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CHfather

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Everything posted by CHfather

  1. [Edit: I see that jon has just posted this same info about UpToDate .. .. ..] am not recalling the name of standard reference that physicians use...hoping another clusterhead will come along and provide. Physician's Desk Reference (PDF) perhaps? This, as all have said, is one crazy doctor. PDR, as suggested by Jeebs, might have the info that jon' mentioned (and as jon' said, any sane site will list triptans and oxygen). The most commonly used online reference/app by doctors is called UpToDate. Says here (https://nhcps.com/top-12-online-resources-for-medical-professionals/): "UpToDate is considered the go-to source for about 90% of US-based medical centers. A 118-facility study published on PubMed.gov found that most doctors and residents turned to UpToDate before any other resource."
  2. David', I don't think anyone knows for certain about either of the substances you're asking about. I think we generally suppose that gabapentin does not block busting. In some support of that, there's a post from a while back from a regular member that says: "Gabapentin works to treat my trigeminal neuralgia flare ups. Hasn't interfered with busting." I feel pretty sure that Nurtec doesn't block busting. Are you taking the gabapentin for CH? It's such an old, often ineffective, and unpopular (side effects) prescription that it feels like you could do a lot better, unless it's helping you and you aren't having significant side effects.
  3. I think it's just free to spiny, because it is covered by Medicare insurance.
  4. I know this could/should be in the "Conferences" section, but I rarely look there, so I figured I'd ask here. (Note that Bob W just posted down there that financial aid can be available!)
  5. I'm not sure why a relationship with a welding O2 supplier would be advantageous. To avoid questions that I could not answer, I have always preferred to make my dealings with them as superficial as possible. If asked anything, which has been extremely rare, I would say something like, I'm just picking it up for my brother-in-law who is out of town and wants to do some welding jobs quickly as soon as he returns, or something that gets me off the hook from knowing anything. Their job is to sell stuff -- for the most part, they have seemed to be as uninterested in actual conversation as I am. Maybe a relationship will help you get them to fill your tank rather than insisting on swapping it out. But I doubt it. I think they either will or they won't. And (a) with a large tank, you're not going to be going back often enough to really build a relationship, unless you're using the 40 cu ft a lot; and (b) at least at the places I go to, there are several people working there, so you're not likely to create a relationship with any of them. Whole different thing with medical O2, when the delivery guys can do you lots of favors. Two things discussed a lot here that also help with migraine (I assume you also have CH(???)) -- the D3 regimen and busting.
  6. Yes, I saw that. It's $125 more than the same size tank, unfilled.
  7. I strongly doubt that a tank you order from Amazon is going to come pre-filled. The 40 cu ft one I looked at there ($125) says "ships empty," but maybe there's another one I didn't see. Someone else might have a suggestion about whether a welding O2 vendor will let you keep having your own tank filled, rather than swapping out. I could venture some thoughts, but you'd be better off getting advice from a true expert, such as @Racer1_NC or @xxx. Where are you planning to get your large tank? Where are you getting your regulator(s)? They seem to me to be a lot more expensive at welding stores than welding regulators you can get at Amazon.
  8. I'd suggest you look in this file under the heading "Treatments without O2 . . . " https://clusterbusters.org/forums/topic/6213-basic-non-busting-information/ Some of the abortive strategies might help you if you need them. I would say that after caffeine/energy shots, the most effective are inhaling cold air from an air conditioning vent, or some variation of the hot water strategy (feet in it; maybe whole body in it . . . ). I'm not sure what you mean by that. If you're out of it, that's one thing. But if you feel like you can't use more than two injections in a 24-hour period, maybe you could split an injection so you're using just 2 or 3 additional mg, not the whole 6mg. https://clusterbusters.org/forums/topic/2446-extending-imitrex/
  9. The only two times in my adult life that I ate pineapple, I got severe tooth abscesses within the next few days (the only dental abscesses of my entire life)! Could have been coincidence, I suppose . . . I haven't tested to find out. I see there seem to be forms of quercetin without bromelian. This one, for example (unless bromelian is hidden in those "other ingredients," but typically it seems that bromelian is treated as a feature to be touted). https://www.lifeextension.com/vitamins-supplements/item02302/bio-quercetin?gclid=Cj0KCQjw_7KXBhCoARIsAPdPTfgzpt537enPe4CYw_HWjcfbXmIl_HfnTOXY3f3u674gC_KSZzB7k9YaAqI-EALw_wcB Since bromelian helps quercetin to be absorbed, I would imagine that maybe if you take it without bromelian, you have to pay closer attention to dosage.
  10. Tim', there is a pretty long discussion about O2 here: https://clusterbusters.org/forums/topic/6213-basic-non-busting-information/. Concentrator isn't good, because there's still room air mixed with the O2 it delivers, and the flow rate on a concentrator is too low. This video shows you the basics. He is using the fancy mask (the O2ptimask or "ClusterO2 Kit"), but the principle is the same with a standard non-rebreather -- the bag fills and you empty it as you inhale. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtFHRIQN17s&t=617s In the ER, they probably used a standard oxygen mask, with no bag. That's much less efficient than a non-rebreather. In the first link I gave you, there are some other tips.
