andypants
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Not directly ME related, but an interesting article on nrk.no today about a new intervention that could help some people with cluster headaches (the really horrible ones that show up every single night and make people want to commit suicide).
Apparently a significant portion of those patients appear (study ongoing) to find relief by using a CPAP at night, and while some of the patients have mild sleep apnea not all of those who found it helpful do. The theory is that breathing and oxygen supply during the night is somehow related to the triggering of the cluster attacks.
When I crash badly (as opposed to ‘just’ triggering PEM) I get horrible cluster headaches that at their worst lasted for days and left me completely paralyzed with pain. Reading the article I count myself lucky that I was never as badly afflicted as some can be, and that they have lessened/disappeared as I pace better.
I know I’m not the only PwME to get cluster headaches/migraines, so I found it interesting that oxygen supply seems to be related. Several researchers have commented that ME can look a lot like asphyxia, so I wonder if reduced oxygen saturation during a crash/PEM trigger these headaches in some PwME.
Article in Norwegian: https://www.nrk.no/viten/xl/til-kamp-mot-de-ekstreme-hodepinesmertene-1.14293867
Google translate: https://www.nrk.no/viten/xl/til-kamp-mot-de-ekstreme-hodepinesmertene-1.14293867
Apparently a significant portion of those patients appear (study ongoing) to find relief by using a CPAP at night, and while some of the patients have mild sleep apnea not all of those who found it helpful do. The theory is that breathing and oxygen supply during the night is somehow related to the triggering of the cluster attacks.
When I crash badly (as opposed to ‘just’ triggering PEM) I get horrible cluster headaches that at their worst lasted for days and left me completely paralyzed with pain. Reading the article I count myself lucky that I was never as badly afflicted as some can be, and that they have lessened/disappeared as I pace better.
I know I’m not the only PwME to get cluster headaches/migraines, so I found it interesting that oxygen supply seems to be related. Several researchers have commented that ME can look a lot like asphyxia, so I wonder if reduced oxygen saturation during a crash/PEM trigger these headaches in some PwME.
Article in Norwegian: https://www.nrk.no/viten/xl/til-kamp-mot-de-ekstreme-hodepinesmertene-1.14293867
Google translate: https://www.nrk.no/viten/xl/til-kamp-mot-de-ekstreme-hodepinesmertene-1.14293867