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Message started by shelticon2 on Oct 19th, 2008 at 12:49pm

Title: O2 users. Please read
Post by shelticon2 on Oct 19th, 2008 at 12:49pm
Hi,
Found this article ( sorry if this has been posted before) that should be of intrest to O2 users.

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Basically it states how breathing pure O2 causes the hypothalamus to "go into overdrive" causing the release of hormones and other chemicals. They claim this release over the long term can be harmfull.

Personally , I think that maybe this is why O2 works for most.

Good for the short term, yes. Bad for the longterm.....maybe.

I am in no way against O2. I do think that every one should be well informed about the decisions that they make.

PFDs to all

Jim  

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by vietvet2tours on Oct 19th, 2008 at 1:26pm
    Hey Batch good buddy put em right on the smoke.


          Potter

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by AlienSpaceGuy on Oct 19th, 2008 at 1:41pm
You're looking for every excuse not use O2   ::)


                        [smiley=smokin.gif]


Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by thebbz on Oct 19th, 2008 at 2:53pm

Quote:
They claim this release over the long term can be harmfull.
K-10's over the long term can be harmful as well. :P ;D ;D ;D
So can all the other pharmaceuticals we have to take.

Pick your own poison.
thebb

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by BarbaraD on Oct 19th, 2008 at 3:14pm

wrote on Oct 19th, 2008 at 2:53pm:

Quote:
They claim this release over the long term can be harmfull.
K-10's over the long term can be harmful as well. :P ;D ;D ;D
So can all the other pharmaceuticals we have to take.

Pick your own poison.
thebb

I vote for the O2 --- Batch where are you?????

The only way you'll take away my O2 is out of my ...... (oh hell, I never could remember a quote  :-[)

Hugs BD

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by Guiseppi on Oct 19th, 2008 at 3:55pm
It's an interesting article. I have the following options:

Bear Kip 10's.....yeah right. ;D

Use 2 imitrex injections twice a day......Oh Kaiser will go for that.. :o

Use my 02 and worry that my already screwed up Hypothalamus might not like it for the 6-8 mnutes I'm on it.....

As John so eloquently put it...(Yeah John by accident you are occasionally eloquent)..we pick our poisons.

I am curious as to how this study compares to our jet fighter pilots who breathe pure 02 for several hours at a time on a regular basis while on missions, many, like Batch, over a span of many many years, and yet no study has shown a significant decline in their physical well being as a result. It's an interesting study but will in no way change my approach to CH

Guiseppi

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by Skyhawk5 on Oct 19th, 2008 at 4:10pm
OMG, I just might harm my damaged brain, not losing any sleep over that. Turn up the flow and let it go.             , Don

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by DennisM1045 on Oct 19th, 2008 at 8:20pm

BarbaraD wrote on Oct 19th, 2008 at 3:14pm:

wrote on Oct 19th, 2008 at 2:53pm:

Quote:
They claim this release over the long term can be harmfull.
K-10's over the long term can be harmful as well. :P ;D ;D ;D
So can all the other pharmaceuticals we have to take.

Pick your own poison.
thebb

I vote for the O2 --- Batch where are you?????

The only way you'll take away my O2 is out of my cold dead hands (oh hell, I never could remember a quote  :-[)
Hugs BD

There, fixed it for ya  :-*
I was thinking the same thing  ;)

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by Linda_Howell on Oct 19th, 2008 at 9:23pm

Quote:
I do think that every one should be well informed about the decisions that they make.


Everyone here who is on 02 and has been for years is VERY well-informed about 02 usage.  

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by shelticon2 on Oct 19th, 2008 at 10:42pm
I think that my point was missed,. or intentionally avoided.

    As I said, I have nothing against O2.... People tend to automatically think herbs and other "natural" (nonprescription) remedies are harmless, this is not always so. IF there might be harmfull effects from using pure O2, those using it should be informed.
   
     The point of my origional post was to inspire others to research and find supporting or contridictory data. Not to put down O2.
   
    Unfortunately,  there are those on this message board who subscribe to one point of view and ridicule those who don't. I say this not to attack but to inform. I have received PMs from some who do not post in fear of ridicule. That, my friends, is a shame.
There are many out there that don't understand the politics of such a forum.

