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| Hi, Guys,
I've made the changes suggested. So here we have the irregular
posting of the (hopefully not out of date) ASHM Welcome Letter. I
haven't checked the links recently. I'm also moving the paragraph on
trolls up to the top. I've noticed a bit of action on that part.
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.
Hello and welcome to ASHM.
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 longer list and links to
websites appropriate for each type is available on
http://www.meldrum.demon.co.uk/migraine
We are a friendly bunch and our focus is mainly on headaches of any
kind. There are a large number of web sites available regarding
headaches, migraines, clusters, ice pick headaches and others. The
best place to go to for starters is
http://www.meldrum.demon.co.uk/migraine
to have a read of the complete FAQ for this newsgroup. There are four
FAQs that cover the different types of headaches and support
information. For additional information on cluster headaches, check
out http://www.clusterheadaches.com/ which also has a list of useful
websites. Other useful websites are Raymot’s International
Generic-Brand Dictionary at
http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~rmottare/drugs.htm, You Are Not
Alone at http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings...379/karen.html,
useful information about medicine http://www.rxlist.com/ and your
About Guide to Headaches kept up-to-date by Teri
http://headaches.about.com
None of the information ASHM offers is intended to take the place of a
physician's care. It is always recommended that you consult your
doctor when your headaches either commence or change pattern.
Newbies especially (but even the more experienced might want to
refresh their memories) 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 one on abbreviations used as internet 'lingo':
http://www.physik.uni-stuttgart.de/...dahl/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. Some 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 Google Groups, http://groups.google.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.
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. ; )
People who are new often have no computer experience--but by
definition, all of us here do have headache experience. So for new
people who are looking for ways to contribute: try to listen (read)
more than you speak (post) for a while. You will get much better
advice if you come here with a few answers along with your questions.
Don't just ask, "What is Zomig?" without typing in www.excite.com and
LOOKING IT UP FIRST! Then come and ask a better question: "I know
Zomig is one the triptans as I read in http://www.zomig.com/ but will
it interfere with sleep?" That's a much better question. Your search
engine is your ultimate weapon!
Search Engines can help you make the most of your internet connection.
There are links to a number of them on the complete ASHM FAQ.
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.
So, 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 newsgroup
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.
Suggestions for the ASHM webpage hosted by David Meldrum can be
emailed to me on suzpol at a1 dot com dot au
With thanks to all those who recognise their own words and to those
who don’t - I just compiled it.
Suzie January 2005
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