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am I chronic?


LJ
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Hello all - new to the board but not to clusters. 31 yrs old my clusters started the night of a accident where I had facial trauma. After yrs of not knowing finally found a neuro who educated me on CH's. I always used the same steroid/verap combo she prescribed which seemed to do the trick. When it didnt i always stock piled trex inj and that got me by. This cycle however has been different. Started Nov 3rd and by the end of January I had cycled the pred 3x's going up to 150mg per day. Did I go chronic or was it rebounds from all the steroids ans trex? Ive had sub orbital injections, chiro, and even tried acupuncture (no telling how many different meds) and was gearing up for surgery. Im 4 straight months in and honestly was starting to give up. My wife found your site so I began researching, I found some much needed hope. I am detoxing right now which is so difficult.Sat night I tried the HBWR seeds where I saw some relief (didnt know I had to detox until after I had done the seeds). I bought a shroom kit today but that looks as if it may take over a month. I have more seeds coming but dont know if they were truly effective.I did not get any the night I took the seeds for sure which I get at least 4 per night. What do you all suggest? Am I missing anything? I started D3 as well today. Ive read about these slapback headaches. Mine have been coming 24 hrs a day so Im not sure if the cycle was affected or they are slapbacks. I can honestly say that Ive learned more from you all in the last week then I have from 5 neurologist Ive had to deal with over the yrs. Thanks, LJ

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Hi,

You'll need to detox from virtually all of your meds before any of the busting procedures discussed here will be effective (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1270936757). High-volume oxygen hyper-ventilation will help with this as well as provide you with the highest quality abortive legally available (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1299901790). If you're comfortable using HBWR seeds and you find that they work for you (something you won't know until you've detoxed), they're okay though most find Rivea Corumbosa (RC) seeds easier to prepare, more likely to be viable and less likely to contain contaminants (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1290128974). Since you've already purchased a shroom kit, you might as well get yourself a spore syringe and start your garden. If you for any reason don't use the shrooms yourself, you could help a lot of others who for one reason or another can't grow their own. Good luck!

Ron

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I did not get any the night I took the seeds for sure which I get at least 4 per night

Sounds to me this is very promising. You'll know more after detoxing, especially from Imitrex (5 days).

I think gardening M is more than a month for harvest. I don't know all the good links to grow, but I've been following Fester's gardening thread http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1328716406/53#53 oops, that's the last page... anyways, you should find your way.

And yes, most using seeds use the RC seeds, but I wanted to try HBWR also some time, I remember seeing a post from Kyle saying it was the best.

To qualify as a chronic, you have to have a full year cycle, so you're not there yet I think.

Good luck and I wish you pain free days soon.

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Chronic is basically considered a year or more without breaks over a certain amount of time.

Do not lose hope! Just because you're in month 4, it doesn't mean you're chronic. Imitrex is believed by some to lengthen cycles / change them... Which could just be what happened to you. Or the weird weather we've had this year, or a NUMBER of things.

Even if you WERE chronic...there is still hope. We've got plenty of people on these boards who are either managing their chronic condition to where they can have a normal life, or whom have gone back to being episodic!

I'm chronic, but the busting methods keeps it all under control so my life is so much better than when I started out. :)

You're gonna be fine! Get that O2, and getcha some RC seeds and you can bust real soon and get these headaches under control.

Mystina

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Thanks. Im not getting anymore CH's during the day so at least I can work like a normal human being. Even the night time attacks aren't as violent. I work for a o2 supplier in Houston so Ive been using the o2 throughout the entire duration of this never ending cycle. It seems to have lost its affect the more I use it though? Tomorrow is my 5th day of detox from the meds so I'll do my next dose of the HBWR tomorrow night. I stopped taking the Verapamil as well. Can I continue to take that during this period? If so do I continue to take daily around the year? Damn I cant wait to beat this freakin thing!

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There are people who bust while still on verapamil, and some who have had to stop it to get better results. I think the jury is still out on it, but most people advise that you stop it completely if possible.

I think it depends on your body. If you've already stopped the Verap, I'd go ahead and stay off it and bust without it.

It sounds t o me like the seeds are already working if you can work through the day some! Congrats! :)

You'll be just fine. What kind of flow are you using for the 02 and do you have a proper mask?

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Thats what I was thinking, I'll stay off of it. Im using 15LPM with a non-rebreather mask. I was using a O2 percent lock mask (also called a venturi mask) before but did noticed a faster response with the non rebreather.

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Ive been using the o2 throughout the entire duration of this never ending cycle. It seems to have lost its affect the more I use it though?

Some ideas for upping the O2 effectiveness:

1) jump to a higher liter flow, either with a demand valve system or a minimum 25 LPM regulator

2) drink a caffeine + taurine containing energy drink such as Monster or Red Bull right at onset

3) Consider the D3 regimen which is purported to, amongst other things, optimize arterial PH, enabling O2 to be more effective: http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cb/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1314134804

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imoorman,

Get 25LPM O2. Hyperventilate till the pain lessens and you can breathe normally. Think of your lungs as a beach ball. Blow it up, pulling your diaphragm down and sides out. Exhale ALL of it and go again. Focus on your breathing while bringing the pain level down.

