Oxygen supplier

[Freud]

So I ran out of O2 and called Apria for a refill. They were here with in 2 hrs and the guy offered me an extra tank. Can’t say enough good things about my experience with them so far. So now I have 2 full M tanks ready to go. My experience with the O2 is mixed.  Sometimes it aborts in 10-15 min and other times nothing. Same breathing technique. 

[FunTimes]

Try a 5hr drink on the way to the o2 or even if you find the O2 slow to react and that will sometimes be just what you need to abort that attack. 

[Freud]

I give them another chance. The 5 hr energy shots did nothing for me what brand do you use?

[FunTimes]

I use the 5hr energy brands you will find all over and I also use Eternal energy and hydroxycut I think makes a version that I get from Walmart. 

[Dallas Denny]

Always love hearing about a good O2 supplier Freud!!

I loathe the taste of ALL energy drinks so I keep a cup of Joe in the microwave at all times when I'm cycling.......at the 1st tinge I nuke it for 60 seconds and while its warming I hit the O2.....when hot, I shut down the O2, hold the cup where I can slip on it and blow on it which blows the hot steam up on my right eye....after a minute of doing this I jump back on the O2.....my average abort time is 5 to 8 minutes using this technique and often times under 5 minutes!!

One of our other mods, Spiny, uses the same technique but with cold coffee!

DD

[Freud]

Thanks for the replies, when the O2 works it’s like magic. But these random CH attacks I’m getting don’t always respond and seem to last much longer than my normal CHs. I’ve been doing the coffee as well, may be it’s time to fire up the espresso machine. Thankfully I’m only getting hit 1-2 times a week. Time to bust again tomorrow. 

Edited December 19, 2018 by Freud

[jon019]

Freud...try backing off the caffeine til ONLY when you need it....lookin' for an ice cube down the back effect.....

[Freud]

I have insomnia so it’s rare that I have more than 1 cup in the AM. I could take ambien, Benadryl , and melatonin and still stare at the ceiling. 

[CHChris]

I have recently switched from energy drinks to taurine powder in a cup of coffee.  My CH are chronic, but things have picked up over the past two weeks or so (like clockwork).  I hate energy drinks, so I got some 1000mg taurine pills online.  I try to mix it in to a cup of hot coffee and then cool it down with an ice cube or two to get it down faster.  It seems to work about the same as the energy drinks, and is easier on my stomach.

5 hour energy shots have the taurine and caffeine combo we are after.  However, the Costco brand (Kirkland) energy shots do not contain taurine.

Since things have picked up lately, I have had to use way more oxygen than normal.  I even swapped my medical flow regulator for a pressure regulator.  Basically it gives me the oxygen as fast as I can take it .  The increased flow rate has been very helpful.  You might try to increase the flow rate if you can for some of the crazy ones that won't go away.  My welding regulator is the only thing keeping me sane right now.

[ThatHurtsMyHead]

One VERY important key to using O2 is get on it before the pain kicks in.  As soon as you feel the attack coming.  Slam the energy drink, and get on the O2.  If you can do that before the pain kicks in, I'd bet you the O2 will work better. 

For me, if I can't get to the O2 till the pain starts, it takes 45 mins to work, if it even works at all.  

J

[Freud]

Great pro tip. I haven’t been getting on until it’s full blown. I’ll try that from now on. 

[xxx]

Hyperventilating with 100% oxygen is 95% effective for 95% of CHers.  The down side of this breathing procedure is it consumes a lot of oxygen... like 250 liters per abort.  The key is hyperventilating as that lowers arterial CO2.  Accordingly, hyperventilating at forced vital capacity tidal volumes for 30 seconds with room air then inhale a lungful of 100% oxygen and hold it for 30 seconds is just as effective.  Repeat this sequence until the CH pain stops.  That usually takes an average of 7 complete cycles (7 minutes) and consumes roughly 25 liters of oxygen...  One tenth of what's consumed hyperventilating with 100% oxygen. 

Sucking ice water through a straw from a glass filled with ice and water so it washes across the hard pallet on the CH hit side chills the hard pallet and sphenopalatine ganglia directly above it causing a mini brain freeze.  This has the same effect helping to abort a CH as slamming a 5-Hour sports drink.

