Cluster headaches - there’s help!
TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have cluster headaches. They appear approximately every two years and last two to four weeks with three or four episodes a day. Is there a cure? What is the best treatment? It’s the worst pain ever. — D.J.
ANSWER: Cluster headaches are one of humankind’s most painful experiences. They come on suddenly and last for a relatively short time — 15 minutes to two hours — but each minute of the headache seems like a year. The headache is a one-sided affair, and often the nostril on that side of the head drips and the eye on that side tears.
People find the pain so unbearable that they cannot sit still, a feature that distinguishes cluster headaches from migraine headaches, which make their victims seek a dark, quiet place to lie down. Often cluster headaches waken people from sleep.
The headaches come in “clusters” of one to four a day for weeks to months at a time. Then they disappear as inexplicably as they appeared.
Some find that the best way to end a cluster headache is to breathe pure oxygen for about 15 minutes. Since oral medicines take time to work and since cluster headaches are somewhat brief, oral medicines are not the greatest in terminating a headache. Sumatriptan, a migraine medicine, comes in a self-injectable dispenser, and it can bring an end to the headache. It also comes in a nasal spray, which works quickly.
To shorten the periods of recurrent clusters, prednisone, valproate, baclofen, Tegretol or lithium may be prescribed. If the periods come frequently, verapamil and lithium are used on a more constant basis as prevention.
Headaches bedevil many people. The headache booklet details the more common varieties and their treatments. To obtain a copy, write to: Dr. Donohue — No. 901W, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6.75 Canada with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: What causes a ganglion? I have one on my wrist. It doesn’t hurt, but I don’t like the looks of it and would like to get rid of it. How do I do that? — P.P.
ANSWER: A ganglion is a soft bump, usually found on the back of the wrist. It’s a cyst filled with a gelatinous material that has the consistency of uncooked egg whites. It springs from the joint surface.
Ganglions range in size from a pea to a peach pit. Most don’t hurt, and most don’t interfere with wrist motion.
Ganglions sometimes disappear on their own. A doctor can drain one with a needle and syringe, but they often come back after that procedure. The certain way to get rid of one is surgical removal.
Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters online from www.rbmamall.com.