Breathe normally. Adjust the flow down as you go. If it took 5 minutes or 60 breathes to get rid of it, then keep breathing for another 5 minutes or 60 breathes. I have found that this method prevents the return of the dragon in 30 minutes. If I try to cheat, I pay big time. >:(

If you don't like energy drinks, a cup of coffee will do the trick too. Maybe not as well for some, but those who can't down the Monster can get significant relief from strong coffee. Put the pot on, hit the O2, suck the coffee and back to the O2 if needed. 8-)

Best of luck. This is the best place to be for the CH beast.

spiny

whose Neuro gave her a list of drugs to run past her 'friends' on the net. ;D ;D ;D ;D

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In my 5th day now of detox. Slept a total of 5 hrs in last 3 days. Getting absolutely hammered at night (every two hrs) with the occassional one or two during the day. Last night's were so bad it doesnt seem real. I feel hung over from what Im putting my body through between the stresses associated with these attacks and lack of sleep. Im so tired Im having a difficult time dealing with these boneheads from work that have no clue what Im going through! Im going to do the seeds tonight. Hopefully now that Im detoxed they'll have more of a effect. Damn I hope they work. If not I'll have to wait for the garden to grow. Can I wait that long? May have to take a trip to the virgin islands to get some of that rum unless someone knows where I can get some. Im in houston but Im prepapred to drive basically anywhere. Im sure this is frowned apon but Im desparate so Ive got no shame in asking. Either way thanks for listening. Feels good at least venting a little. BTW I have a order in for the 25LPM reg you all told me to get.

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I am in the same boat as you, I tried the seeds and have had no luck, now preparing to do some pharming, looks like about a 5 week wait but I have knowledge now about 02 and it has been wonderful, the more I use it the better I get at controlling the pain, and I have hope that the shrooms will do the trick.

Came here 4 weeks ago and had no (hope), and had no (02) and even though I am getting hammered harder than ever during the night and day, mentally and emotionally I am in a better place than I have been in a long time.

Hang in there and keep posting. Hope is found here!!!!!!!!!

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If not I'll have to wait for the garden to grow.

If you know someone that'll let you wander around in their cow pasture, you won't have to wait. With the recent rains we've had, they should be popping up like gangbusters right now.

It's the season.

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For some reason I didnt think I could use that "kind". How are those prepared? do I have to wait till they are a certain size or color? I have to cook those right? I dont even know how many to take.

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The psilocybe cubensis growing in the pastures is basically the same as the strains being cultivated by many. They can be harvested any time after the veil breaks. They are probably potent even before the veil breaks although I've never picked them that small. The first one I picked many years ago, I just washed it off and ate it. But ever since then I always made tea. Get some water hot, near boiling, chop or break the shroom up and put it in the water to steep. Once it's cooled off, strain and drink. The dosage is always a crap shoot as the potency can vary. It might be best to dry them cracker dry and weigh out your dose.

Oh yeah, and probably needless to say, wash them off first so you're making tea and not beef stew.

If you're not familiar with identifying them, you might want to have someone that knows show you the right kind. They're easy to ID once you've seen them as they have a thick white stem that usually stains blue where they've been cut. Turn it over and they have many fine gills and partial gills that are described as purple black, but they just look black to me. Normally they range in size from 2"-6" but I've seen them larger. The cap color will vary depending on water content. Usually a light tan or golden tan near the center fading to almost creamy and then darker again near the edge.

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Oh yeah, and probably needless to say, wash them off first so you're making tea and not beef stew.

My brain is so fecked up right now I read that as "if you're making tea and not beef stew."

So I automatically thought: "...I guess the cow poop gives the stew flavor."

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Need a little more help. I scored some shrooms but Im curious about the 5 day rule. I did the seeds yesterday and I know they had a affect bc I actually slept and my HA's today are different. (I just finished a 5hr lev 10 dance) Since it was just the seeds do I need to wait on the shrooms? Should I wait to see if I busted my cycle w/ the seeds?

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I know I keep replying to my "am I chronic" thread so if I need to start another you guys set me straight. Im almost 36 hrs after I took the HBWR seeds and Ive seen a big decline in the number and severity of my CH's. Last night it seemed I had shadows most all of the night into the morning (just 1 CH). How many days after will I know if I busted the cycle or does it vary? Tuesday will be my 5th day so I wanted to know if Im still getting HA's then should I take the next step up (shrooms)? Took my kids to the park today for a picnic. Havent been able to do anything like that in four months and I owe it to you all.

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Imoorman,

You should wait 5 days between either med. If you are seeing improvement like you are, you might stay with what is already working.

You will continue to improve or after 3-5 days, the $hit will start back harder again. Your initial improvement sounds great. If the Ch is not gone after those few days, hit it again. Try to stretch out dosing when it becomes possible with the pain relief.

If one med is working you might just stick with it for several weeks. No need to change if you have success. But waiting 5 days is pretty standard. Slap-backs for a day or two after dosing is a good sign, not a sign the medicine is not working.

Read, read, read the archives!!!!

All the best.

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I know I keep replying to my "am I chronic" thread so if I need to start another you guys set me straight.

Nah, just stick to one thread, you're easier to find this way.

Agree with spiny, go with what got you there. Getting relief from this crap is great isn't it?

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Relief is bliss but I want to finish these _uckers off while they are down! Since I have shrooms already and if indeed I still have HA's in 5 days Im going to do them. (I want to know if they'll work anyway bc I plan on growing, cant grow RC or HBWR seeds and you never know when they wont be available bc of some dumbass kids abusing them) Im drying the shrooms out and plan to grind and capsule them. How many capsules should I take or is it strictly by grams? Sorry if this is in the archives Spiny. I really have tried to read most but up until a few days ago I was just trying to survive this crap.

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