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3 DAY CHALLENGE
“The Hard days are what make you stronger”
– Alexandra Rose Raisman
ClusterWele Challenge
Join the Wellness of Me ClusterWele challenge which is designed to help you develop an integrated and functional holistic approach to managing and living a ClusterWele lifestyle by creating a written prevention and treatment strategy plan to follow and present to your clinician (neurologist) and family support team. Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to openly share your emotional experiences in a supportive environment/safe space with fellow individuals who also live with cluster headaches.
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5 Benefits
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Strengthen Family Support through the Spoon Theory framework.
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Craft a holistic prevention plan.
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Draft a detailed treatment plan.
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Establish a Wellness Budget forresource management.
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Collaborate with a ClusterWele community member(s).
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5 Objectives
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Enhance family support using the Spoon Theory.
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Develop a holistic prevention plan.
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Create a detailed treatment plan.
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Manage resources with a wellness budget.
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Partner for accountability with a community member(s).
My Story
In late August 2016, I experienced a major health crisis and was diagnosed with a brain tumor that forever changed my life. Everything I had known, including my successful career for over 30 years, seemed to crumble before my eyes. The functioning of my brain, once sharp and competent, was now altered and disrupted.
Alongside the cognitive challenges, I battled with excruciating headaches that grew increasingly debilitating and frequent. It felt as if the very essence of who I was had been shaken to its core. The aftermath of the tumor surgery left me dealing with a new reality, one that I was determined to navigate and conquer.
In 2017, a year after my brain tumor surgery, I received a diagnosis of cluster headaches. Looking back, I realized that my first cluster headache occurred over 30 years ago. However, it was only after experiencing a season of chronic cluster headaches and other related symptoms.
Rhonda Cowan
Philippians 4:13 (KJV) “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.”
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The Burden Of Headaches
A headache refers to pain or discomfort experienced in the head or face region. Headaches can vary in terms of location, intensity, and frequency. Nearly everyone experiences headaches at some point in their lives. While brain tissue does not have pain-sensitive nerve fibers and cannot feel pain, other structures in the head can be responsible for causing headaches.
Recognizing Signs and Symtons
Causes
The actual cause of cluster headaches is unknown, but there are some theories. The most prominent theory suggests that the occurrence of cluster headaches might be genetic. Other theories point to brain abnormalities or dysfunction.
Cluster Headaches
Of the many different types of headaches, cluster headaches are one of the least common. They are often severe and usually last for a few minutes to a few hours. Compared to other types of headaches, not much is known about these particular kinds of headaches, especially since they typically only occur in less than 1% of the population.
Cluster Headache Patients
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Demographics: More common in men with a male-to-female ratio of 2.5:1.
Age of Onset: Typically begins between ages 20 and 50 but can occur at any age.
Types: 85% to 90% are episodic; 10% to 15% are chronic.
Duration: Episodic cycles last 1 to 12 weeks; chronic cases persist for over a year without remission.
Genetic Link: Higher occurrence in those with a family history of cluster headaches.
Life Impact: Severely impacts quality of life, affecting work, sleep, and social activities.
Geographical Variation: Prevalence varies by region and population.
Severity: Known as one of the most painful types, sometimes called "suicide headaches."
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General Statistics
Prevalence: Cluster headaches affect 0.1% to 0.2% of the population.
TWO FACES OF CLUSTER HEADACHES:
Episodic and Chronic
Episodic Cluster Face
Episodic cluster headaches are a type of primary headache disorder characterized by severe, excruciating pain that occurs in clusters or cycles. These clusters can last for several weeks to months, and the headache attacks typically occur on one side of the head.
Chronic Cluster Face
Chronic cluster headaches are similar to episodic cluster headaches in terms of symptoms, but they differ in the duration and frequency of attacks. Chronic cluster headaches are defined as having no remission periods or periods of relief between headache clusters. Chronic Cluster headache face occur for periods of a year or more with no pain-free periods, or pain-free periods of less than three months.
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Cluster Headache
Cluster headaches are also known for reoccurring, often many times in one day. Some patients also experience many symptoms that are similar to migraines.
Symptoms
The symptoms of a cluster headache are fairly described by its name. Cluster headaches are defined by the localization of pain and secondary symptoms. Along with often excruciating pain, sufferers of cluster headaches often experience light sensitivity, tearing, runny nose or sinus congestion, and constricted pupils among other symptoms. Typically, all of these symptoms are localized to the side of the head that hurts, but that isn't always the case.
Key Point About Cluster Headaches
Identifying headache triggers may help prevent their occurrence.
Prevention
There are some medications that may help prevent the occurrence of cluster headaches, but their effectiveness tends to vary. Prevention is a work in progress, especially since the cause of cluster headaches is unknown. Not to mention the fact that the same thing doesn’t work for all individuals.
Treatment
There are many medications that are indicated for treatment of cluster headaches, but these are typically prescribed medications that need to be overseen by a neurologist. Many patients have to try one or more medications before finding one that works for them.