I think I just have bad technique with the O2.  and that is why i have no success.  I read the oxygen info page.  i followed what it said.  i have a non-rebreather mask and i set the O2 to 15LPM.  i hold it as tight as i can to my face and i inhale the bag in one fast strong breath.  exhale slowly while the bag fills then quickly inhale the next bag of O2.  i do this for 10-20 min.  dont usually feel  any relief.  then i wait 10 min.  try again for 10-20 min.  by now my tank is half empty, 40-50 min has passed and now my headache may be weaning anyways so i cant tell. its exhausting and long.  i get about 1.5 headaches out of each tank. Why do i need to be using 15 LPM.  its 100% O2 at any speed.  the bag fills before each breath even at 10Lpm.  i still keep it at 15 because that is what everyone here says to do.  Whats the trick.  What am i not doing right.  Do i need to inhale slow and long.  is it my breathing technique or the length of time i use the O2?  Please help?

Hang in there, jsm.  I'll send a note to one of our resident experts, and see if I can get a response for you.  Obviously, something's not right.

Best,

George

I just let the bag fit loosely during exhale then tight on inhale.  Hyperventilating is preferable to long slow breaths.

            Potter

What part of the world are you in, maybe we have someone nearby that can help you.

i try to hyperventilate, it is not so easy andi get tired faster.  it is harder to sustain. how long is it supposed to take until relief is felt? 

jsm wrote on May 31^st, 2010 at 12:14pm:

i try to hyperventilate, it is not so easy andi get tired faster.  it is harder to sustain. how long is it supposed to take until relief is felt?

    Breathing shouldn't be tiring.  The time it takes to abort varies.

       Potter

When it comes to breathing, I honestly don't have a technique while aborting.  I use a mouthpiece instead of a mask and when I first get on the O2 (at the VERY FIRST TWINGES) I am usually inhaling quicker and deeper due to anxiety, but I end up slowing down, and turning down the lpm as I'm not emptying the bag.  As my anxiety relaxes and I'm able to concentrate better I then pace myself until the pain subsides, then I say on a few extra minutes. 

It might take a few tries before you find what's comfortable FOR YOU.  I have yet to read of 2 people abort in the exact same fashion...

I'm just starting to use O2, but I'm finding deep breaths seem to work better for me. I go fairly slow and almost completely fill my lungs, then I try to completely empty them.

However I'm awaiting a proper setup, of 15 lpm and a mask. I'm using a 6 lpm, with nose-hoses. lol.

I try to use it ASAP, yet despite being early O2 doesn't always "abort" for me. regardless my CH's are half as painful at least. Brings it down enough to make it my new best friend.

Keep it up, and maybe try an energy drink at the onset. I find the more O2 get in my lungs, the more relief I get. Try sitting straight upright to help get the O2 to your head.

PlayDoh wrote on May 31^st, 2010 at 2:04pm:

I'm just starting to use O2, but I'm finding deep breaths seem to work better for me. I go fairly slow and almost completely fill my lungs, then I try to completely empty them. However I'm awaiting a proper setup, of 15 lpm and a mask. I'm using a 6 lpm, with nose-hoses. lol. I try to use it ASAP, yet despite being early O2 doesn't always "abort" for me. regardless my CH's are half as painful at least. Brings it down enough to make it my new best friend. Keep it up, and maybe try an energy drink at the onset. I find the more O2 get in my lungs, the more relief I get. Try sitting straight upright to help get the O2 to your head.

Crummy masks are two bucks.  You can get a great mask here.  It will make all the difference.
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         Potter

Are there any uncovered holes on the side of your mask? If so they MUST be sealed. When you hypervenilate that means breathe in AND exhale as fast as you can.

Don

JSM,

For a few of us CH'ers, myself included, a flow rate of 15 liters/minute isn't enough... We need a much higher flow rate that supports hyperventilation. ..particularly when the pain level climbs above a Kip-4. 

