LeKook

Chfather, thanks so much... I will bookmark those Ebay links for when I figure out which type of oxygen tank I will get. Also for the info on the shrooms -- I thought this was the case, but the clarification puts my mind at ease a bit. I had a day (mostly) without a headache, but then tonight I noticed a cold feeling behind one eye and it started watering, and then the stabbing pain in my right temple and behind my eye started up, so here we go again. :

I'm holding off on anything until I get off of the Zoloft. I don't have a doctor anymore so I'm on my own for the moment with no insurance. I figure it may take a month to get completely off the Zoloft, maybe another couple weeks to get past any side effects. Have to see how that goes, not sure how my system is going to respond to being off of it after so many years. Once I'm sure things will be okay, I'll order the seeds and/or shrooms, and give that a try. I don't think it's smart to try this stuff while still on Zoloft. Maybe I don't need it anymore, I don't know. I just stayed on it because the doctor told me once I was on it, I should never get off of it!! Anyone know of some places I can order the flow regulator and non rebreather masks for a decent (low) price?

Chfather, will any of these places mark their packages discreetly, so as not to raise any questions with the folks I live with? Thanks again. Note: I just found the answer to this question, LOL!

Chfather, yeah, I'm shocked too, but not really -- NONE of my doctors has even mentioned oxygen or even offered much in the way of relief. The way I see it, rather than let them continue to choose poisons for me to use with no benefits, let me choose the poison for myself and at least try it. Cut out the middle man. Maybe get enough money to buy insurance and actually find a decent doctor. May 2011 was my 28th year anniversary for having cluster headaches. I'd like to survive to my 29th year without actually having to say, "Yes, I have a headache STILL." As for shrooms vs. seeds, I will of course have to go the less expensive route first, out of necessity, so any advice on that point would be very helpful too. Thanks so much to you and everyone for your help and support. -Lynn P.S. Has anyone else with CHs ever noticed that the distress never seems to be less with each attack? I wonder about that - I mean, we know what might happen, what to expect, but each cycle I have the same response. Weird.

Hey everybody, Thanks for the lyrical stylings and advice. I have been diagnosed with cluster headaches, yes. And I have all the pain criteria anyway, but the last neuro I saw confirmed cluster headaches. As for the Zoloft -- I know much of the reason I started it was because I was in constant pain. It would keep me up several nights in a row (back in the mid-1990s), and that triggered major depression. In other words I got depressed initially because I'm always in pain and I just reached a point where I wanted out and went a bit nuts. That being said... I've already been doing the D3, calcium and fish oil thing for quite some time anyway, but it has not helped any over the course of the past year or so. Prior to losing my med insurance my doc was fussing about my D3 level being so high, but I insisted I need it so he didn't argue (it won't kill me, LOL). What's more effective though, shrooms or seeds? Are the shrooms legal? I'm going to wean myself off the Zoloft, my husband has agreed to keep an eye on me and let me know if things start looking like they might be going badly. To be honest, I had an attack Saturday that was so bad I just wanted to end it, frankly. Zoloft couldn't even counter that. Will check into the oxygen and read up on all the links you kind folks have supplied, and I thank you so much for your help.  P.S. I forgot to mention this: Percocet is the only thing that has ever given me "temporary" relief from the pain. I say temporary because if I'm already in a cycle, it will only alleviate (not eliminate) the pain for an hour or two, then it's right back at it again. However, none of my docs ever want to provide it, they freak out thinking I will become an addict. After 28 years of this, really? Hasn't happened yet. LOL!!

Hi All, A friend of mine recommended this board to me so I'm taking the proverbial plunge. Hope I can get some help here, maybe? I have had awful headaches for almost 28 years but no medical treatment has helped. Neurologists can't even seem to figure it out. I end up in the ER a few times a year because I just can't cope with the pain, but most of the time I just end up crying and screaming into a pillow when it gets truly evil. Anyway... my friend mentioned RC seeds as a possibility. I'm sure my headaches are cluster headaches based on 27+ years of paying attention to what's going on when they hit. I'm on antidepressants (150mg daily of Zoloft) and blood pressure medicine (10mg of Norvasc daily). Would RC seeds interfere with these? I want to get off the Zoloft anyway because I feel like a zombie most of the time nowadays. Not even sure I even NEED to be on Zoloft anymore so weaning myself off of it very slowly. If I decide to go this route - and I've been on so many different meds for these headaches that I've spent a small fortune on treatments and "big phat pharma", so it's likely I'll try this - where should I start? How much do I start with, how often, etc.? Yes, I've read the FAQ but need to address my particular circumstances. I am having the headaches daily now. I may get a day or two respite now and then, but it's pretty much continuous. Oh, and before I forget: I DON'T have medical insurance. If anyone can help please let me know, feel free to ask whatever you need to about my current situation. I figure this can't harm me any worse than, say, my stint with Topomax (which I took and ended up with the worst pain IN MY LIFE EVER). Now that was a fun time (not!) and my doctor's reaction to my not wanting to use it? "You need to stay on it for awhile." (I didn't and got another doctor). Anyway I'm rambling, thanks for listening. Lynn a.k.a. LeKook