     I, quite frankly, don't care to engage in such discourse. I didn't anticipate that on this forum, but where there is people there is politics. The only reason that I do stay is for those that are genuinely  seeking information and help. My intentions are good. My want is to help. My beast is caged....

   I , personally, feel that those who insist on close mindedness and ridicule are a detriment to this help forum. The makers of this forum did a great thing in its' creation. I would hate to see it ruined. To squelch anyones ideas or their willingness to post freely, will ruin this forum.

   Potter, and those of his ilk, seem to be determined to stifle the flow of information. If they succeed in chasing me and those like me off of this forum, then they will have won. Their ego will be even more inflated. Unfortunately, those in search of real answers, will have lost.

I wish PFDs to All ( even Potter)

Jim

        

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by vietvet2tours on Oct 19th, 2008 at 11:08pm

shelticon2 wrote on Oct 19th, 2008 at 10:42pm:
I think that my point was missed,. or intentionally avoided.

    As I said, I have nothing against O2.... People tend to automatically think herbs and other "natural" (nonprescription) remedies are harmless, this is not always so. IF there might be harmfull effects from using pure O2, those using it should be informed.
   
     The point of my origional post was to inspire others to research and find supporting or contridictory data. Not to put down O2.
   
    Unfortunately,  there are those on this message board who subscribe to one point of view and ridicule those who don't. I say this not to attack but to inform. I have received PMs from some who do not post in fear of ridicule. That, my friends, is a shame.
There are many out there that don't understand the politics of such a forum.

     I, quite frankly, don't care to engage in such discourse. I didn't anticipate that on this forum, but where there is people there is politics. The only reason that I do stay is for those that are genuinely  seeking information and help. My intentions are good. My want is to help. My beast is caged....

   I , personally, feel that those who insist on close mindedness and ridicule are a detriment to this help forum. The makers of this forum did a great thing in its' creation. I would hate to see it ruined. To squelch anyones ideas or their willingness to post freely, will ruin this forum.

   Potter, and those of his ilk, seem to be determined to stifle the flow of information. If they succeed in chasing me and those like me off of this forum, then they will have won. Their ego will be even more inflated. Unfortunately, those in search of real answers, will have lost.

I wish PFDs to All ( even Potter)

Jim

        


   I have no ego whiz bang.  I only have an agenda,  which is to make oxygen available to those smart enough to give it a try.  You don't  qualify.

                      Potter

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by Lenny on Oct 19th, 2008 at 11:10pm
Hey Jim,

I read your post and understand 100% that you were just sharing with us an article that you came across (and not trying to tell anyone what to do).....I appreciate that and thank you.....Lenny

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by Audre on Oct 19th, 2008 at 11:44pm
Seems people misinterpreted what he was trying to say.  His original post was just saying that if there is any kind of side effect, people should be aware of it even if it's an extremely small chance.  We'd want to know the same for prescription medications, so why not for oxygen?  

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The tests were done on 14 children.  That's a small test on healthy children, not unhealthy adults or even healthy adults.  Since it's believed our problems with CH stem from the hypothalamus, we could have a different reaction to the oxygen, nullifying the dangers.  I think the researchers are getting a little ahead of themselves based on a study done on 14 children, but they're right in having concerns about infants receiving 100% oxygen.

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by Pixie-elf on Oct 19th, 2008 at 11:47pm
I can understand why you wanted everyone to know about this... Though, I don't think anyone who the O2 works for is going to pay much mind to it.

Good for the long term, and short term: Me staying alive and using O2.
Bad for the long term: Me killing myself due to a K10 that oxygen would have helped.

It's not a hard choice for me to make for me at least. Like I said, I can understand why you posted it. If I found something horrible about any preventative, abortive, or anything we use frequently with this, I'd post it for everyone too.

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by thebbz on Oct 20th, 2008 at 12:13am

Quote:
18 Days since joining



Quote:
Unfortunately,  there are those on this message board who subscribe to one point of view and ridicule those who don't. I say this not to attack but to inform.

