TakinitEZ

I have read somewhere that ecstasy and meth do not help but would need to find the article. -T

Hey man, I was in the heat of it first week in Jan - know just what you're dealing with. I ended up calling my doc who gave me thorazine script over the phone to just knock me out. I'm not saying that's the answer, but it got me out of the loop somehow, sleeping for 12 hours straight. -T

stuff happens.

That's great news!

Hey Ting, Sorry you're down. I can relate...was there beginning of the year. I decided to write, which I think helps. It's a good form of expression because it doesn't need to go anywhere, or you can share it if you want. I don't mean just posting, but more like journaling, really getting it out. Helped me a lot. Feel good because you're great. -Chris

Jeffrey, Make sure you let some of your friends and sponsor know what you're up to and why. You'll likely need some support because it will give you a pretty decent high even if sub-hallucinogenic. Hate to see you slip off the wagon trying to fix your ch. Here's a good set of videos that explain what ch is if you need to educate them: http://clusterheadacheinfo.wikidot.com/clusterheadache and a good document about psilo http://clusterheadacheinfo.wikidot.com/local--files/file:clusterheadachesresponsivetopsilocybin-halpernssewellpo/ClusterheadachesResponsiveToPsilocybin_HalpernSSewellPope.pdf -Chris

Ron, That's really interesting about the licorice raising his mood. That's another reason to give it a try. Tx. TING! You're back! We really missed you. -Chris

Thanks Kaboom and Dan. Much appreciated. -Chris

Hey Folks, After my really bad spell at the beginning of the year I've been really grouchy and aggressive. I hate it when the beast gets the better of me, and in this case the double whammy - pain and mood. I know I've made some short and sometimes negative posts over the last couple of weeks and I just wanted to apologize if I offended anyone. Certainly I have the deepest respect for all of you or I wouldn't be here. -Chris

Hey Jeffrey, you landed in a good place. There's a lot of great people here who have been around the bend a few times. Being a recovering addict, what would you consider to be off limits in terms of busting? -Chris

Man, That's terrible, Kate. Like AllyOop said, though, not that surorising when you think about it. I know I'm fairly unreliable. You just happened on someone wh has actually heard of cluster! -T

Hey Jeff, You're getting a lot of advice so I'll try not to add to the confusion. The bottom line is that many here, including me, believe that you're better off avoiding the prescription meds if you can. We think that because we've lived the side effects. That said, it's a bit tough to stay away from them while visiting the docs who are telling you another story, checking your blood levels, and trying to rule out other maladies. You kind of have to decide whether you're ready to say goodbye to meds or not. Taking a break from meds to go the natural route is viable, but it puts quite a damper on working through the busting process if you have only a short period of time before hopping back on the meds. If you do go the med route, it's pretty clear what are considered the best - Verapamil being one of them. By all means go straight to the best if you can or you'll spend months in pain with meds that do nothing for you. For what it's worth. -Chris

Sorry if I wasn't clear. I don't think 10lpm will be enough. I'm just saying that the supplier will probably provide a 0-10 lpm regulator. Keep in mind that the script probably won't specify how much O2 or what type of cylinder, it will just specify the flow rate and mask type. That's why you want to talk to the supplier regarding the tanks you need. I recommend several E-tanks (the small portables) and one larger M or H tank. -Chris

Jeff, Sorry about the new seeds... you may prefer to go the full mushy anyway. You just gotta relax and go with it. Take a light dose and watch a silly movie, or put on some Zep or Pink Floyd and really appreciate it. Oh, and Dan, I ain't braggin...the meds have had their way with me at times too. I guess if it isn't verap, it's lithium, or topomax or thorazine or whatever. ;D-T

Hey Hipshot, you ever think maybe it wasn't the Verap making the winky dinky? I can't say it hit me the same way. -T

I agree with calling the nurse back, or when you talk with the O2 supplier let them know you need a 0-15lpm reg...they may supply. As is, they'll need to give you at least a 0-10lpm. Getting the script right is the best path. (why do they do that!) CHFather is right about making adjustments. I needed to adjust my tanks, etc. Originally the only one I got was one huge tank which was OK, but I always needed to go to the O2 and sometimes that wasn't practical - you know, the mid-hit confusion stuff's on the second floor what was I doing again crappy feeling thing. I was able to just ask the o2 supplier for what I needed though and they adjusted without a problem. If course, it wasn't right away. -T

ahh, balance grasshopper, balance. You know there's a similar theory about major weather shifts in the history of the planet occurring with a slight shift of the earth's axis and relocation of the north pole. At the end of the day, the new landing place for the poles redefines the new norm. I suppose it's not unreasonable to suspect that we're slightly off our original rhythm and balance. But then how do the episodics get so in and out of sync on a regular basis?

I actually didn't realize that was the case...just changed it. Thanks! -Chris

CHFather, on the site I included what's called a Tag Cloud. What that provides is a visual representation of terms used most often in the content. If you click on any term in the cloud, a list of all related documents comes right up. Oxygen is a heavily used term and is easily seen in the "cloud". -Chris

I guess another factor is that seeds come in varying levels of potency per batch, so you kind of need to "get to know" the batch. -T

Les, I've read many explanations of imbalance and rhythm disruption for a whole host of maladies. Any homeopathic site worth it's salt claims to understand the world's problems in very simplistic terms. Perhaps that's why it "makes sense" to some people and to others sounds like a bunch of nonsense. What is difficult for me to get past is the notion that all maladies originate from those same, very rudimentary issues, yet express themselves in such a variety of highly complex issues, like CH. I read an article recently, although I can't now remember where it was, that pointed to a singular stressful event as the originating point of hormonal imbalance and the cause of cancer. That would imply, to me, that everyone will have cancer since surely everyone has at least some period of significant stress. That explanation of the cause does little for me in understanding the solution. There is some medical grounding in your pendulum theory with regard to meds. It's the same as withdrawal from a medication. If your body is accustomed to a certain level of chemically induced emotion or physical change and that chemical is suddenly removed, the body craves it or goes into overdrive attempting to return to some level of homeostasis. A blast of Imitrex is certainly going to have some rebound effect post dose. Although the dosage is designed to maintain a safe rebound, that doesn't mean it won't be negative. -Chris

I'd just look right past that post. How are you doing? Do you have any O2 yet? -T

You, excitable? I've never seen it Jeebs. Always calm, collected, and considerate. -T

Thanks for the feedback! Ya, I was thinking of having the O2 info as a community page that can be edited but separating it out makes sense too. It's such a straightforward solution it should get high visibility. Thanks. -Chris

Hi All, I decided at the beginning of the year, during a particularly difficult time for me with ongoing hits, that I needed to do a little more to help the ch cause. What is missing for me is a sort of "ch library" that covers the bases of both traditional and non-traditional approaches. I spent a week or so playing with a WIKI environment to see what I could come up with and actually was able to develop what I think is a pretty good site (I'm an IT guy so took to it like a fish to water). I included an information library and an area for "cluster diaries," individual experiences with diagnosis, meds, doctors, other treatments, etc. I also included a chat area and a bulletin board. Frankly I was reluctant to add the bulletin board since it may seem to duplicate the ones here, but in the end I felt it made it a more complete WIKI. By all means, my intent is to enhance the ability of the community, not to detract from the existing phenomenal value of clusterbusters. In fact, I will do everything I can at the site to point in this direction. The site is planned to go live at the end of the month, but for all intents and purposes, it's online now. Please do check it out at www.clusterheadacheinfo.org I certainly plan to stick around here. -Chris