Suzie Eisfelder's Welcome Page

We are a friendly bunch but focus mainly on headaches of any kind. There are a large number of web sites available regarding headaches, migraines, clusters, ice pick headaches, BAM (Basilar Artery Migraines) and others.

For an introduction to cluster headaches, check out http://www.clusterheadaches.com/ which also has a the list of useful websites.

Information on Cluster Headaches can be found on the following FAQ's.

Cluster FAQ 1

Cluster FAQ 2

Cluster FAQ 3

Cluster FAQ 4

Other useful websites are Raymot's International Generic-Brand Dictionary at http://www.powerup.com.au/`rmottare/drugs.htm ,

You Are Not Alone at http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/7379/karen.html

and http://www.rxlist.com/ RxList - The Internet Drug Index.

None of the information ASHM offers is intended to take the place of a physician's care.

You are encouraged to do a little research in universal Netiquette in order to understand the way some things are communicated in this, at times, rather odd cyberworld. The website address, or, URL, is: http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html . There are also some enjoyable and practical websites to peruse for information such as this URL on abbreviations used as internet `lingo': http://www.physik.uni-stuttgart.de/ExPhys/2.Phys.Inst./member/b.nebendahl/abbr.html . Check for word wrapping on this url as it is rather long, it is often recommended to cut and paste it. It gives an almost complete list of the abbreviations and their meanings. With the speed of the internet, new ones should probably be added on a regular basis. The most common ones we use here are:

JM2 - Just my two cents

OT - Off Topic

YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary

ASHM - alt.support.headaches.migraine

NTI - Nociceptive Trigeminal Inhibiter

LOL - Lots of Laughs or Lots of Love

SO - Significant Other

Another resource for topics that have been covered over the years in posts to ASHM is Deja News, http://www.deja.com. There you can do a search for a particular person's posts or a search by migraine related subjects discussed that interest you. Many subjects ARE ones that come up over and over again, and as interesting as new posters' comments are, it's often enjoyable and worthwhile, to find out what others have said in previous years on the same topics.

If you'd like to, or feel the need to jump right in with a pressing question, or are reaching out for support to ASHM ng members don't be shy! We're all here for a common purpose, which is to help each other understand and cope with headaches, ranging from the infrequent and relatively easily treatable ones to those which are frequent, severe and resistant to standard medical treatments and the admonitions from well-meaning family and friends to "get some fresh air and just ignore it." <sigh> Someone from our all-volunteer newsgroup will almost certainly attempt to answer your question or point you in the right direction for the information you need, if at all possible.

We welcome to ASHM, *anyone* needing information and support for headaches. We are delighted to hear from anyone with information and useful experiences to share with others regarding their own symptoms and experiences with their headaches. This can range from the medical treatment that has been most effective or ineffective for these headaches and any and all interactions with the medical community regarding treatment, as well as medical and doctor-patient relationships. And, we most certainly welcome those who would like to offer their expertise, including, but not limited to, intrepid medical personnel. ; )

There are many different types of headaches ranging from the normal "regular" headaches that most of us here don't bother about to the worst migraine or cluster you can imagine. A migraine can last for as few as two hours or as long as several days. Photophobia (light sensitivity) and phonophobia (sound

sensitivity) are outstanding characteristics of a migraine attack. Light appears ten times brighter than normal, and sounds seem to be ten times louder than normal.

Here is a list of some migraines and some websites associated with them:

BAM (Basilar Artery Migraines) http://www.s-2000.com/bam/ Karyn S. Huntting's Basilar Artery Migraine Page

Ice Pick Migraines

Vascular Headaches http://www.ohsu.edu/cliniweb/C14/C14.907.253.937.html

http://www.ohsu.edu/cliniweb/C23/C23.888.592.612.429.814.html

Classic Migraines. The classic migraine is similar to the common migraine, but is usually preceded by flashing lights and other symptoms that are known as an "aura."

Common Migraines. The common migraine is characterized by pain on one side of the head, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, and tingling and numbness in the limbs.

Tension Migraines. Tightness or pressing, often in a band all around the head. Pain is usually dull, with no throbbing.

Menstrual. Strikes during week of menstruation. Pain is often worse than a "common" migraine.

Analgesic. Chronic; symptoms similar to rebound tension or migraine.

Sinus Pain over nasal area and behind eyes, often with runny nose, congestion, and/or fever.

Caffeine. Throbbing in the temple or on withdrawal the top of the head.

Cluster. Severe pain in eye area for 30-40 minutes. May occur daily for months then vanish for a year. http://www.clusterheadaches.com/

Cluster Headaches

http://web2.airmail.net/skymastr/cluster

The Cluster Headache HomePage

http://www.hscsyr.edu/~haasd/hpclrx.htm

Treatment of Cluster Headache and Chronic Paroxysmal Hemicrania

http://web2.airmail.net/skymastr/cluster/what.htm

What is Cluster Headache?

http://www.blue-fox.com/paul/cluster.html

Preventing Cluster Headaches

http://www.customforum.com/clusterhainfo

Beware of trolls. They are people who post antagonistic remarks just to get a reaction. The best way of dealing with them is to ignore them, do not respond to their posts.

One way to upset people is to SHOUT. Writing all in caps is considered SHOUTING and is exceedingly hard to read to please try to write normally.

LEARN how to use a SEARCH ENGINE (I like the following):

http://www.excite.com/

http://www.hotbot.com/

http://www.goto.com/

http://www.dogpile.com/

http://www.askjeeves.com/

http://www.altavista.com/

http://www.deja.com/

http://infoseek.go.com/

http://www.lycos.com/

http://www.metafind.com/

http://webcrawler.com/

http://www.yahoo.com/

If you don't use and recognize most of these, you have not begun to really use your computer investment to its fullest. If you have questions about these, it is recommended you find the appropriate newsgroup!

The alt.support.headaches.migraine newsgroup is ONE of THOUSANDS, and it is an excellent place to relate what YOU as an EXPERT know, which is what it's like to suffer with headaches. (This often includes non-headache information, because headaches can ruin life so badly that many of us don't feel comfortable outside the shelter of the group. But it's still best to stay on-topic. Remember, THOUSANDS of people are going to read—or ignore—what you say here!)

Also, learn how to FIND and READ a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) file for a topic. There are millions! A few FAQs for headaches are:

http://www.meldrum.demon.co.uk/migraine/

http://www.aash.org/faqs/Default.htm

People who ask questions without having first read a FAQ used to be publicly ridiculed. Learn how to FIND (Ctrl-F in Windows) things within a file, and you will become a smart-aleck computer user (and valuable contributor) in no time. I almost guarantee it.

© Suzie Eisfelder April 2000