I think you are incorrect

I dont know how you can judge anyone being around as long as you have.


Quote:
I think that my point was missed,. or intentionally avoided.

By whom?


Quote:
My guess? So that idiots can't get ahold of it(being highly flammable), or you have to be taught how to use it so people don't go blowing themselves up.

I dont need a perscription, I huff welders 02. You have a thing against 02 dontcha



Quote:
nd not insist that there is one and only one treatment. As some on this board do. ( yes, I speak of some of the O2 pushers out there)


Quote:
What I am trying to do is get rid of the shadows and the few hits that I still have.( with meds of some kind). Then work my way off of the meds. Painfree, Drug free, and no O2 tank to haul around with me.
 Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against O2. As a matter of fact I breathe it everyday. ( Except I mix mine with a few other inert gasses and call it air) I admit that back in the bad ol' days of Dec '07 I'm sure that I could have used some.... But I had none.

You got something against 02 and want to sway others away from it.

I think you have a problem there you are incorrect again.

Quote:
Please forgive my ignorance....


OK

Quote:
I know that I am new to this.

I will agree with that.

Quote:
My post was to inquire if anyone had experience with Ritalin. You obviously haven't... so shut the F*** up...

Way to win friends and influence people.
Your a real peach.

You cant reasonably expect everyone that reads your posts will agree with you.

You may want to work on your communication skills.
all the best
thebb




Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by Izzy on Oct 20th, 2008 at 2:26am
Speaking as someone who watches this happen to the only one who ever got my soul: sometimes quality of life is the choice we have, over quantity. I'm for picking our poisons (utterly catchy phrase coin, btw)...at least in the interim...we live. He LIVES. That's something worth anything.

There are things worse than death. Not treating this condition & not seeking out all available options is one of them, screw the whatifs & maybes & conjectural or imperical analysis of data. Seeing him in that...state...if we didn't take the meds or the ox or the whatever we experiment with...if there wasn't SOMETHING. That would be worse than knowing maybe his life is shortened someday because of soemthing we tried. At least we tried. At least maybe someone else some day doesn't have this...gets cured. THAT is something. Just a thought...and now...off to the races.

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by Pixie-elf on Oct 20th, 2008 at 2:51am

Izzy wrote on Oct 20th, 2008 at 2:26am:
Speaking as someone who watches this happen to the only one who ever got my soul: sometimes quality of life is the choice we have, over quantity. I'm for picking our poisons (utterly catchy phrase coin, btw)...at least in the interim...we live. He LIVES. That's something worth anything.

There are things worse than death. Not treating this condition & not seeking out all available options is one of them, screw the whatifs & maybes & conjectural or imperical analysis of data. Seeing him in that...state...if we didn't take the meds or the ox or the whatever we experiment with...if there wasn't SOMETHING. That would be worse than knowing maybe his life is shortened someday because of soemthing we tried. At least we tried. At least maybe someone else some day doesn't have this...gets cured. THAT is something. Just a thought...and now...off to the races.


Exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn't put into words. Thanks.

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by Ungweliante on Oct 20th, 2008 at 6:56am

Izzy wrote on Oct 20th, 2008 at 2:26am:
There are things worse than death. Not treating this condition & not seeking out all available options is one of them, screw the whatifs & maybes & conjectural or imperical analysis of data.


I have to disagree.

There's a reason to why we suffer from these headaches. We don't still know that reason. It's extremely important that people try to analyse the issue and find out the reason. Imperical analysis of data is a big point in seeking out all the available options. I still get very surprised by some who, for example, come here and continue using meds with very bad adverse side-effects given their current state of health. One such example would be triptans and Verapamil after heart-attacks. Such occasions make me worry that the meds will kill the person involved before long, which I think is a very high price to pay for a small beneficial effect that the meds involved might have. And often it seems that the meds can make the quality of life much worse, with the psychological and physical side-effects like excessive tiredness, cognitive slowing, hair loss, feeling doped-up, having very bad mood changes, aggression, and so on and so on.

I can understand that your husband is in pain and that it's very hard to watch. I don't mean any disrespect with my post nor do I mean this as a personal attack against the you or anyone else. I can also understand that we are willing to try out nearly anything to make the pain go away. I know I did and I still haven't exhausted all of my options.

