started in 1978 and like clockwork they start late July on a 2 year cycle. Anyone else have such a relationship with such regularity? Oxygen didn't work last cycle so ....?

While not perfectly "regular," mine is pretty consistent. I generally get one cycle every 2 to 3 years that falls somewhere between May and August.... in one now.  :-/

PF wishes!

Mine are pretty consistant once in a while I'm thrown a curve ball. @ years ago i took my sons up Mt Washington NH on the cog railway a voila! altitude triggered one. Not a good place to be lol! Hope you are coping well with your current episode. I hate going out in public lack of sleep and tears are aging me quite fast.

Hey Muddawg,

If your oxygen therapy didn't work, I suspect the flow rate was likely too low...  15 liters/minute is the maximum flow rate most physicians will prescribe and even that's too low...  

A flow rate of 15 liters/minute is not going to be effective against cluster headache attacks over a Kip-6 or it will take so long, the attack will end on its own before you get the abort.  There's a high probability of anxiety and possibly panic attacks at this flow rate when CO2 builds up in your system faster than you can cast it off as a 15 liters/minute flow rate provides insufficient lung ventilation.

For example, if you climbed three flights of stairs at a rapid pace, your respiration rate would equate to a flow rate of over 45 liters/minute breathing normal air just to cast off excess CO2 generated by the physical activity...  I suspect you're a dancer or rocker during your high Kip-level cluster headache attacks just like the rest of us and that level of physical activity will command a respiration rate much higher than a 15 liter/minute flow rate with a non-rebreathing oxygen mask can deliver.  The result is CO2 build-up.  A slight elevation in arterial CO2 will completely negate the abortive effects of oxygen therapy at 15 liters/minute making an abort impossible.

25 liters/minute is the minimum flow rate that supports hyperventilation.  Most of us that use oxygen therapy at flow rates that support hyperventilation use either a demand valve or a high flow rate regulator with the $27.50 O2PTIMASK™ kit from CH.com or Linde LifeGas.  This mask is very important as it has a 3-liter reservoir bag...  That lets you take a full breath of oxygen instead of the 1-liter bag on your disposable NRB mask from the home oxygen supplier.

Take care,

V/R, Batch

What Batch said about 02 -- he's our resident O2 guru... listen to him...

Hugs BD :-*

For the first 20 years mine were like clockwork, spring and fall, 3 month cycles, am and pm hits. Got to my 40's and they went all over the board. Skipped cycles, longer cycles, it's the nature of the beast to keep you guessing!

Joe