Hubby aborted his first night-time attack with o2 just now! I'm just so freaked out still that it will come back within hours since it didn't "get out" of his system. He used to abort by sprinting, but the HA would just come right back and be resistant! Anyone else experience this on o2? Hoping it's more effective and removes it fully until his next "scheduled" time. IM SO EXCITED THAT IT WORKED THOUGH!

Stay on the o2 for 5 or 10 minutes, AFTER ABORT, breathing normal (lower lpm ok) to help avoid re-attacks.  Takes practice and patience, but it works!

Congrats! ;)

-Gregg in Las Vegas

He did 5 min the first time. Now we are trying 10... It came back already damnit.

after he aborts attack, stay on additional 5 or 10 minutes breathing o2 at lower flow rates, no reason to waste the o2 hyperventilating at high flow rates if the attack is aborted.

Patience!  Practice!  More Patience!  More Practice!

Might try slamming a Redbull or energy drink at onset of attack just before hyperventilating the o2, sometimes helps.

Good Luck ;)

-Gregg in Las Vegas

Thanks. He set an alarm on his watch for 10 min since it doesn't take that long to abort he starts falling asleep! I will get some red bull!!

Breathe while in an upright position for maximum airflow to the lungs....laying down not very effective, sitting upright 2nd best, standing is best!

Ideal flow rate should be set at 40 lpm (liters per minute).  Might get by on 25 lpm but tough to hyperventilate at less than 25 lpm.

MUST HYPERVENTILATE THE ENTIRE ATTACK..breathe in fast, exhale completely until cough, repeat, EVERYTIME!

-Gregg in Las Vegas

God damnit!!!!! Ok standing now, breathing like you said and we will wait 10 min after abort. Why am I just now seeing these instructions?! He's getting really upset and tired now. Please work this time! I don't want to have spent $330 on more false hopes  :'(  :'(

Oxygen does work. For so many people, myself included, it's a life changer.

The first time I used oxygen to kill a CH I was in tears as I knew what it would do to my life and I saw my better half with tears in her eyes for the same reason.

If someone gave me a choice, my right arm or my oxygen, the oxygen would win.

For some people, it does take a bit of experimentation to get it to work right and some people need a higher flow rate than others.

I found that 25lpm aborts almost twice as quick as 15lpm. I've tried dropping the flow rate once the pain starts to ease off but that made the overall abort times longer. I also abort quicker sitting rather than standing. But that is what works for me, for someone else it may be different.

Keep at it, try different things and it can make a huge difference.

Whatever he did last time thankfully got him through the night! Here's to hoping tomorrow will be better! (well tonight, actually)

The messed up thing is that he actually got more sleep than I did! I was so worried ALL night! And anytime I heard a twitch or movement I had to look to be sure he wasn't up again! 

Still having a tough time. O2 aborts just fine but just doesn't stick. Headed to the store to get him some of the supplements Batch suggested...

That sounds like a plan.

O2 is my savior and your hubby's too. Does he use a 're-breather mask"? what flow rate? Does he have a beard or mustache that might effect the seal of the mask? Check the flaps on the mask (if using) and tell him to use his fingers on them if there not making a good air tight seal.

25 liters a min is just enough for me to hyperventilate, and I have to wait a sec or so for the bag to fill before I gulp it down. He should collapse the bag and not be able to suck air in once its collapsed if its sealed right.

If the flaps aren't working 100% he'll be sucking air with the O2, which isn't nearly as effective.

Turn on the O2, plug the flaps and let the bag fill which should only take a second or two. Then plug the flaps with fingers and gulp the O2 QUICKLY. Then take his fingers off the flaps and blow somewhat upwards to get the exhale out the flaps. Plug the flaps and let it fill and gulp away. Do it all as quickly as possible.

If you bought a 15 LPM, consider getting a 25 LPM or higher also. Having two can come in real handy if one stops working, and you can leave one in the car/truck. Don't attach it to a bottle in a vehicle though, and stow it securely.

Think of the O2 as liquid, you want volume and purity as quickly as possible. It takes practice and don't be discouraged with having to "hit the bottle" often. Its a lot better then suffering.

10 mins of sucking O2 is a small price to pay for relief. When I abort with O2 and doing it right, my nose/sinuses tingle after 5 mins or so, which lets me know I getting enough. He should feel something similar, not dramatic like real dizzy but some effect like tingling fingers.

Having to use O2 lots isn't a sign O2 isn't effective, necessarily, it could be that he's just getting lots of hits. Rather then suffering for hours and not knowing how many hits he's been getting, perhaps he's been getting lots without O2?