I personally see all of you as my family. It's a big word, but true for a lot of us. This family has helped me and a lot of other folks SO very much and I'm extremely thankful for that.

Being so, being personally attacked by that family is very hard for a lot of people. First they find the only people who understand them and then they get slapped into the face, figuratively speaking. It feels like betrayal and certainly doesn't serve any positive purpose. It will only make the life even more difficult for some of us, which don't have the psychological strength to fight the neuralgia and the family.

Some of us and the people who come here can be in a lot of pain. That sometimes makes us very blunt, irritated and short of nerves. Sometimes in the midst of all this it can be difficult to think clearly. I hope that a lot of people would keep this in mind before writing angry or condescending retorts, what I sometimes see here.

My best regards and pain-free wishes to all of you,
Rosa

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by shelticon2 on Oct 20th, 2008 at 7:39am

wrote on Oct 20th, 2008 at 12:13am:

Quote:
18 Days since joining


[quote] Unfortunately,  there are those on this message board who subscribe to one point of view and ridicule those who don't. I say this not to attack but to inform.

I think you are incorrect

I dont know how you can judge anyone being around as long as you have.


Quote:
I think that my point was missed,. or intentionally avoided.

By whom?


Quote:
My guess? So that idiots can't get ahold of it(being highly flammable), or you have to be taught how to use it so people don't go blowing themselves up.

I dont need a perscription, I huff welders 02. You have a thing against 02 dontcha



Quote:
nd not insist that there is one and only one treatment. As some on this board do. ( yes, I speak of some of the O2 pushers out there)


Quote:
What I am trying to do is get rid of the shadows and the few hits that I still have.( with meds of some kind). Then work my way off of the meds. Painfree, Drug free, and no O2 tank to haul around with me.
 Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against O2. As a matter of fact I breathe it everyday. ( Except I mix mine with a few other inert gasses and call it air) I admit that back in the bad ol' days of Dec '07 I'm sure that I could have used some.... But I had none.

You got something against 02 and want to sway others away from it.

I think you have a problem there you are incorrect again.

Quote:
Please forgive my ignorance....


OK

Quote:
I know that I am new to this.

I will agree with that.

Quote:
My post was to inquire if anyone had experience with Ritalin. You obviously haven't... so shut the F*** up...

Way to win friends and influence people.
Your a real peach.

You cant reasonably expect everyone that reads your posts will agree with you.

You may want to work on your communication skills.
all the best
thebb



[/quote]


thebb,

  I respect you opinion, and am glad to live in a country where we all can openly have different opinions.
 
Just to set the record strait. The quote


Quote:
My guess? So that idiots can't get ahold of it(being highly flammable), or you have to be taught how to use it so people don't go blowing themselves up.


is not mine.... It belongs to Pixie-elf.

Studies show that At LEAST 70% of CH sufferers are helped by the use of O2.

PFDs to All

Jim


Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by DennisM1045 on Oct 20th, 2008 at 8:49am
When I read this article I'm left with more questions than caution.  The author states:

Quote:
All this activity awakened the hypothalamus, which regulates heart rate and hormonal outflow. Activation of the hypothalamus triggered a cascade of harmful reactions and released chemicals that can injure the brain and heart over time.

Without specifying what those harmful effects are or how they are harmful.  I realize that this is a dumbing down of the info for public consumption.  Maybe someone can dig up the technical details and distill them for us laymen  :-/  

The context of the study is resuscitation of patients that have suffered a heart attack or other malady which has stopped their breathing function.  This creates a dire need for Oxygen to reach the heart and brain quickly.  Anything that impedes this process would be deemed 'harmful'.  

In the context of cluster headache, this work tells me more than I knew about how Oxygen aborts a cluster headache attack.  I believe that the fact that O2 Therapy has such a profound effect on the Hypothalamus is significant.  This flood of 'harmful' chemicals is only 'harmful' when the patient is already Oxygen deprived.  

