Racer1_NC

Stuff happens....No biggie.

Social media "groups" are the fastest and easiest way to start your own fiefdom. Everybody wants to rule the world.

Hate you aren't going to make it this year.

Yes...that's the plan....Friday around noon if memory serves. Hope anyone that is new to O2 or just wants to talk about usage stops by for a chat.

If it's like previous years we'll have mostly "E" tanks with a couple "M" tanks for the main room and demo's. Bring your mask and regulator.

Much better mask to invest in......makes a world of difference. Cluster Kit And for those using welding tanks or the larger med tanks with the 540 fitting.....this gives you any flow rate you desire. It takes a few to figure out what works best but then it's off to the races. Harbor Freight to the rescue.

During the "pre-cluster headache era" oh so many years ago, I would get 2-3 bad migraines a year. I know......not many...and I was thankful. Now.....in cycle or not, I've not had but a couple midlevel migraines since clusters appeared in the late '90s. Why? Damifino.

They used Propofol on me yesterday for a minor procedure. Not in cycle at the moment and it in no way aggravated my head. Just like taking a nap...nothing more. Of course....your experience could be different. Bill

I doubt you'd see much of any difference between the two under most circumstances. That being said...I treat o2 like money...I'd rather have too much than not enough.

A concentrator is not able to dispense 100% o2.

There were over a hundred there last month.....

540 regulator....Harbor Freight. http://www.harborfreight.com/oxygen-regulator-94846.html

Hits while sleeping generally occur when one hits REM sleep......

I'm sorry....DJ.....the man behind the website that sold you the mask.....unless you assembled the parts and pieces yourself. I mentioned assembly errors just because it can happen.....Hell I did it once and I've put countless masks together.

A true demand valve supplies o2 automatically as the user inhales. Kinda why it's called a demand valve...it supplies gas....on demand. Most also have the button as well. I would assume that a button only valve would be more of a resuscitation unit.....As the the OP's question about difficulty exhaling with a cluster mask...that usually happens with one that's been used a while and needs cleaning. If it's new...it could have a defective valve....be assembled incorrectly or the valve is stuck as a dirty one might be. Hard to say without examination. If it's defective DJ would undoubtedlydo what's needed to solve the problem.

Won't work for me.....

Made it back late last night.... Was a great conference and already looking towards next year.

For once I am flying in. Be there late this afternoon.

If a phone call would be of help let me know...

I've had it not work.....but never make it worse. That being said.....I've learned most anything is possible with this crap.

First off....sorry I'm late to the party.....and now some questions.... The mask.....for the oxygen store.....did it have holes in the mask area and a strap to hold it on one's head? If so....that mask is slightly better than nothing for our uses but not nearly as effective as the mask that CHFather references in his post. Worlds of difference between the 2. The Cluster Kit uses a mask that forms a tight seal allowing only 100% O2 to be inhaled. This is important. Did the user have to wait on the bag to fill up between breaths? If so, this can cause O2 to be less effective. From my observations..most any adult male attempting to abort a cluster headache can out run 15 lpm with ease. While there are some that report successful methods using lower flow O2, my personal experiences have been that deep breaths of pure O2....trying to hyperventilate.....and never having to wait on the bag to refill between breaths are what works for me. Sometimes it takes a little practice, trial and error to find out what works for an individual. I may catch some flack for saying this....but I'd be remiss if I didn't. Sometimes O2 doesn't work even with the proper mask, flow rate and methods. Granted most failures can become successes with some help / pratice but there are some that it just plain doesn't work for. Heck...I've had a couple times that it didn't do a damn thing.....and a few that all it did was hold the pain down to a less than critical level. I'm lucky.....this doesn't happen often but it's damn scary when it does. That being said....DO NOT give up. O2 works for many and one "no effect" usage isn't nearly enough of a trial. Please....let us know how it's going. There are many years of experience here and we don't mind sharing....as the saying goes....it's what we do. Bill

I have a demand valve.....and a 40 LPM regulator......the 40 is a poor man's demand valve as is the Harbor Freight welding regulator. A demand valve's advantage over the other two is it can conserve O2 as it does nothing until you breathe in. Some tend to think the equipment is the magic bullet......it's not. It's the ability to keep up with the user's breathing. If a person using proper technique can't out run a 25 LPM flow...in other words never has to wait for the bag to fill and can keep breathing, any higher flow rate is a waste and will not help. On the other hand if you are like me and can out run a 40 LPM during a hard hit, the demand valve or the welding reg will make a difference. I guarantee no human can out run a weld reg. If you can.....PM me....we'll be rich in a week. You are correct. The dial settings have nothing to do with the DISS fitting. In fact I can use the demand valve while someone else is using the barb fitting outlet at 25 lpm. Does tend to drain an E tank in a hurry but sometimes ya do what ya gotta. The cheap HF regs we like to recommend do not have DISS fittings as a standard port unless they have made a design change....of course they could have been cheating me on the ones I've purchased.

Great idea! I use 2 liter soft drink trays for my tank farm. Good for the closet and basement.

It's up to us to educate them. In any event...the important thing is to get the script written......one can then source their own regulator for a high flow rate.

He didn't explain it to you because he probably doesn't know himself. The proper flow rate is as much as it takes for you to hyperventilate.