I’ve been overdue for a cluster cycle for a few years now so every Spring I’ve been mindful of avoiding triggers. Stress and sleep issues are #1 and #1 again in the short list. The stress of 2020 apparently wasn’t enough or maybe social distancing during the onset months of April and May made a change? I can’t say. Well, I could say but it wouldn’t be backed up with scientific proof. Then again, the burden of proof doesn’t seem to even be a passing distraction for the bulk of the suddenly-an-expert-on-virology Interneteurs out there. But I digress… we were talking headaches here. Know what else is a headache? Wearing a mask that inhibits normal oxygen intake. Instant. Eyegraine. Brainpain. When forced into a desperado mask situation I found that full-lung meditative Darth-Vader breathing helped a lot. It also made sure nobody invaded my 6-foot bubble. Especially when combined with tantric eye-contact. But now I’ve trigressed. better start a new paragraph and pretend this one didn’t happen.
So, yeah. in April of 2021 I started getting the all-too familiar aura just as I was beginning my day. A few weeks later the aura was sometimes coming with sensitivity and mild nausea. The pain aspect finally kicked in near the end of May. The periods slowly shifted from morning to afternoon to evening – a vast departure from my old “10:00 to 10:30 every day” routine. Through June I was experiencing some form of headache 3 or 4 times a week, usually in the evenings. I had my last full-blown episode on July 10th and a few minor issues over the next few weeks and then nothing since. With the 2016 cluster cycle persisting into October I’m rapturously ecstatic at having a cycle apparently end in July. Was it something I did to shorten the cycle? Very maybe 99% sure!
The yuuuge difference this year is my environment. Working from home. The kid and wife often at school or work. Easy access to walking paths down by the bay and the weight set in the basement. Best of all: I could get a nice quiet dark room whenever I needed one rather than have to try and ignore a headache while trapped in a meeting at the office. I’m still finding the quickest relief with high-intensity lactic acid producing workouts that cause endorphins to be released en-masse. Ahhhh… a quick hit of the natural endo and the ‘graine is gone. This time around I also experimented with antihistamines now that I’ve found some good ones that don’t make me zombiesque. On days spent fully on histamine blockers I experienced nothing more than an aura of the headache. I try to only take the stuff when I need it for known allergens so more research will need to be conducted.
Speaking* of research, the world continues to become more aware of Cluster Headache and now uses a “CH” as a know abbreviation. The Wikipedia article is no longer a stub but a full article and many major medical sites now have some information on it, though their stock-photos of headache sufferers make little sense. Apparently CH is also called Horton’s syndrome now. Who knew that Dr. Seuss’ big blue elephant was suffering from clusters? The good doctor was obviously ahead of his time. He also predicted 2021’s use of pandemic politics in his book about Sneeches. Whether you choose to wear a star or not is irrelevant as long as McBean gets paid. Remember that and follow the beans! Be safe. Have fun. Don’t believe everything you hear. Fear nothing. Except bright lights and strong perfume!
Until we next cluster again…