A cluster head having an attack is not in an oxygen deprived state.  For us, the effect is pain relief.  Remember, the current research points to a malfunction of the Hypothalamus as the causes of our pain in the first place.  Who is to say in our case, this action doesn’t reset the Hypothalamus to a more normal functional state.  I’ll leave that determination to the researchers.  This is just my speculation and my hope.

-Dennis-

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by Totka2 on Oct 20th, 2008 at 8:52am
In most cases breathing of 21% oxygen (ambient air) causes death in 80 years  :-?
Just an oxygen user.

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by Bob_Johnson on Oct 20th, 2008 at 5:54pm
Perhaps we should disregard and attack this report, too. Everyone knows we have been using Verapamil for years and it works!
===============================

Source: American Academy of Neurology
Date: August 13, 2007
More on: Headache Research, Headaches, Pharmacology, Heart Disease, Diseases and Conditions, Vioxx

Drug For Cluster Headaches May Cause Heart Problems
Science Daily — A drug increasingly used to prevent cluster headaches can cause heart problems, according to a study published in the August 14, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Those taking the drug verapamil for cluster headaches should be closely monitored with frequent electrocardiograms (EKGs) for potential development of irregular heartbeats.

Cluster headache is a rare, severe form of headache that is more common in men. The attacks usually occur in cyclical patterns, with frequent attacks over weeks or months generally followed by a period of remission when the headaches stop.

"The benefit of taking verapamil to alleviate the devastating pain of cluster headaches has to be balanced against the risk of causing a heart abnormality that could progress into a more serious problem," said study author Peter Goadsby, MD, PhD, DSc, of the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Queen Square, London, UK, and the University of California, San Francisco and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.

The study involved 108 people with an average age of 44. The participants started taking verapamil and then had an EKG and an increase in the dosage of the drug every two weeks until the headaches were stopped or they started having side effects.

A total of 21 patients, or 19 percent, had problems with the electrical activity of the heart, or irregular heartbeats, while taking the drug. Most of the cases were not considered serious; however, one person required a permanent pacemaker due to the problem. A total of 37 percent of the participants had slower than normal heart rates while on the drug, but the condition was severe enough to warrant stopping the use of the drug in only four cases.

Goadsby noted that 217 people taking the drug were initially supposed to take part in the study, but 42 percent of them did not have the EKGs done to monitor their heart activity. "Many of them said either they or their local services were reluctant to undertake such frequent tests, or they were not aware of the need for the heart monitoring," he said. "Since this drug is relatively new for use in cluster headaches, it's possible that some health care providers are not aware of the problems that can come with its use."

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by American Academy of Neurology.



Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by Linda_Howell on Oct 20th, 2008 at 10:57pm


Quote:
...(Yeah John by accident you are occasionally eloquent)..


John is always eloguent as are you Joe.   ;)


Shelticon, you have stumbled upon a forum here that has been in operation for 10 years now.  Those of us who have been here a long long time have heard everything to do with cluster headaches.   We have researched, done all the work and put forth the most up to date information there is in the scientific world out here as well as OUCH for all ch'ers to read.  (LINKS TO THE LEFT)   please go to the OUCH website.

No one here,  that I am aware of means to do anything except help and support all those who are new.  That would be YOU.   However....

when 100% 02 at 15 to 25 lpm has helped at least 70% of us and is so mild compared to the costs and side-effects of Imitrex and other powerful drugs that we use.....your post could be and is construed as heresy or one of those, WTF is he talking about.  Imitrex can give ya a heart attack,  kind of things.

Jest saying..... :-/

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by shelticon2 on Oct 21st, 2008 at 12:46am

Linda_Howell wrote on Oct 20th, 2008 at 10:57pm:
Shelticon, you have stumbled upon a forum here that has been in operation for 10 years now.  Those of us who have been here a long long time have heard everything to do with cluster headaches.   We have researched, done all the work and put forth the most up to date information there is in the scientific world out here as well as OUCH for all ch'ers to read.  (LINKS TO THE LEFT)   please go to the OUCH website.

