Bejeeber

A relative of mine is strictly a migraineur, no CH - anyway, she routinely aborts oncoming migraines with the little energy SHOTS, such as the 5 hour ones. Just one quick gulp, then feel free to immediately chase it with any bit of pleasant tasting food or drink that will knock out the after taste.Â

I just wanna back up the kind souls who have responded so far - I'm in agreement about RC being a not scary alternative for those who might find MM scary, about prednisone being extremely dangerous/damaging when over prescribed, and the value of O2, energy shots, etc. I doubt it. I'm not a medical professional, but it's a common symptom and I've never heard of anyone suffering sustained damage. At least that's one thing you don't really have to worry about. Meh, we've seen plenty of CH'ers here who've experienced onset later in life, and lots and lots of females too. Personally I suspect the percentage of female sufferers is higher than the medical establishment believes - I think here could be a vicious cycle where MD's are taught women don't get CH, so they won't diagnose them with it. I've seen way too many females reporting major problems and delays getting a diagnosis due to their gender.

Just color me broken record because here I go harping on the same exact thing I just did in another topic today: Leaving 5 days or so between doses is considered the most effective way to bust. That's terribly inconvenient sometimes, but unfortunately appears to be true. If you were dosing several days in a row with RC when you busted so successfully 7 years ago, I don't know if I should be trying to get you to change anything about your approach though! And it DOES seem encouraging that you slept like a rock, doesn't it, since that can be a sign of some remaining RC potency?Â

Hi Sandy! I'm afraid I've heard some of the most RC aware folks 'round here say that it doesn't have much of a shelf life, even in the fridge. I believe I've heard 3 months bandied about as an expiration date, but let's see what CHf and any others think. Meanwhile I'm glad you ordered a new batch! Super glad to hear that the remission has stretched out for 7 years now. NOT glad to hear it's trying to come back, but I bet you'll bust the CH back down for another 7+! [Edit: I now see CHf beat me to the punch as I was writing this, which is good, he knows his RC stuff. ]

Granted, it can take some bold advocacy and risk taking to cut through societal and institutional BS sometimes, and I think you've really done your part Bubzup. THANK YOU. In light of the new developments you've just noted, I'm kind of liking that middle ground going forward, where in order to avoid courts, DHS and family crises, you continue - if prompted - to acknowledge that busting has tremendous benefits and has really helped you, but also emphasize that because it has been so effective, you no longer need it, or any other substance, legal or illegal. If more discussion of the past busting becomes necessary I would want to have some good convincing and credible educational documentation ready, such as findings by Doctor Halpern at HARVARD MEDICAL, and one of my personal faves (which would also likely be an easy read for overloaded caseworkers), this Newsweek article "Treating Cluster Headaches with Psychedelic Drugs": http://www.newsweek.com/treating-cluster-headaches-psychedelic-drugs-81473

Good precautionary counter-balancing input there THMH, thanks. 8-)

Hi Betty, Some headbanger folklore: Once back in olden times there was a certain batch of the 'ol vitamin L that some cluster busting folk were using to bust their cycles. This particular batch was reputed to be on the weak side, potency wise, so the approach several of the CH'ers took was to try 1 tab, then if an hour later they weren't feeling it enough, go for a 2nd tab. The majority of them found 1 indeed wasn't enough, but 2 did the trick. Conversely, one of them tried 1 tab, and it came on way stronger than he anticipated (did the active ingredient concentrate in the region of that one tab???!!), but at least he got a successful bust out of it as I recall. So 1 of those weak olden tabs might equate to 1/4 of yours, I dunno, but the same "try a conservative dose, then if an hour later it isn't kicking in enough, double it" approach might be something to consider....

I believe Ricardo may have crafted a bonafide slogan! [smiley=vrolijk_1.gif] 8-)

That's awesome in my book, MG75, and I can't say I'm surprised at all since busting seems to be particularly effective for migraines (just based on what I've seen people report here). Well DUH, obviously there are those 3 setreoisomers.....HA, OK I haven't a clue about this, but you are one well researched and well informed contributor, Libertas, really glad you're here and discussing this stuff. [smiley=thumbup.gif] 8-)

Well I think that's fantastic that he made it through unscathed, even though after not having had an attack for a week, it wasn't exactly a reliable indicator of what would happen if he was in an active cycle with daily hits.

