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Mine is awesome... my other half. I'm 6 going on 7 years chronic... only a break for 2 weeks here and there If I'm lucky. O2... your friend. My spouse gets me a roll if toilet paper... pillows to sit up in the bed... sets up the couch in case I pace... I'm more of a rocker. Gets me a cold pack, some water my energy drink and leaves unless I try to communicate. This did not happen right away I had to tell him over and over there's nothing he could do. He knows now it'll be over... then it's back to regular life when I wander out whipped by the demon... but smiling with mascara running down my face... exhausted but smiling... best guy ever. You have to communicate with your partner what you need... or don't need and it'll get to be a norm... best of luck for your family...and pf days and nights

.....30+ yrs here...hundreds of tanks used and thousands of hits aborted....and the ONLY negative was an occasional dry nose...

..hi Dogo..welcome! ....google an image for trigeminal nerve...any and all areas it serves may hurt before, during, and/or after...my oddest aftereffect was that my hair hurt....and i'm mostly bald... ...i'll second chfather's oxygen suggestion....and supplementing with energy drinks or a strong caffeine drink FAST at first sign of a hit helps many.. ...note that vasograin contains caffeine so that helps...but it may be affecting sleep and a need for sleep aid...have you and your physician discussed melatonin...many find it helps with night time hits... best jonathan

@ClusterHeadTim What area are you located in? I have several longtime michigander clusterhead friends who might be close and able to guide you if you're looking for a "med ox" supplier. As CHf mentioned though, in my experience, you'll find it much easier (and probably cheaper as well) to source your own weld ox rig.....My large M sized equivalent tank cost me $300 and refills are $23......my weld ox regulator came from harbor freight and at the time (10+ years ago) ran about $50.....the one they stock now is in the $80 range which is still much cheaper than a welding supplier will chg. I've been using it for over 13 years and I personally know folks that were using it several years before that....never suffered any ill effects and it damned sure beats the hell out of having to deal with docs and suppliers! You just can't let them know that you intend to breathe it! Dallas Denny

Consider welding O2: https://clusterbusters.org/forums/topic/5627-notes-about-welding-o2/

Actually yes, it comes right on schedule on the Equinox. It helps me to prepare knowing that too.Kind of 'classic; isn't it? To cover all cycles, I should say the week of the Equinox.That covers them all.

Hi all - just wanted to post a little positivity as I feel like I’m really on top of my Clusters at the moment and wanted to pass on my success (or what we could call a success with a condition that has no cure!) 39 years old - Episodic CH since I was about 21. Really struggled through my 30s with some very long episodes and not managing the pain very well. 4 years ago today I was in the middle of a mega-bout - 3 months in and crying on the floor asking my wife to kill me. I was splitting Imigran injections to have 4 of a day, nasal sprays, 6-7 melatonin gels every night and getting through 2 big bottles of oxygen a week. I was a mess and CH had just taken over my life. Tried magic mushrooms which unfortunately was an awful experience as well. Finally went to see a CH specialist doc who turned things around for me, weaned me off the Imigran injections and sprays and put me on verapamil. His opinion is that there’s a dose for verapamil that will work for every CH patient, but of course some people can’t take a high enough dose due to health problems / blood pressure etc. Now whenever I feel a new cluster period coming on I start straight on with 560mg verapamil a day (taken in 4 doses over the day), and I’m allowed to up that to 960 if it’s not quite working. I also take 4000iu vitamin D throughout the year now as a matter of course (thanks Batch). Right now I’m nearly 3 months into this season’s bout and my days are completely pain free. At night I’m still being woken by 1 or 2 clusters, but they’re a 3 or 4 pain max and I just roll over to my oxygen, 10mins sucking on the o2 and I’m straight back to sleep. Now I always make sure to have my ammunition tucked away safely at home ready to grab whenever I feel a new season starting: 2 week big-dose Predinsolone steroid dose on a taper - these are to have while the verapamil starts to work as it can take up to 2 weeks. I think the steroids are actual magic as they work within 24 hours and give you a week pain free - you can even drink alcohol, but ideally I think people are only supposed to use once or twice a year due to long term effects. Lots of packs of verapamil stocked piled during my none-CH periods. 2 full Oxygen cylinders in the garage Fortunately I’m in the UK so verapamil prescription costs me £9 for 2 weeks worth and Oxygen tanks are just delivered for free whenever I call up and ask. Thank you NHS . It’s really empowering to feel like you’re winning the fight, and I’m sure I’ll have bad clusters again at some point, but right now I’ve got my defences all shored up and the enemy can’t get through. TLDR: - If you’ve not tried high dose (500mg +) verapamil and you’re in relatively good health, please speak to your doc about it. Remember it can take 2 weeks to feel the effects, and you’ll feel shitty, dizzy and a bit poorly for a few days. It will pass. - Oxygen is a basic necessity and every CH sufferer should have this. - Try and stay away from Sumatriptan if you can - it’s instant relief but with long time problems.