No one here,  that I am aware of means to do anything except help and support all those who are new.  That would be YOU.   However....

when 100% 02 at 15 to 25 lpm has helped at least 70% of us and is so mild compared to the costs and side-effects of Imitrex and other powerful drugs that we use.....your post could be and is construed as heresy or one of those, WTF is he talking about.  Imitrex can give ya a heart attack,  kind of things.

Jest saying..... :-/


Yes, you are correct. I am new to this forum.

I think most would agree that it would be impractical for me to read though 10 years of posts.

When I came across this article, and hadn't remembered reading anything about it on this forum , I thought I'd post ref. to it. (notice that I did apologize if it was a repeat post) I felt that if I hadn't heard about it then there may be others who hadn't heard about it. I also didn't post it as fact. I posted it as a point of interest for the well informed, intelligent  people on this forum, to help them make their  own decisions.

'Cause when it comes down to it, we each are responsible for making our own decisions.

From a newcommers point of view to see a post ridiculed, that was simply an attempt to share information,  is quite distasteful.

As far as the other meds, you are correct there as well. I would NEVER suggest, recommend, incourage or demand that anyone come off of O2 for any reason. And definately would not in favor of any med.

I have on mulitple occasions said that Verap. has saved my life. It did concern me though that I had to have an EKG every time my doseage was modified. I got off of Verap., and all the other meds that the docs had me on, as soon as I could.

I am a firm believer of free information exchange. I will continue to research and if I find some information, that I think others like me might be interested in,  I will post it. If you disagree with my post.... That's fine....No one will be offended if you read it and either ignore it or post a respectful response. The whole purpose of information exchange is for one person to post information or a point of view and another to either support or contradict in a constructive fashion.

PFDs to All

Jim




Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by [johnny] on Oct 21st, 2008 at 1:18am
jim thanks for posting about o2. keep in mind that when you post stuff that your throwing it into a think tank were many of us have literally spent every hour  obsessively and carefully  building a strategy. after 3 or 4 days of not getting any sleep some of us get a little testy.

i personally have have great success with o2.  

                                                                           best wishes
                                                                                   johnny


Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by shelticon2 on Oct 21st, 2008 at 9:34am

-johnny- wrote on Oct 21st, 2008 at 1:18am:
keep in mind that when you post stuff that your throwing it into a think tank were many of us have literally spent every hour  obsessively and carefully  building a strategy.
     


Ahhh... that's exactly the point..

Someone once said " Two heads are better than one." We are lucky here to have some 6000+ heads, and although we don't always agree on things, I feel that we can WORK TOGETHER for the betterment of all.

PFDs to All

Jim

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by Izzy on Oct 21st, 2008 at 8:05pm

Ungweliante wrote on Oct 20th, 2008 at 6:56am:

Izzy wrote on Oct 20th, 2008 at 2:26am:
There are things worse than death. Not treating this condition & not seeking out all available options is one of them, screw the whatifs & maybes & conjectural or imperical analysis of data.


I have to disagree.

My best regards and pain-free wishes to all of you,
Rosa


Thanks for your viewpoint. In response to it & all others: I wasn't writing from an angry point or intending to piss off anyone. I didn't mean that one shouldn't look at all options & side-effects & be well informed. Of course one should be. I only meant that we are all able to choose for ourselves, regardless of how our choice is interpreted.

I like that we all can voice our opinion here. Thanks to those of you willing to engage in dialogue. I appreciate you.

Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by Batch on Oct 21st, 2008 at 10:42pm
Sorry it’s taken so long to respond to this post. As some of you have probably figured out, I’ve been kind of busy…

First of all, let's not go pole-vaulting over mouse turds... There is nothing wrong with posting articles and studies like this on CH.com.  That’s why CH.com is here.  Having said that, using a single article like this as the basis of an opinion one way or the other about using oxygen therapy and making it a “Please Read” is irresponsible and risky at best.  A “WTF Over” would have been more appropriate.

If you want to be really helpful, be critical in what you read.  And, if you find something of interest you think is worth passing on to others, search the Internet for as many similar articles and studies as possible to see if there are differing positions or findings contrary to the original article or study before you choose to assume it is the only authoritative source of information on that topic.

