Once again the early morning wake up call from the beast has begun. i don;t think it can be from cold weather as we are in the middle of summer so i can only assume it has something to do with the low pressure and bad weather we have been having or again down the the nerve on the left side of my neck playing up and aggravating the cluster attacks. There has been many times when i actually think to myself have i been miss diagnosed? are the attacks being caused by something else? and can they find it and fix it? but every time i have a full on cluster attack it convinces me that the Neurologist was right and the description of a cluster attacks matches my attack perfectly , right down to the small details such as the body bursting into sudden sweats and the left eye closing and swelling from the amount of water pouring from the eye on the side of the attack.
The way the attacks begin rare also a clue to what they are and what is causing them. With cluster attacks the pain always starts behind the eye and just above the eye and always spreads over the top of the head. Mine are always on the left side of the head in the same place every time. I actually get 2 different types of attacks. A mild one that i put down to being caused from the nerve damage i have as the pain begins in the back of the neck and spreads up into the head, this aggravates the clusters. Then the normal attack will start at the front of the head behind the left eye. I have found that problems with the nerves in the left side of my neck have been causing at least 50% of the cluster attacks i have been getting. The second type is the normal cluster attack that always starts behind the eye and spreads up over the top of the head into the the back of your neck like a perfect line. This attacks always comes with sweats, eye swelling, face drooping and so much pain you wish you were dead. Now that i am learning to manage the pain an the nerves in the neck with heat treatment, stretching and pain killers, even though it doesn't stop all the pain and problems i have seen a massive decrease in the amount of cluster headaches that are triggered.
This reduction means i now find myself with cluster free weeks instead of days but unfortunately not pain free due to the nerve problems. The left side of my body is in constant pain from the nerve and my lower back is always annoying me, like having tooth ache in ya lower spine. its horrible, There's not really much can be done other than a cervical nerve root block with big risks so we can';t take that option yet until it becomes so unbearable i can no longer live with it. So for now all i can do is continue practising pain management and try not to aggravate the nerves and cause more pain by doing silly things to hurt my back such as lifting heavy weights and too much movement during a day, i find i now have to pace myself. I am a lot happier now i know what is causing all the problems and am slowly learning to adjust my lifestyle to accommodate and manage the pain but i still find i am not getting out nearly as much as i should or like.
I have managed to get out fishing at least once a month so far since the start of the season. No considering i was hoping to go each weekend its a long way from what i had planned but still a lot better than previous years, there has been time where i only managed 2 fishing trips in the whole year. Not having my own transport is one of the issues as when you have damage to a nerve and have back pain its impossible to carry all the fishing gear to the lake so you need transport. This is something i need to get sorted for next year. The fishing not only helps to keep me getting out and in the fresh air but it also helps to with exercise and especially if you suffer depression as it lifts the moods. I have been lucky as i have some good friends who have all been willing to help and get me out on the bank and are willing to help me get my gear to the lake but sometimes i feel like i am asking too much of people and just try and get on with things even if it leaves me suffering in agonising pain for an hour afterwards, my own stupid pride!
