And that’s one thing I know from experience.

Regarding cluster and sleep apnoea, check out this article recently posted at A ClusterHead’s Life.

2 April 2005

Cluster headache and routines

James Tips 0

Cluster headaches are extremely painful. They come all at once, stay for a period of time, and then may disappear for months. But the interesting thing about clusters is that, even during a time when you’re getting them, you can still make them better or worse. Many of the same rules apply for clusters that apply for migraines and various kinds of headaches.

The best thing to do when it comes to clusters is stick to your normal routine. Of course, migraineurs are familiar with this concept – many of us are guaranteed a very painful experience if we sleep in on the weekend, or even if there’s a time change. But the same goes for people with cluster. You may not be able to avoid the pain altogether, but you can avoid some of it.

By the way, if you want to be reminded of the major symptoms of clusters so that you never forget them, check out this picture of a cluster sufferer from Aurora Health Care.

17 March 2005

No-pain clusters?

James Discoveries & Stats 0

You knew that you can have migraine and yet no pain. But did you know that you can have cluster "headaches" without pain too? That was the news from Neurology, in a report from Neurologist Dr Rolf Salvensen in August 2000. The report follows a man who experienced other symptoms of clusters – a stuffed up nose, drooping eyelid, and pupil contraction on one side, and yet no pain.

This is important to know, because first it will help us better diagnose clusters. Second, it will help us better understand them. Many have theorized that the other symptoms are simply a reaction to the pain. Now it seems that this isn’t true – the other symptoms have a life of their own! This is old news now to the neurology world, but clusters themselves are still a mystery being investigated.