[xxx]

We did a pilot study of the oxygen demand valve method of aborting CH in 2008 with 7 CHers.  4 of the CHers used the oxygen demand valve breathing at respiration rates that produced the effects of hyperventilation. The other 3 used a 0-60 liter/minute InGage regulator from Flotec set at 40 liters/minute.  Both methods produced the same rapid CH aborts in an average of 7 minutes to a CH pain free state across CH pain levels 3 to 9 using the 10-Point Headache Pain Scale. The seven CHers collected abort times and pain levels for a total of 8 weeks each.  This resulted in data for a total of 366 aborts.  One CHer collected data for a week using a standard disposable oxygen mask at an oxygen flow rate of 15 liters/minute.  The results are illustrated in the following graphic.

364 of these aborts were effective in less than or equal to 20 liters/minute for a success rate of 99.4%.  The two failures happened when the CHer got trapped away from his oxygen system until the pain level as already at 10 at start of therapy.  As you can also see, oxygen therapy at flow rates that support hyperventilation produced much shorter abort times than a flow rate of 15 liters/minute.   This chart also illustrates the higher the CH pain level at start of oxygen therapy at oxygen flow rates that support hyperventilation, the longer it took to abort the CH.  This is the reason why we need to start oxygen therapy at the first indication of a CH attack while pain levels are low.

Edited December 20, 2018 by Batch

[Freud]

Batch what is your back ground are you an MD or PHD?  Do you do research for s living? And as always thanks for the solid scientific data!

Edited December 20, 2018 by Freud

[xxx]

Freud,

Fair question and thanks for the kind words.  I'm a 74 year old retired Navy Fighter Pilot.  I was flying Navy fighters like the F9-F8 Cougar and F-8 Crusader, a.k.a., Mig Master before they started the first Top Gun class...  I've a degree in Chemistry and at one point, was considering a career in medicine...  I got a ride in a Navy trainer aircraft (T-34) my Junior year at the U of W, Seattle and that sealed the deal...  The thought of flying Navy fighters appeared to be be a lot more fun than another 6 years of school so I joined the Navy to fly in 1965...  I'm also a long time CHer (first CH attack in 1994), chronic since 2004.  I've over 3000 hours flying Navy fighters and all of that flight time was spent breathing 100% oxygen from takeoff to landing (usually aboard an aircraft carrier).  I can assure you, I was sucking down 100% oxygen at flow rates that support hyperventilation during high G-Force dog fights and combat maneuvering... like getting shot at by bad guy SAMs and AAA.  I'm a patent holder for the demand valve method of rapid CH aborts method of therapy.  I also have 15 years training in aviation physiology with most of that training in oxygen breathing systems.   I'm a member of the American Academy of Neurology as a cluster headache researcher and I've had the opportunity to meet with some of the top neurologists in the world experienced in treating patients suffering from cluster and migraine headache. 

Bottom line... I'm here to help CHers avoid the terrible pain we all know so well by providing information outreach on safe and effective methods of controlling CH (oxygen therapy with hyperventilation as a safe and effective CH abortive and vitamin D3 therapy as a safe and effective CH preventative).  I started doing this in 2006.  You can find my web page at VitaminDWiki at the following link:  http://is.gd/clustervitd

'Hope this answers your question.

Take care,

V/R, Batch

Edited December 20, 2018 by Batch

[Freud]

Wow, my hats off to you. Thanks for your service and your contributions. I’ve seen you help so many people in the short time I’ve been here. There was a guy in my PA class that was a fighter pilot trainer for years before he retired. Mark litchenstine. 

[CHChris]

Batch,

I used to have so much respect for you, but as a graduate of Washington State University I have to say I'm not so sure anymore.

Of course, I am only kidding, and as a former squid myself (submarines), will give some respect for your Navy service.

Thank you for all of your CH work, I know you are helping lots of people, myself included.

 

[xxx]

Hey CHChris,

Thank you for your service and the kind words.  It was a tough battle as always between the UW and WSU this year... fortunately both teams came away with bowl games ahead.  I served with both fast attack and boomer skippers at USPACOM '83-'88, so have a great deal of respect for the guys and gals who fly or flew their boats under water to keep us safe.  The Sub Base at Bangor, WA is 10 minute drive from home...  I kept nearly all of my GMTs busy training at SWFPAC while Gun Boss on Kitty Hawk going through COH at Puget '81-82.  The training paid off... We were the first carrier to pass our NWAI on the first attempt coming out of COH.

Take care with a Very Merry Christmas to you and yours. Have a Happy and Healthy CH PF New Year as well.

V/R, Batch