With respect to the article you posted…  Using 100% oxygen therapy as an abortive for cluster headaches is diametrically opposed to providing life support resuscitation to a person unable to sustain spontaneous respiration.  In simple words… a big, big, difference.  

I was on a dive boat in the Channel Islands off Long Beach, CA when a fellow diver was pulled to the surface unconscious and not breathing.  Several of us performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for several minutes and managed to get him breathing on his own and although unconscious, stable with good color.  A rescue copter met us and lifted him in a litter for the flight back to the nearest facility with a hyperbaric chamber.  

As soon as the paramedics had him onboard the copter, they strapped a non-rebreather oxygen mask to his face similar to the masks we use, and provided him with 100% oxygen.  At some point during the flight the paramedics noticed the lack of spontaneous breathing and started bag mask procedures with 100% oxygen. It wasn’t until late that night that we found out he died enroute to the beach.

The cause of death was listed as hypoxia…  lack of oxygen.  It took a few months, but the final report indicated that resuscitation with 100% oxygen, although an accepted procedure at the time for an unconscious victim not breathing on his own, prevented sufficient CO2 from entering the divers lungs to stimulate spontaneous respiration.

Before you run around the room saying “Gotcha” remember the basics of using oxygen therapy as an abortive for cluster headaches.  No Straps!  Cut the straps off the NRB oxygen mask and hold it in place during therapy.  The main reason for this is to prevent suffocation (hypoxia) should the oxygen supply run out while the mask is strapped to your face and you happen to fall asleep.  Understand also, that if you are unconscious, and incapable of spontaneous respiration, a cluster headache would be the least of your worries.

Getting back to the article…  If you really understood the results of the underlying study and read it in context with basic respiratory physiology, the article would have no bearing on your continued use of oxygen therapy as an abortive for your cluster headache attacks.   In my opinion, the results of the actual study, not the article, would actually reinforce your use of 100% oxygen as a cluster headache abortive.

The topic of this article, one of many I might add written about the same study, has come up in the past here on CH.com.  I, and several others responded to it then. You need to understand this article is a dramatization written by an RN on a mission, not the complete scientific study presenting all the results and conclusions of the principal investigator(s) in context.  I’ve read the actual study and found the results consistent with several other studies on the physiology of respiration with 100% oxygen.

Respiratory Physiology 101 Factoids For Cluster Headache Sufferers Using Oxygen Therapy

Note: The following factoids come from respiratory physiology texts, the Naval Flight Surgeons Manual, and several corroborating clinical studies listed in the Journal of Applied Physiology and the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia.  You might want to read the full text PDF of the study at the following link as an example: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to Login or RegisterEND PRINTPAGE

1.      100% oxygen is your friend and CO2 is your enemy.

2.      100% oxygen when used as an abortive for cluster headaches is very safe.  
   a.      Navy and Marine Corps pilots flying tactical aircraft have been breathing 100% oxygen for over 60 years.
   b.      Many of these missions are greater than two hours in duration.  Some missions last 7 or more hours.
   c.      The Navy has been studying the effects of breathing 100% oxygen for over 60 years (the most authoritative study of its kind with tens of thousands of participants)… and found no ill effects.
   d.      The Navy still requires Navy and Marine Corps pilots to breath 100% oxygen on every mission in tactical jet aircraft.
   e.      As a Navy pilot with over 3000 hours flight time in fighter aircraft, and all of it breathing 100% oxygen, I can assure you there were hundreds of times where I would suck down 100% oxygen at flow rates over 50 liters/minute…  I’m still here.

3.      CO2 levels control your respiration rate not oxygen levels.

4.      100% oxygen is a vasoconstrictor and CO2 is a vasodilator.

5.      A CO2 level above normal (hypercapnia) acts as a more powerful vasodilator than 100% oxygen (hyperoxia) does as a vasoconstrictor.  However, if CO2 is reduced from the bloodstream below normal levels (hypocapnia) by hyperventilating on 100% oxygen, this condition acts as an even more powerful vasoconstrictor than hyperoxia.  This will also result in faster aborts of cluster headache attacks…  As much as three times faster.

