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G'afternoon @omarmosleh! Just curious if you've received any email responses yet? I've seen 2 comments on my Facebook thread so far...I've met one of them at our annual clusterbusters patient conference in 2015 and she said she'd be willing to speak to you....I also chatted with a young man from Alberta who I've been mentoring for the past couple of years and he said he'd get in touch with you as well. I've also reached out to a Canadian doc that I've known for many years, and who has many years of busting experience but haven't heard back from him yet. Thanks for your interest in this project! Dallas Denny

You will want to take the D3 a few hours away from your verapamil. I do Veap first thing in the morning when I wake up around 5AM, D3 at about 5PM and Verap again about 930pm.

hello, yes ! I've had a number of people reach out to you, you've been tremendously helpful Mr. Denny. Never underestimate the power of the internet. Really appreciate your help with this. I'll be sure to post the article here when it goes online. Will either be this weekend or next. It explores a lot of interesting developments.

kat_', you might be making a wise and perfectly good decision about this. But do keep in mind that here and at other CH sites, people are there because things haven't worked for them. A few people have showed up here to say that Emgality, Aimovig, or some other medication of that type has helped them, but for the most part, people who find relief from something are not likely to be here, so the comments are skewed toward the negative, which might not represent the whole picture.

What you are doing with the O2 - inhale, hold, and exhale with a crunch seems to work best for most of us. Not being able to get enough O2 per breath sucks. You need the cadence that works for you and plenty of O2 to maintain that rhythm that is most effective for you. It is often the case that a 25lpm regulator is needed. So, I am not surprised that the tank with the 25lpm works better for you. If you can outrun it, you need a higher flow rate. If you still have a shadow when you quit the O2, the hit will return for most if not all of us. And when you are PF, do your post breathing as well.I have walked away from my tank with a 'minor' shadow, only to have it ramp right back up and I do a bat turn back to the O2. It needs to be completely gone for me and then 5 minutes of post to remain PF for a some number of hours. And heading to a new locale can begin a cycle sometimes. So, I suggest that you keep the Benadryl in the mix. Maybe only at night when you are traveling, but once there, go back to taking the ones during the day if possible. The different pollen can be a big problem. ATB and Welcome to the site!!!

It very well may be the D3 that is working for you now. Batch often recommends returning to a loading dose if you are not getting relief. Awesome that it is working for you!! Occasionally I will forget my D3 vitamins. I am fine if I miss only one day. If I miss two in a row, it is pain City. So, I know that for me, the D3 is pretty much good magic!! Keep us posted Kat! It would be so lovely to read that you have been a day or three with no hits. Yes, the diagnosis of CH is rather devastating. When you search and find out what it is, you sort of want to throw up because the outlook has been so bleak! But times are changing and hopefully the new research will mean better treatment for all.

Take the prednisone all at once as a single dose.it can be hard on the tummy so take something like Prilosec with it. If you usually get hit at night then take it at bedtime. It can be agitating for some folks so the first few nights could be restless. If you get hit during the day take it in the morning. Steroids can be helpful but you can have some mood swings but usually not with your regimen. Verapamil should be spaced out evenly. The magnesium should be ok anytime. The Zoloft is good how you take it and should not hinder the regimen you are on but if you ever try and bust you may need to get off it for a while. Don’t do that unless you have a talk with you provider. Wishing you good results.

@Rod H hey thanks for the words of encouragement. Confirming a chronic diagnosis has been a depressing pill to swallow. My next step is immediate release verapamil, if not I’ll bust with MM. I have a schedule all set up. I actually began the loading dose 3 days ago of the d3 regimen because I figured what the heck. Maybe something got out of wack. And low and behold, I’ve had only one mild attack last night and only shaddows today

Hang in there kat I've been in cycle since April 22nd. If this was easy we wouldn't be here. You got this

@omarmosleh I know several Canadian clusterheads who bust, with your permission I'll be happy to copy/paste your post and contact info to a Facebook support group for clusterheads where they are members. Dallas Denny

I have had times when it seems like the oxygen is not helping abort the attack totally and only helping when I am using it. Like CHfather mentioned using the 5hr drinks can sometimes give you that bump to put it over the edge just enough to kill the attack off for a few more hours. I am not sure how long you have been taking the Benadryl but I try to only take it for a week and then stop for at least another week. I feel as if it somehow builds in my system and become less effective, I have no idea if that is true or not. I was on the Verapamil 240ER 3 times a day at one point, changed over to the standard or fast release and dropped down to only taking 120 twice a day. I don't know if that would be better for you or not but something you may want to look into. As fat as more hits more often that is something that people see happen over time. Cluster change and sometimes it is for the worst. You will just need to ride it out, adjust your treatments and hope for the best. We all have tried many different things like different breathing techniques, hot or cold towels pressed on your face or neck, hot water to put feet into, ginger tea, drink cold water with a straw to hit the roof of your mouth. I am sure we have 100's more here and you may have read them all but like myself they slip the mind when all the pressure builds and the fun begins. Good luck with your move, we will be here when you are all settled in and are willing to help.

Acknowledging spiny's strong knowledge, I'm not sure I agree. There is probably no question that triptan overuse will have many bad effects, probably including rebounds and maybe including extending cycles. On the other hand, so much of this is guesswork. Look at your current cycle--came sooner, has been more severe (so far). If you were using triptans (now or before), you might be inclined to attribute it to that. My daughter has virtually never used triptans, but her cycles seem to keep getting longer and she has plenty of what seem like rebound attacks. (Many people get wicked rebound attacks from busting, which we call "slapbacks." That's a different situation for many reasons, but not completely un-comparable.) So I would say that if you're heading for a long one that your O2 + caffeine isn't stopping, you might weigh the amount of misery reduced by the spray (assuming that it works for you) against whatever the probability might be that moderate use of triptans might have undesirable effects. Is your O2 setup optimized? Forceful breathing technique; flow rate such that you can use good breathing technique without waiting for the bag to fill; top quality mask (ClusterO2 mask)? Yes, get started now on the D3, and consider busting, and be sure you are doing all you can to manage this. If you haven't seen this post, I'd recommend reading through it: https://clusterbusters.org/forums/forum/6-clusterbuster-files/ Be aware that there is MSG in a lot of prepared foods, not just your Chinese takeout. I've had it in a hamburger, a fancy lobster dish, a Philly cheese steak, and pizza, among other things. (I know because MSG almost instantly gives me pancreatitis, which is the second most painful thing to CH in some big studies (still far behind CH in painfulness).) Check labels. You can't do much about it when you're eating from a restaurant, but maybe you might check back on days when your attacks are more severe to think about what you ate.