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Hey Greg, Having studied this topic in detail with several experts since 2006, I'm well aware of your problem obtaining home oxygen therapy as an abortive for your CH. I suspect your Rx for oxygen therapy wasn't written properly. The Rx must clearly state oxygen at a flow rate of 15 to 25 liters/minute with a non-rebreathing mask for cluster headache. Otherwise, home oxygen providers are spring-loaded to assume the Rx is needed to treat COPD and ask for blood oxygen saturation test results, as you've already discovered. The Rx should also state Administer STAT for at least 15 minutes up to 12 times/day with Refills for six (6) months for episodic CH or refills for one (1) year for chronic CH. In addition, your doctor can also get very specific by using the appropriate Dianostic Treatment and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes: Diagnostic and Treatment Codes: ICD-9-CM Diagnosis Codes: Episodic Cluster Headaches – 339.01 Chronic Cluster Headaches – 339.02 ICHD-II Codes: Episodic Cluster Headaches – 3.1.1 Chronic Cluster Headaches – 3.1.2 ICD-10 NA Codes: Episodic Cluster Headaches – G44.01 Chronic Cluster Headaches – G44.02 Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Codes for Home Oxygen Therapy: Equipment: E0424-E0425 Stationary compressed gaseous oxygen system (M-Size cylinders at home) E0430-E0431 Portable gaseous oxygen system (E-Size cylinders when not at home) Contents: E0441 Oxygen contents, gaseous, 1 month’s supply = 1 unit Modifiers: QG - Prescribed amount of oxygen is greater than four liters per minute (LPM) Accordingly, for an episodic CHer needing home oxygen therapy as a CH abortive, the Rx should read: “Oxygen therapy at flow rate of 15 to 25 lpm with non-rebreathing mask as abortive for episodic cluster headache. Administer STAT for 15 minutes up to 12 X per day - ICDM-9 339.01/ICDH-II 3.1.2/ICD-10 G44.02/HCPCS - E0424-E0425, E0430-E0431, E0441 - 12, QG.” For a chronic CHer, the Rx should read: “Oxygen therapy at flow rate of 15 to 25 lpm with non-rebreathing mask as abortive for chronic cluster headache. Administer STAT for 15 minutes up to 12 X per day - ICDM-9 339.02/ICDH-II 3.1.1/ICD-10 G44.01/HCPCS - E0424-E0425, E0430-E0431, E0441 - 6, QG.” If the Rx is written this way, you beat the dirty rotten bastards at their own game using their own rules. Moreover, there's no way the home oxygen provider can confuse this Rx for COPD. Give your neurologist a copy of this post. If the home oxygen provider makes any changes to this Rx, be bold, remind them "it's against the law to change an Rx without consulting with the physician who wrote the Rx. Then ask for the name of the Physician who has attempted to change the Rx so you can report that physician to the State Medical Board legal department. Rationale, A strong offense is the best defense and telling them this usually puts them back on their heels. What's the name of your medical insurance provider and state? In many cases you can go over the Internet and look up the policy regarding "coverage" (they pay) for oxygen therapy. Most medical insurance companies do cover home oxygen therapy for cluster headache. That said, if you're on MEDICARE and do not have supplemental medical insurance that covers home oxygen therapy for cluster headache, don't waste your time, you'll need to take up Oxy-Acetylene welding and buy your own welder's O2 cylinder. (Just don't tell the welding supply people how you intend to use it.) Oxygen therapy for a CHer on MEDICARE is not covered because the unelected idiot weasel bureaucrats at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS/OCQ) have made a most egregious non-coverage determination in 2010 (a no coverage rule so they don't have to pay for the oxygen) for home oxygen therapy for cluster headache sufferers on MEDICARE. This is another example of Big Government run amuck. They had a lot of help. If you follow the money, you'll find that Big Pharma does not want you to use oxygen therapy as a CH abortive and instead buy one or more of their patented pharmaceuticals costing upwards of $100 a pop, so they paid Lobbyists on K-street to write legislation for idiot members of Congress, who couldn't write a coherent sentence if they tried, that makes it more difficult for a physician to prescribe home oxygen therapy than write an Rx for opiates. Moreover, in order to get this legislation passed, Big Pharma pays its K-street lobbyists to make donations to the applicable Political Action Committee (PAC) for corrupt members of Congress so they will vote in favor of this terrible legislation. If you've any questions, just let me know. There are no rules in a knife fight... and I'm a cranky old Navy fighter pilot... who loves a fight like this. Take care and happy hunting. V/R, Batch

...ok, making a little more sense now (the supplier denial part...NOT the horrendous ridiculousness of Medicare not covering)...but the flat out "NO" from supplier is still puzzling if you are willing to self pay...sounds like they just hear 'Medicare" and don't want to mess with that in any way...because any competent national supplier would certainly know about O2 use for CH...it's in the medical lit as THE first line abortive... ...re welding O2...as related many times over the years on this and the ch.com site....contaminated O2 makes for shitty welds...welders and their customers DON'T put up with that...no way, no how....bad welds are dangerous and legally actionable. don't let the banged up, dull paint tank fool ya...it's the same O2 from the same "spigot"....just don't tell 'em you're gonna breath it...makes 'em all squiggly...……..

xBoss, Changing geographic regions to prevent CH is much too drastic... It may work, but it's a lot easier and far less costly to take 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 for an 80% probability of success in controlling your CH. If you take the Bio-Tech D3-50 50,000 IU water soluble "micelized" vitamin D3 at 21 cents/capsule and take one (1) every 5 days for an average dose of 10,000 IU/day, the average daily cost of your vitamin D3 is 4 cents/day or ~ $15/year . Some CHers get by with one of these Bio-Tech D3-50 capsules a week, an average vitamin D3 dose of 7,000 IU/day for 3 cents/day or $11/year. The rest of the anti-inflammatory regimen cofactors and conutrients run around 45 cents/day. The entire clutch comes in around 50 cents a day or $183/year... About the cost of taking your wife out for a movie, dinner and drinks. This regimen makes good sense or good cents no matter how you look at it. And then there are all the wonderful health benefits with no adverse side effects... That's a no brainer... Take care, V/R, Batch

Have not posted in while -- But great news for me so far. I started the D3 Regime about six weeks ago. I am taking 15K of D3 and the rest that Batch has listed. my 25-OH levels are below. Near the high end but not over the top. I have been completely pain free since the evening I started the regime. Thanks to all you busters out there!! VITAMIN D,25-OH,TOTAL,IA 05/14/2019 VITAMIN D,25-OH,TOTAL,IA 95 ng/mL (30-100 )

Are you chronic or episodic? Are you taking sumatriptan pills or injection that stopped working. In general the pills are worthless and the injections or nasal spray are the best routes of administration. What dose of verapamil are you on. Quite often it requires doses in the 800-1000mg/day. You need to be followed by a cardiologist and see them after each dose increase to check your EKG and blood pressure. As for the oxygen we have found that the standard 15LPM is not enough for a lot of CH patients. A lot of us buy our own regulators that go up to at least 25LPM. I wouldn’t count the oxygen out until you read up on it here. Sometimes technique makes all the difference. Some people hyperventilate and have better success. I myself found much more relief with the 25LPM flows. If you need links to some affordable well made regulators let me know. And finally we get to alternative treatments which is what this site is all about. Click on the new users blue button at the top of the page. It will lead you to links about busting. Once you’ve read that stuff make a post in the theories and implementation section with any questions you may have. The alternative treatments are a very safe and effective way to abort a cycle or even prevent one. Brian