Bejeeber

Yes Michelek, as is common, the 15 lpm with regular mask doesn't work for me either, but I and many others find higher LPM hyperventilation with a non-rebreather mask can really abort those attacks, and as CHf mentioned, it can help get you detoxed from the prednisone and able to bust. 8-)

Hi Michelek, What CHf said! When CHfather talks, CH'ers listen (or they should!). Much like the old EF Hutton commercial:

Ditto that. Enquiring cluster minds want to know.

I know that energy shots as opposed to drinks are a good way to. Never had a prob bringing those on, and they fit in the pocket for instant access even during takeoff/landing.

Oh Spiny, Spiny, Spiny. Sigh, and here I thought that might be one realm where they coulda had their act together.Â

LOL and I second that virtual punching motion! ;D

"a.h.'s" is too nice of a term for those docs! > Glad to know that at least Jeff found your GB and is scraping that gum off of it before returning it. Wondered where you went...while you're recovering from your condition I bet you could use a nice portable iPad or something.Â

Ditto what Spiny and FunGuy said, Whooli. Hoping one of the treatments for AVM that are out there can work for you.

Hoping the same, Marge....er I mean CF.

Well that's a lousy coincidence! > Flight is unfortunately a common CH trigger. Ways we have dealt with it have ranged from having an energy shot containing lots of caffeine and taurine in the pocket in hopes of aborting an attack by drinking it at onset, to having an imitrex/imigran inhaler ready, to taking a preventative dose of mushrooms (in capsules) before getting on the plane (!)

Hey jojo - Kip7 = a 7 on a CH pain scale of 1 to 10. The drugs are pretty much the same in the US/UK but sumatriptan for instance goes by different names (in the UK it is Imigran, in the US, Imitrex)

Don't be too scared Clusterfeck - you have time for a couple busts (mushrooms?) before June 29. I bet you'll get that bastard under control and be in a positive frame o' mind come the San Diego trip. Your forum name is fantastic BTW. ;D

That mood thingy is an often mentioned mushroom side effect indeed. I hope you'll have some high flow 100% O2 for aborts during the detox week...?

Unfortunately I've seen plenty of previously episodic CH'ers report going chronic - an episodic's worst nightmare - but I've seen many such folk also report breaking that unwanted chronic CH condition with busting. The impending mushroom busting you spoke of earlier could really change things! I imagine you'll need more than one bust to put the 'ol nail in the chronic coffin.

Fingers crossed that the most unwelcome slapback action last night was just the storm before the calm.

I think you have no choice but to tough out the dose, since pred needs to be tapered off of. Please put together a nice beast fighting arsenal centered around high flow 100% O2 starting right now so you'll be prepared for any attacks that could come back with a vengeance when you're back down to the lower pred doses. Occasionally you'll hear of someone knocking a cycle out with a pred burst, but it seems rare. Still I hope it could be the case for you. O2 info: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1299901790 Drugs like prednisone and the issues with them are what have led so many of us to embrace non toxic, often more effective preventatives such as RC seeds and psilocybin.

Hey Fortran, understood that the imitrex tip procedure is not the right fit for you, but for the sake of others viewing this thread, while I don't claim to know all the medical ins and outs of injections, I can tell you this: when you pull a syringe from an auto-injector, you'll often (if not always) find it has an air bubble in it. The "imitrex tip" method actually allows you to remove the air from both the first and the second dose by pointing the syringe upright and pushing the air bubble that has risen to the top out while a lil' fluid may also sputter out. I imagine that these subcutaneous imigran auto-injections with air bubbles don't present the sort of probs that an air bubbly-ish different type that's supposed to be injected right into a vein could anyway.....

There are those who believe a brain scan to rule out other junk is imperative, but after my decades with CH my neuro doesn't see any reason to suspect a brain tumor or whatever else, and I agree, so I've never had a brain scan either and am not pushing for one. Regarding running out of imigran, have you seen the imitrex (imigran) tip for how to conserve supply and lessen side effect risk while you're at it?: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/imitrex.html

Ooh that's a good story - with your conversation with him being a good beginning scene, and what you saw today being a good ending scene (set to music) for a movie. 8-)

Ugh. When a CH'er reports getting hit really bad that is a serious situation indeed. :'( I'm afraid the conventional wisdom is that after imitrex you do have to wait before dosing with seeds. Whether you have to wait the whole 5 days or could possibly get away with more like 3 days seems to be a slightly controversial topic 'round here lately. Maybe some others will pipe in with opinions on how long to wait after imitrex. LOL ahhh gallows humor - where would the CH'er be without it? ;D (Amazon.com is offering free super saver shipping this week on new hypothalamuses if you insert coupon code FECK CH) ;D

I haven't seen any reports yet of melatonin interfering with busting and so far I've seen it categorized as one of the substances that shouldn't interfere.

I don't know if it would help your eyes, but a "bubbler" is commonly used with O2 to combat respiratory tract dryness. Melatonin at bedtime, starting at 9 mg, all the way up to 21 mg, is used by many to help avoid the night hits, which of course can aid greatly with sleeping! This form is said to be the one to get: n-Acetyl-5-Methoxytryptamine (available OTC at the drug store in the US)

That's common - after 30 years or so with CH, a lot of us think that, only to be rudely surprised. :-/ My impression is that yes it can, but there are so many variables regarding particular batches of LSD or mushrooms, not to mention the variability in the way different individuals react, that there's not enough hard data for a rule there that applies to everyone yet. I bet waiting these 6 days before the next mushroom bust will really help. There's another common situation to watch out for, which is that lower flow rebreather O2 can work at first, but as a cycle intensifies you very well may need higher flows and 100% O2. if you find the effectiveness of your current system diminishing and if you can afford it I would recommend getting a demand valve system - the most effective high flow O2 based CH killer out there. It could also be really good for quickest aborts with an E tank at work. It conserves O2 compared to just using a high flow regulator, since the O2 is only released upon inhale. And please keep in mind that the O2/energy drink combo can be particularly effective. They are quite full of baloney. The most common home tank size - an M tank - holds significantly more than that. Here it is according to one website: the duration flow in minutes for a full M cylinder being used at 15 LPM: duration of flow in minutes = (3000 - 200) x 1.56 = 291.2 minutes = 4 hours 50 minutes A whole lot of CH'ers tell the prescription writers to take those prescriptions and shove 'em, and they just get the same O2 without a prescription at the local welding supply place. 8-)

I hear ya about the smoke/fumes as a trigger. Just in case you haven't already considered it - loads of CH'ers just get the same O2 the medical supply places have on tap, but sans prescription, at the local welding supply place.

Me too, fingers crossed for ya! If it's not the end yet, I know if it was me I'd be seeing if I could get any mushrooms or paper for busting, while upping my RC dose to more like 50 "non-floaters" for this week's upcoming bust (if you haven't tried that yet). Also have ya tried combining high flow non rebreather O2 with a Monster for the double whammy CH abort?