A 0-25 liter/minute regulator or better yet, a 0-60 liter/minute regulator will make a world of difference...  You'll be able to knock down most of your CH attacks in an average of 7 minutes.  Check your PM, I've sent you links to some of the sources I've used.

In the mean time there is a technique you can try that basically involves hyperventilating on air then suck down the 100% oxygen.  This technique works best with an O2PTIMASK™ kit with the face mask removed.

Block the exhaust port on the 22mm "T" connector with the first knuckle in the palm of your hand and press the open end to your lower lip to block any oxygen leaks as the 3-liter reservoir bag fills.

Then take 3 to 4 very deep breaths of room air as fast and as deeply as possible then inhale the contents of the oxygen reservoir bag.  Keep repeating with this technique until the CH pain is gone.

The best breathing technique while hyperventilating involves breathing at vital capacity or forced vital capacity.  You do this by exhaling as completely as possible while standing or seated erect in a straight back chair.  This gives your diaphragm a full range of motion and that will help ventilate the lungs as completely as possible.

Drop your jaw and opening your mouth like saying the word "Haw" as you inhale and exhale.

When you've exhaled as much as possible and it feels like your lungs are empty...  they're not...  bend over slightly at the waist and do an abdominal crunch like during sit-up exercises. Hold the squeeze with your diaphragm and chest muscles until you hear a wheezing sound for a couple seconds.  You'll have squeezed out nearly another liter of breath.  Then throw your head and shoulders back as you inhale as deeply and as fast as possible. 

After three to four of these hyperventilation breathing maneuvers, you should start feeling the symptoms of paresthesia - a slight tingling or prickling of the fingertips, lips, or back of the neck.  You may even feel a little dizzy.  These are GOOD SYMPTOMS for us as cluster headache sufferers as they mean we've hyperventilated to the point we're casting off CO2 with exhaled breath faster than our bodies are generating it through normal metabolism.

Hyperventilating with this breathing technique also elevates the arterial pH.  An elevated arterial pH triggers vasoconstriction and it also helps the blood hemoglobin carry even more oxygen to the brain and body.

Of course, this breathing technique works best if you could hyperventilate with 100% oxygen.

You can do the same thing with one of the disposable non rebreathing oxygen masks.  Just cup the mask to your cheek and place your thumb and fore finger over the exhaust flapper valves to trap as much oxygen as possible as the reservoir bag fills while taking the three to four deep breaths of room air then inhale the contents of the 1-liter bag as fast as possible without collapsing it until your lungs are completely full.

Then repeat the 3 to 4 hyperventilation breaths with room air as the oxygen reservoir bag fills.

This breathing technique works well for me and several others that have tried it.

If you're still having problems aborting your CH attacks with this procedure, you may have a low arterial pH...  Too much acid.  When this happens to me, I start taking 3 to 4 calcium citrate tablets with vitamin D, magnesium and zinc washed down with homemade lemonade.  I also shift my diet to include more alkaline forming food types.  See the following link:

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If your arterial pH is too low, no amount of oxygen therapy is going to help once the pain level gets above a Kip-6 to Kip-7.

Take care,

V/R, Batch

Batch put me on the PH diet this cycle when my 02 failed me. Scared the sh%$ outta me because 02 had never completely failed me. A few days on the magnesium, calcium citrate with D, zinc, washed down with lemonade diet and I was good to go again. Sounds weird but I don't knock what works. ;)

Joe

PS Thanks Batch

Hey Joe,

Thanks for the kind words...  I had a heavy hitting high cycle in April that made me wonder if oxygen therapy at flow rates that support hyperventilation was finally going to let me down when my average abort times climbed over 8 minutes...

It wasn't until I started taking the calcium citrate tablets washed down with lemonade that things turned around...  Like you said, this regimen put me back in the driver's seat and the average abort times dropped below 3 to 4 minutes again...

Take care,

V/R, Batch