  11. Parsing further, however, "stops the cluster period" doesn't necessarily mean ends the cluster period. It could just mean stops it temporarily, which is not uncommon though maybe even that doesn't happen "often" based on the definition provided. It just so happens that the very "world's leading CH expert" that I mentioned, Dr. Goadsby, did a double-blind etc. etc. study of the effectiveness of the recommended prednisone taper. You can read about it here. https://www.jwatch.org/na52979/2021/01/05/prednisone-transitional-treatment-episodic-cluster Having read that, you can explain to me what the heck it means. It mentions some people "achieving attack freedom by 7 days," but not how many, and not whether anyone's cluster period was completely ended. Overall it seems (to me) that maybe most people got significant reductions in attacks but not complete freedom from attacks. Being able to read the whole thing and not just a synopsis would probably help. And then there's this one, with a few hundred authors, that also says (I think) that pred reduced attacks but says nothing about eliminating them in the short run or fully ending the cycle. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33245858/ Although I see here again, in this discussion of this study (https://www.reliasmedia.com/articles/147514-prednisone-vs-placebo-in-short-term-prevention-of-episodic-cluster-headaches), the unclear statement "After seven days, cluster attacks had ceased in 35% of the prednisone group." -- which of course still fails to meet the provided description of "often," and still doesn't tell us whether that cessation was temporary or cycle-ending. But I do remember, as others might, a crabby woman who wanted to take pred while she was pregnant and asked whether it would end her cycle. She was told "might stop it temporarily but probably not end it," which was very irritating to her. She mustered the energy just a few days later to tell us we were idiots because it did end her cycle, long before she could possibly have known whether her cycle had ended or not. But I am nonetheless adding her to jon''s instance and declaring that to be often.
  12. This is what one of the world's leading CH experts recommends regarding steroids: "Corticosteroids in the form of prednisone. 1 mg/Kg up to 60 mg for four days tapering the dose over three weeks is a well accepted short-term preventive approach. It often stops the cluster period, and should be used no more than once a year to avoid aseptic necrosis." (google [goadsby management of cluster headache] to see the whole document)
  13. A great list from spiny! You might find some useful info in this post: https://clusterbusters.org/forums/topic/6213-basic-non-busting-information/. And take a look at the info you get when you click on "New Users - Please Read Here First" in the blue banner at the top of each page.
  14. Note that if you do get a larger tank, you will also need a different regulator. The smaller tanks, such as Es, use one type, but the larger M and H tanks have a different type. Of course, your supplier should know this, but it would be easy to mistakenly say "I already have a regulator." As you read in that long post, many people find that a higher-flow regulator works better for them, and that's something you'd want to get on your own. If your prescription was written in the standard way, it will call for something like up to 15 minutes of "oxygen therapy" at 15lpm. Your supplier can quickly calculate how fast you would go through a tank (15 liters per minute for 15 minutes = 225 liters, and an e tank holds about 680 liters, so that's three aborts) (you might actually get more aborts than that, but according to the prescription, that's what you would get), and that might make them more understanding about giving you something that matches the prescription they were given. Seems like it might even be a requirement that they do so. My two experiences talking with a supplier both turned out good once they understood the actual needs of a person with CH, in contrast to the e tank/cannula they are supplying to most of their patients, who are people with COPD conditions.
  15. At the pharmacy today, I saw a big display for Astepro, which is the first antihistamine nasal spray available without a prescription. I have no idea whether this would be preferable to a pill, for people who are taking antihistamines to supplement @xxx's anti-inflammatory regimen (the "D3 regimen"). It seems that it works faster than a pill, but speed really isn't the primary consideration for people with CH. Also, it's not Benadryl's active ingredient, diphenhydramine, and some concern has been raised about whether other anti-allergy medicines are as effective as diphenhydramine (but some people have said that Claritin worked fine for them in a CH protocol). Just tossing this out.
  16. Tim, I just have to ask whether you have done oxygen with a fully optimized system -- O2 from a cylinder, not a machine (not a concentrator); a non-rebreather mask or better yet the mask designed for people with CH (called the "ClusterO2 Kit"); and a flow rate that can be increased to 25 lpm or more (the key here being that you can inhale fully each time without having to wait for the reservoir bag on the mask to refill). So many people have found that they really didn't have an optimized system, and that oxygen that hadn't worked for them without such a system, worked well when they had one).
