Vipul

Thanks for your inputs. And if it's not going to help, I'm not going to be tough on myself then:) Love and regards Vipul

Hello, Been a smoker for the last 35 years. It's the only vice I have still not given up. Is there any evidence to suggest that giving up on smoking would benifit a cluster headache sufferer? Has anyone benefitted here on this forum from quitting smoking? I used to be episodic but seem to have turned chronic. Have only had a couple of days off in the last 6 months. Would love to know. Lots of love. Vipul

Hello, I keep an O2 tank in the car to use in case I get an attack when am out of the house. I got an attack today while traveling and immediately stopped to start on O2. I was shocked to see that there was very little O2 left In the tank even though it was a full tank when I kept it in the car 2 weeks ago. This has happened earlier as well. Question is, can this happen in hot conditions where the O2 expands increasing the presure in the tank and leaking from the tank? If this is true then I'll stop keeping the tank in the car for long. Love and regards, Vipul

Hi, been looking over the net and there are many articles suggesting cataract formation as a side effect of heavy usage of Prednisone besides many others. And to be honest, I did overuse them.

Hello, So an update to my post. I got my eye checked and they discovered I have cataract in my right eye. Thought it was a little early for this but got operated immediately. After the operation the doc mentioned that my cataract looked very different from all the others he had operated upon. He asked me if I had ever used steroids? Told him that I had used Predniselone for an extended period if time. He concluded that my cataract was caused due to the Preniselone. Checked on google and they say yes, you can develop cataract with Presniselone use. Thought I'll update on the forum. I'll also change the subject.

Hello, I have noticed that the vision in my right eye has dropped over the last few years. This is the side where I get cluster pain. A few months back I discovered that O2 is a life saver for me and since then I have only had to deal with mild pain when the attack starts. However for more than 3 years before that I was dealing with very severe pain regularly. Question is, could all that pain have caused a drop in vision in the effected eye? I somehow feel so. Love and best wishes to everyone. Vipul Nair

Hello, yes ginger works great. I make myself some stong ginger tea. I've noticed, a hot shower also does the job with shadows.

Hi, what i realise after reading your message is that maybe my cycle was tapering down when I started the O2 and hence was able to abort quickly. Will need to be monitored over time. So, my first 2 years the cycle was pretty much predictable. Would start in July/aug and dec/jan and would last 30 to 45 days. The 3rd year the cycle starts whenever. Have had 5 cycles and even when the cycle is over, I get these shadow type attacks on an and off. Love and pain free wishes to you.

Thanks @Shaun brearleyand @CHfather thanks. am quite clear now. Maybe I was just getting too involved in the technical details. I've ordered a welding regulator from Amazon and hopefully it should work. Should receive it today. Love

Hi @CHfather @Racer1_NC @xxx Still trying to source tbe O2 regulator. As advised I am reviewing welding regulators as they are all able to give higher output. I still have a few questions. 1. The gauge on the welding regulators are in bar/ psi rather than lpm. So, I really wouldn't know what lpm I am on. Not really an issue. 2. All regulators I reviewed have a max inlet pressure mentioned as 100 bar. I believe all O2 cylinder has a pressure of 150 bar. Why is this so and is it ok to use? 3. The outlet pressure is 0 to 12 bar which I think is much more than I would need. 4. Does the welding regulator need a thicker O2 pipe or is it the same as medical regulator pipe? 5. Is a single stage regulator good enough or do j go for the two stage which controls the outlet flow.? Request help to confirm the above. Attacked images of the regulator and specs.

I will do just that. Will find myself a portable one. They are made of aluminium, or steel if I'm not wrong and are supposed to be lighter as well. How much O2 does the e tank hold? Found something similar here. Attaching a pic.

Thanks, my neuro didn't even prescribe it to me. In fact he laughed when I told him about the 15 lpm high flow oxygen. He said get one if those O2 cans if you want to try oxygen. It's very shocking how little even specialised neuros know about this disorder. Folks at clusterbusters know way more than any neurologist knows about cluster headaches. I also cannot imagine life now without O2. In fact I haven't left home since I got on to it. I don't want to be far from my O2 when an attack starts. The cylinders I have are not very portable. They are about 4 ft tall and weights about 15 kg with an O2 capacity of 1500 ltrs. I plan to keep one in my car.

Thanks spiny.

Hello, Started using O2, 3 weeks back and it's great to be able to abort an attack before the pain becomes intense. What I now notice is that because I abort the attacks immediately, I don't know if the attack was mild or severe. In other words I will not know if the cycle is tapering down till the attacks actually stop. Usually for me the pain level lowers as the cycle is coming to an end. Now when my wife asks me if it was a bad one or mild one, I don't know what to say I've been kicking myself for not having tried the O2 before. I didn't need to endure all that crazy pain that I did for the last 3 years. It was so severe that I planned to exit life on more than a few occasions. Really grateful to all the wonderful people in this forum for being angels guiding people like me all the time. love and pain free wishes to all. Har Har Mahadev

Noted, so I'll use them only when O2 is not accessible. Thanks.

So nice to hear that I may not have to bear that unbearable pain again. Have so far not tried energy drinks and coffee. So basically the sumatriptan should only be used when O2 is not accessable I guess.

Hello, 15 lpm is also working for me as of now. In fact even lower. I've replaced the small bag on the mask with a big bag. I start inhaling when it's full. So even at 10 lpm I get enough oxygen for 10 to 15 breaths. In your experience does O2 always work to abort the attacks? Or does you get used to it with long term use? Do you use lesser oxygen as you learn to breath correctly? thanks, Vipul

Hi, yes I read the link and also saw the video on breathing techniques. Helps a lot. Re the regulator, thanks for the info. I'll look for a welding regulator if that's better. Don't think the lpm reading matters much. Thanks Vipul

Thanks so much for all the info. I think I first need to figure out for sure which reg I need the one at Amazon looks nice. I can have someone bring it for me.

Hello, I can see many on Amazon India but none that says 0 to 25 lpm. Most don't even specify the lpm and the ones that do, are 0 to 15. I'll look again. This one too does not specify lpm.

Hello, I can see many on Amazon India but none that says 0 to 25 lpm. Most don't even specify the lpm and the ones that do, are 0 to 15. I'll look again. Re the triptans, can't thank you enough buddy, my address is, Vipul Nair, A48 (ff) Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India. Do let me know what I owe you and I'll find a way to send it. God bless you brother. Vipul Har Har Mahadev

Thanks CHfather, they call them 10L tanks here as that is the water capacity. It holds 1500 litres of O2. I think my regulator is CGA 870. Attaching pics for your reconfirmation. I need to check if I can remove the humidifier from the regulator. If not, I'll get another one. Maybe import one from the US. Do you have a link? Thanks and I'll read the section on oxygen. Vipul Har Har Mahadev