Posted by gary g on March 22, 1999 at 01:31:14:
In Reply to: 02 . . . .Whats the scoop????? HELP posted by Gus on March 21, 1999 at 21:23:12:
seems to be standard experience that high flow o2 will stop most attacks cold in a few minutes if used early enough in the attack
BUT - doesn't seem to be a cure-all though
in my case the attacks are dedicated little beasties and keep their normal schedule, but the O2 lets me turn 'em off
in fact that 60-90 minute sleep cycle may have something to do with the REM sleep cycle and decreased o2 flow to the brain at that stage of sleep - one of the CUMULATIVE effects of CH
the very low setting for sleep suggestion might be a good experiment - just be REAL sure you don't nod off with it set at the attack setting - then it CAN be dangerous
I believe this is what is responsible for a lot of the peripheral symptoms many of us develop a ways into a cluster - spaciness, poor balance, lack of focus, etc - - nothing more than deep level exhaustion's effect on normal mental processes
some recent research has shown a complete elimination of normal circadian day/night "schedules" occurs in many CH patients - it sure does for me - I'm 8 weeks past my last cluster, which was fairly long, and still can't seem to get back on "normal" day-night sleep patterns
so, hang in there - and try to be glad if the O2 prevents the attack from turning into a visit to hell THAT'S a big improvement for most of us !
good luck, gg