  17. The general advice about O2 is to keep inhaling it even after an attack has been aborted, 5 minutes longer, or more. That can help prevent or minimize subsequent attacks. It's a bit surprising that a sumatriptan tablet is helping you, since many people find that tablets don't work fast enough. Nasal spray or injectable are more effective. You can split the 6mg injections so you get three aborts from them, which reduces the overuse concern and of course makes those expensive injections a little more affordable. Regarding the verapamil, that's a relatively low dose, and you should be using the immediate release kind, not the extended release kind (can't tell from your message which you are taking). The vitamin D3 regimen is a better and safer preventive than verap. You can read about that, and some other information and tips, in this file. https://clusterbusters.org/forums/topic/6213-basic-non-busting-information/
  18. NY Times, "Taking the Magic Out of Magic Mushrooms" https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/15/opinion/hallucinations-psychedelics-depression.html A couple of themes in this story (and nothing about CH), but the one that interested me: "some scientists are working to develop molecules based on psychedelics that provide the therapeutic benefits of the drugs but without the hallucinations."
  19. Thank you so much for this full and clear information. I'm so happy that your headache situation is so much better now, and I hope you learn all that you need to know from your next phase of testing, without too much unpleasantness. It seems that naratriptan is an essential part of your preventive protocol. Of course, I find that interesting because we hear so much about triptan overuse headaches. Wishing you the best as you go forward!!!
  20. Thank you! Eating smaller meals and drinking more water seems to be helping her, but I will pass along this information, because everything helps. Because we often have people here whose symptoms look like a form of hemicrania, I wonder if you would say a little more about your situation. Here are my questions, but of course you don't have to answer all (or any) of them. I really hope you are on track for something good to happen, because I know it's been very rough for you. You mention that you have been taking the Indo for the last couple of months, and it sounds like you still are not sure whether it's PH that you have. Did you start out on a low dosage and then increase it based on your tolerance? What is your current dosage? How has it affected your attacks? What will tell you whether or not it's PH that you have? As I recall, oxygen was somewhat effective for you. I don't remember about triptans. Do your doctors have a diagnostic basis for thinking it's a hemicrania, or is it just that you haven't responded well to all of the conventional CH treatments and they are trying something different? In addition to taking the Indo with meals (which I imagine is partly a way to protect your stomach from the harshness of Indo), are you also taking something else to protect your stomach? Have your doctors discussed any of the other things, aside from Indo, that sometimes help with hemicrania, or have you looked into them? One is boswellia serrata, and there is a discussion of others here: https://americanheadachesociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Hemicrania_Continue_June_2015.pdf One person has said that busting every five days kept her HC under control, and I think the vitamin D3 regimen is supposed to help (but I feel like you tried that). Thank you for anything you choose to share!
  21. I don't think there's any expedited shipping option for the ClusterO2 Kit mask. Since having the right mask is likely to make a big difference in your abort times (and your cycles have typically been pretty short), I'd urge you to consider getting a basic NRB, like the one at Amazon, ASAP. I see that Walmart lists them at its site, but I don't know whether they have them in stores.
  22. This is not a non-rebreather mask (NRB). NRB has a "reservoir bag" that fills with O2 until you breathe it in. Yours looks to me like a regular oxygen mask. NRB: You can buy an NRB at amazon for under $10. https://www.amazon.com/MEDSOURCE-Adult-Non-Rebreather-Oxygen-Mask/dp/B004Z8V47G/ref=sr_1_6?crid=9P5W6TOMN2PM&keywords=non+rebreather+oxygen+masks&qid=1657466467&sprefix=nonrebreather+oxygen+masks+%2Caps%2C90&sr=8-6 And/or presumably you can demand one from your oxygen supplier. The prescription should have specified NRB. I don't know enough to know how to get the most from the mask you have. You need to plug the holes while inhaling. Put tape on them and remove the mask from your face when you exhale. Since the flow of O2 is constant, you're going to be losing O2 after you have deeply inhaled and held (the standard -- but not only -- breathing practice for CH). This might be a situation where at least temporarily Batch's "redneck" bag would help. https://clusterbusters.org/forums/topic/4919-batchs-hyperventilation-red-neck-bag/
  23. I've got a lot to say to you, Titan, but I think most of it is in here, and I'm urging you to read it with some attention, even though it's long. https://clusterbusters.org/forums/topic/6213-basic-non-busting-information/ One important thing you will see in there is that you can open up your Imitrex injector and get 3 shots instead of one. Here's a direct link to that info. https://clusterbusters.org/forums/topic/2446-extending-imitrex/ Are you in the US? Because here, Imitrex is very expensive and most prescriptions are very limited, and it's hard to see how you'd be using so much. Yes, the theory is that Imitrex is for attacks that are not handled by oxygen -- taking too much of a triptan (Imitrex is sumatriptan) is bad for you and can not only extend your cycle but cause severe rebound attacks (triptan overuse attacks). Given my misgivings about your doctor, I have some fear that your oxygen setup might not be correct. You should have a tank or cylinder, a regulator, and a non-rebreather mask. (Much more detail in the post I linked you to.) I also want to note, not as a putdown but just for clarification, that there really is not such a thing as a "cluster migraine." Two different things, cluster headaches (CH) and migraines (although some medications, such as Imitrex, work for both). A small number of people have both, and for an even smaller number, a CH attack is always preceded by a migraine attack. If a doctor in the US said you have "cluster migraine," I would be very wary of that doctor. It seems more commonly used in other places, such as the UK (but it's still wrong).
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