Tell him to make friends with the O2 bottle and make a spot where he can crawl to in the middle of the night, or whenever, and use O2. I use it in a spot where I wont disturb the whole house full of sleeping people, or make a spectacle of myself.

Your on the right path, keep it up.

It's not going to "stick." It's an abortive. It aborts each attack but doesn't do anything about the next attack. You need a preventative for that.

When I say stick I mean that he usually only has one per 24 hours. When he tried to abort in the past by sprinting down the road, it would just go away and come back an hour later instead of the next day. Same thing is happening with o2. Instead of stopping a particular attack, it just delays it so he has to keep running back to it... I don't have a rebreather mask yet just a general one. Have one on order but we had to get started with what was available.

a NON-rebeather mask is critical to o2 therapy and he should get fantastic results once he uses it

Check your yellow pages for medical oxygen companies and ask about masks, they should have some in supply. You don't need the expensive ones to start. Or the ER have them, but I'm not sure if you could buy one off them.

There's a 'hillbilly non-rebreather' method around, but I can't find it. Maybe you could use it till yours comes. I'll take another look

CC_stole_my_Harte wrote on Jan 18^th, 2012 at 4:25pm:

When I say stick I mean that he usually only has one per 24 hours. When he tried to abort in the past by sprinting down the road, it would just go away and come back an hour later instead of the next day. Same thing is happening with o2. Instead of stopping a particular attack, it just delays it so he has to keep running back to it... I don't have a rebreather mask yet just a general one. Have one on order but we had to get started with what was available.

Brew is right. He isn't getting the "same" headache, it is a new Cluster attack. Don't think of CHs as if they are run of the mill headaches that ebb and flow and come back. They aren't. They tend to be all or nothing but they also can come with maddening frequency. Especially as a pattern begins to emerge. This pattern of frequency and regularity are why they are called Clusters to begin with. Also, there is some evidence that the more we use O2, the better we get at aborting the attacks. Especially when coupled with energy drinks. When I first started using O2, it took 15 minutes or so to abort a hit. Now it takes 2-3 minutes. Patience. Keep at it. Be glad the O2 works at all and don't give up hope. Meet each attack as a new challenge and beat it back. And look for a good headache specialist who will prescribe an effective longer term preventative. Blessings. lance

Sorry, NON-rebreather :)

There's got to be SOMETHING to this whole "headache coming back" deal.  When he just lets the headache run its course, he is able to sleep through the night and likely will have no attack during the day.  But it's when he tries to fight it, that it will come at him multiple times.  Last night the o2 didn't even work AT ALL.  I even made him slam a redbull.  In fact it was more intense than normal.  But today is day 2 of the anti-inflammatory supps and we have the non-rebreather on order... Also we will be practicing Batch's breathing techniques together tonight.  Something's GOTTA work.

There IS something that works for 75-80% of the people who try it, but it's not for the feint of heart:

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and

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It's changing people's lives. It changed mine.

Chris tried RC seeds years ago.  I tried to help him do it correctly... We soaked the crushed seeds (about 20) in vodka overnight and he took the shot.  Said all it did was make him sick and his headaches came even stronger.  We tried dosing longer than he was really willing to continue but I pushed him.  At this point he's not a fan of using shrooms.  But I am still holding on to it as a possibility if other things don't work.

As I posted before, I lived alone with the beast for 27 years.

The Ice method I had developed would show similar results: I could kill an attack within 15-20 min by literally freezing my neck and temple down (doesn't always work though), but it would come back an hour later, as opposed to the no ice solution (when not available) where I would live the "(bad)trip" through and fully. In that case, maybe it wouldn't come back, but it actually never really went away. Drained of all energy after 2 hours of how do you say? dancing, my body would finally slip into half-coma sleep, and the morning after was ... well like a continuation of the same hit but light enough to let me show up at work and pretend I'm working.

So I don't know... is it the same CH, a new one.

I still use the ice because I don't like the side effects of the Zomig nasal spray, they're expensive and I always feel ice will work and it does.

Last night, after I killed one with ice, I noticed my heart beat was still at 75 (I'm usually around 52 with verapamil) but I wasn't feeling any pain. My neck frozen to the point I almost lose all sensibility in that region, I figured I was probably still having the hit, just not feeling the pain.

Maybe O2 takes the pain away but not the hit properly speaking? I couldn't say for I never tried o2

Another attack unresponsive to o2 happening now.  Great.

Hang in there, you're not alone

Quote:

At this point he's not a fan of using shrooms.

Neither am I.

I'm a fan of having used them.

There's a profound difference.

If I missed it, sorry, but at what flow rate is he using?  25 lpm is sometimes not enough for me.