Hello all.  First off thanks to everyone who has helped me in the past. 

My CH started about 10 years ago after a botched visit to a dentist (causation not determined definitely).  It was for a routine cavity filling.  The dentists hit me with novicaine 6 times and could not get me numb and ended up drilling and filling with no local anesthetic.  I knew from the minute i walked out of the office something was wrong.  My mouth and my head felt 'different.'  I always suspected that the attempts to numb me damaged something, not the drilling.  Who knows.  The rest is history.  Episodic cluster cycles, typically one 3-5 week cycle per year at different times of year.   Tried different meds with no success until I found I convinced my doctor to prescribe me O2. 

I am now in a cycle.  2-3 weeks in, just hoping any day now I'll get a night of sleep.  It seems I have two choices in this cycle.  If I abort the 2AM hit with O2, I avoid the massive hit.  But then I get little hits, a bit worse than the shadow I have all day long, the rest of the night.  Seems like I'm doing something wrong.  IF I don't abort the 2AM hit, and just pace, cry, and cuss my way through an hour of absolute hell, I go right to sleep after and do not get another hit, just the seemingly unavoidable all day long shadow. 

I do not take meds.  I will not take meds.  I'm dealing without.  I breathe O2 until the pain is gone.  Should I keep going well beyond?  I guess what I am looking for on tips to make O2 work to its fullest potential.  Or any new information on how to avoid all these small hits or even advice on ways to go thru a day withouth the lingering.

Thanks and god bless all who deal with CH

toddsciant wrote on Jan 18^th, 2013 at 4:27pm:


Some people stop on the oxygen once the pain has gone, others keep on it, sometimes reducing the flow rate for a few minutes afterwards.

Others will have an energy drink (taurine / caffeine - like Red Bull or Monster) or a strong coffee afterwards.

What you need to do is to experiment and keep notes on what you've tried and what the effect is. Then hopefully you'll start to notice a pattern and can home in what works for you.

Do read the oxygen info on the left too. There might be something else to pick up.

Some people have had good results using melatonin. Hopefully someone who has used this will provide some details.

Also look at the vitamin D3 posts that Joe mentioned. It's getting great results for lots of people. Give it a go (I did and I've been CH pain free for over a year and only about 10 CHs in the last two years).