From what I've observed, there is an occasional CH'er for whom alcohol is not a trigger (or for some headbangers, certain types of alcohol are not triggers). BUT for the vast majority of us, including myself, alcohol will bring on the mother of all hits when in cycle. > Dam, that is one rotten deal to be saddled with a CH cycle on a 21st Bday.

It's not uncommon for CH'ers to go many years experiencing attacks on the one side, only to have their minds blown when the attacks suddenly switch to the other side (!!). Personally, CH attacks occur on my right side, but pretty much all other physical things wrong with me occur on my left side. So my $.02: I doubt there's a structural correlation in your son's case.

After having initially tried arms and legs, I'm a strong proponent of the belly site BostonHeadacheDoc mentioned for injection, and have used it exclusively for years (although I haven't had to use it recently thanks to busting and lengthening remissions). I learned about it at ch.com years ago where many CH vets have adopted it. It's certainly the most accessible injection site, and I've found it tends to be significantly less painful, especially when NOT using the auto injector. Win/win. 8-) I find that injecting to the side of he navel works well.

Just an idea....would it work for him to have the O2 set up and ready to go right there in his room, so he could sit up, grab the mask and go for it at 15 LPM the minute he wakes up, with no delay from rousting a middle man middle mom to operate it for him? Catching it as close to onset as possible is ultra crucial, as I see you already realize. A surprising number of headbangers find that also gulping an energy drink/shot helps the O2 work faster/better, and for some reason they're still able to go back to sleep afterwards (?!).

COOL. [smiley=thumbup.gif] 8-)

That is the most 100% true thing that's ever been uttered here. Case in point: Sansert never helped me at all. REALLY GLAD to hear how well it's working for y'all right now though, as you continue to seek out long term, non toxic solutions.

One thing I can tell you is this, the scenario below is extremely common, as reported by countless longtime CH'ers (such as myself): "Just when you think you have your CH behavior/cycles all figured out and predictable, they'll change like you never expected". Glad that it's a good behavior change so far for your son. Understood why you'd be on guard and in a high state of readiness right now though.

Hi Sweet, I do think it would be worthwhile - you could very well abort even the bad ones with a high enough LPM. Personally I tend to think of 15 LPM as a minimum for a starter set up (this may require getting a higher flow regulator than a given O2 supplies company will have on hand). Then again since you've been having some success with the machine, you may just find 12 LPM [of 100% O2 from a tank] to be effective..... You're on the right board for discussion of BOL-LSD trials, but I'm afraid I'm not up on the latest there.

It's probably plenty clear enough that you intended for that to read "1.5 units" but hey I'm not above persnickety nit picking over decimal places. I know another chronic feller who has consistently aborted hits for years with the 1.5 mg dose, four aborts per shot, just like you, ClusterChuck.

Sorry, I don't have a clue about that thumbs no workee phenomenon preceding an attack, but if you have a decent neurologist, it sounds to me like one the first things to bring up at the next visit.

NO, I can not.Â

That one is brilliant. I would insert "pain meds" or "pain killers" in there because I think those clearly telegraph the message. Maybe even insert the word mere in there also: Taking mere pain killers for clusters is like trying to swat a pterodactyl from the sky with a flyswatter! And the more I think about the painting CHf posted the image of, the more I think it, combined with a super punchy slogan below it, could be the ultimate branding.

The branding thingy is a good idear! And I like CHf's idea. This branding example is most excellent IMO: But wuh-ohhhhh, what have you unleashed now Cindy???!!! Cluster Headaches; Whose brilliant idea was it to call the most severely painful condition known to mankind a HEADACHE???!! Cluster Headaches; I'm not particularly fond of them at all! Cluster Headaches; NOT really any better than a poke in the eye with sharp stick! Cluster Headaches; Take that silly shotgun out of your mouth, "busting" may get rid of these with a lot less icky mess! Cluster Headaches; Sufferers are finding one of nature's mind blowing substances can keep them from wanting to blow their entire HEADS clean off! Cluster Headaches; Take 1.5g of dried mushrooms and call me in the morning

Austral, while I too of course completely understand and relate to the desire to stop at nothing, I appreciate your cautionary note and your advice to do some research and some risk weighing when considering this and all other CH treatments.

The water guzzling thing always seemed a bit sketchy and unsustainable to me, was never inspired enough to try it.