6.      The cluster headache triggering mechanism results in among other things, vasodilation of the cerebrovascular systems in and around the trigeminal nerve as well as inflammation of the trigeminal nerve itself.  This is why abortives such as triptans and 100% oxygen are prescribed.  They act as vasoconstrictors to counter the vasodilation, constrict these arteries back to a normal diameter, and reduce the inflammation of the trigeminal nerve to abort the pain of the cluster headache attack.

7.      Using an oxygen flow rate of 7 to 9 liters/minute with a properly functioning non-rebreather mask will limit the minute-volume (the volume of oxygen inhaled in one minute) of respiration to 7 to 9 liters.
 
8.      During the physical activity associated with high Kip-level attacks, using a properly functioning NRB mask and an oxygen flow rate of 7 to 9 liters/minute may not provide sufficient lung ventilation to cast of excess CO2.  If this happens, CO2 levels in lungs and bloodstream will rise above normal, that leads to hypercapnia, and that can and will make an abort impossible. (Just watch the reservoir bag on the NRB mask Chuck was using in his video.  It’s collapsed most of the time.)

9.      A 100% oxygen flow rate above 30 liters/minute (minute-volume greater than 30 liters) is required to sustain hyperventilation.  Moreover, hyperventilating on 100% oxygen will result in a significantly higher success rate and a 2:1 to 3:1 reduction in abort times when compared to oxygen therapy at 15 liters/minute

10.      Inhaling a mixture of 98% oxygen and 2% CO2 as an abortive for cluster headaches can easily result in vasodilation, much longer abort times. and may even prevent the abort.
   a.      Here’s a simple test you can try if you choose not to believe factoids regarding CO2.  Get a big paper bag, and breathe into and out of it for 15 to 20 seconds.  You should notice an uncontrollable urge to breathe faster followed by a growing sense of anxiety and eventually panic attacks.  I wouldn’t try this during a cluster headache attack unless you want to spike a very big one…

I could go on, but these are the basic factoids regarding the use of oxygen therapy to abort our cluster headache attacks.  As usual, and in keeping with the basic disclaimer, I’m not a doctor so consult with your GP and/or neurologist before attempting any of the above.  

I also welcome comments and if you find issue with any of the factoids, please cite at least one or two studies to reference the issue so we can discuss them.

Take care,

V/R, Batch


Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by shelticon2 on Oct 21st, 2008 at 11:55pm
Batch

Thank-you

Now that's the kind of criticism that I welcome.

The problem with boards like this is that, they are so active, that information such as You has just given is quickly burried under layers and layers of other posts. Newbies, like me, have a hard enough time navigating through all of this, much less reading back through 10 years of posts. As I had done quite a bit of reading through posts , and had not come across, I felt that it needed to be addressed. If I faultered, in the title, I appologize. It's the newbie in me. To me, " O2 Users. Please read" means come and lets have discussion on this topic. As opposed to "O2 USERS. PLEASE READ!!!!"  which means " holy crap... someones gunna die".  Keep in mind that I ( and those that follow me) will only be newbie for so long, and in the learning process most time a carrot works better than a stick.

 In any case, this post brought the matter up nearer the top of the board. Discounting any personal attacks, I believe that it was a constructive post. I certainly gained a lot of knowledge this evening.

PFDs to All
Jim


Title: Re: O2 users. Please read
Post by Batch on Oct 22nd, 2008 at 12:37am
Hey Jim,

Great comeback...  and there was nothing personal in my response...  It's hard enough to get folks to try the single most effective, least expensive, and least invasive abortive available as it is without having an observation or statement hit the boards that could spook the undecided.  So...  I try to short-stop any potentially misleading or questionable information as soon as I see it and place it in perspective so folks can make their decisions with as many facts as possible.

Like I said, this is what CH.com is all about.  With respect to finding the good stuff, when there's been a significant response or post worth keeping, DJ and Steph will usually move it up to the permanent area at the top of each forum.  Good places to go if you're looking for information that's passed the sniff test.

We're all learning and we can't stop until the beast is exposed and sent away for good.  Until then, it's headzup and eyezon looking for the better treatment strategy until medical science comes up with the real cause and a cure for our disorder.

Hang in there and take care,

V/R, Batch

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