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Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Cluster Headache Specific >> no insurance!! O2 etc
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Message started by flyinfree on Aug 26th, 2009 at 2:37pm

Title: no insurance!! O2 etc
Post by flyinfree on Aug 26th, 2009 at 2:37pm
I have no insurance, my season just started last night, it has been a few years.
Knowing all about this experience i am totally tripping out.  i am scared, pissed, dissappointed that they came back, and most of all I UNDERSTAND HOW URGENT IT IS THAT GET SOME OXYGEN rolling right now.

suggestions please.

and thank you to Gina? with the avie guys pounding himself apart.  I laughed so hard at that i cried.  Sure need to find this place.

this will be my 5th time to cycle, and from my experience i have a good 2-3 months of FF'in hell ahead.

any suggestions on black market 02 :) drugs? lol!  crap this aint funny.


Title: Re: no insurance!! O2 etc
Post by flyinfree on Aug 26th, 2009 at 2:40pm
oh and i notice alot of posts refer to "the left" to find info and links.  my screen does NOT seem to have "the left"??????

ever feel an explosion coming on!  hahahaah wtf are you laughing at!
gimme a hug

FF :o

Title: Re: no insurance!! O2 etc
Post by Marc on Aug 26th, 2009 at 4:08pm
I use welding oxygen to abort my attacks. Very low cost, very effective, no prescription required.


Title: Re: no insurance!! O2 etc
Post by Marc on Aug 26th, 2009 at 8:28pm
You got me thinking about cost, so I came up with this:

I use an average of 35-40 lpm for 3-6 minutes to kill an attack. So, 40 lpm x 6 minutes = 240 liters per CH.

My T tank holds about 9500 liters of O2, so:
9500 liters / 240 liters per CH = 40 CH's per tank.

It costs me $18.50 per refill of my tank, so:
$18.50 tank / 40 CH's = $0.46 per CH.

I am jobless and broke, but I can assure you that I am very happy to pay 50 cents to kill virtually every hit that comes my way!

Depends upon how badly you want to stop the agony.

Title: Re: no insurance!! O2 etc
Post by Lawrence on Aug 27th, 2009 at 12:13am

Marc wrote on Aug 26th, 2009 at 4:08pm:
I use welding oxygen to abort my attacks. Very low cost, very effective, no prescription required.


Welding oxygen? wow? what type of setup do you have?
I-M me

Title: Re: no insurance!! O2 etc
Post by Marc on Aug 27th, 2009 at 8:31am
Lawrence,

Might as well post it here, as others have asked also.

Many of us started using welding O2 when we discovered that it is the identical product in every way. I've actually visited two O2 production facilities and watched them fill O2 and "medical" tanks from the same huge tank.

I'm not a welder, but I walked into my local auto parts place and asked what it would cost me to set up with a BIG tank. No one asked if I knew what I was doing, but I said that I was just learning to use a torch so I would probably be using a fair amount.

I was given the choice of buying a new tank or leasing tanks from them for $45./year. I chose to lease, so I simply swap empty tanks for full tanks.

You CAN use a welding type regulator by adapting the welding hose to the tubing for the mask. I already had a medical regulator CGA-540 fitting. More explanation of my set up here:

START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to Login or RegisterEND PRINTPAGE

Let me know if you need more info.

Marc

Title: Re: no insurance!! O2 etc
Post by flyinfree on Aug 27th, 2009 at 9:10am
fantastic, i will be checking this stuff out today.  I had two attacks last night and one was pretty long.

damn these things hurt like hell!! my gawd.....................

my temple and head veins just ache today
:off :o

Title: Re: no insurance!! O2 etc
Post by Marc on Aug 27th, 2009 at 9:57am
Keep in mind that it is certainly not a cure in any sense of the word. But for many/most of us, it does provide immediate pain relief.  (What is that worth to you)

Since I learned how to use O2 therapy at VERY high flow rates, it is very, very rare for the pain to climb higher than a mere annoyance. 3-6 minutes of hyper ventilating at around 35-45 lpm kills virtually all of my hits. For the first time in 13+ years of being chronic, I almost have my life back.

While many people report good success at lower flow rates, using the standard 12-15 lpm flow rate just doesn't cut it for me. The pain gets out of control and the hit comes back in 15-30 minutes.

IMHO, there are critical components in achieving success with O2:

- Hit the tank at the very first hint of a CH. Waiting even a few minutes will greatly reduce your odds of nailing it.

- Start with AT LEAST 25 lpm. Many people (including me) have said O2 didn’t work for them. For some, that it is very true. But for many others, it’s simply a matter of getting the flow rate up. It’s depressing to think how I suffered so much needless agony for so many years because I didn’t try it at high flow. I found my magic bullet at 34-45 lpm for 3-6 minutes.

- Forcefully breathe deep and breathe fast in order to really hyper ventilate for just the first few minutes. When the pain slides away, turn the flow rate down to a comfortable rate and stay with it for a few more minutes.

- For the first week or so, the CH may return soon after stopping the O2. This problem will hopefully reduce over time, IF YOU CONTINUE to attack every CH full blast at the highest rate you can possibly suck in the O2. Don’t get lazy, always go balls-out every single time.

Read all of the information contained in the “oxygen info” link here on the site.

Marc

Title: Re: no insurance!! O2 etc
Post by gizmo on Aug 27th, 2009 at 2:31pm

flyinfree wrote on Aug 26th, 2009 at 2:40pm:
oh and i notice alot of posts refer to "the left" to find info and links.  my screen does NOT seem to have "the left"??????


Try the following link: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to Login or RegisterEND PRINTPAGE

Title: Re: no insurance!! O2 etc
Post by REDS DAD on Aug 27th, 2009 at 10:11pm

Marc wrote on Aug 26th, 2009 at 8:28pm:
You got me thinking about cost, so I came up with this:

I use an average of 35-40 lpm for 3-6 minutes to kill an attack. So, 40 lpm x 6 minutes = 240 liters per CH.

My T tank holds about 9500 liters of O2, so:
9500 liters / 240 liters per CH = 40 CH's per tank.

It costs me $18.50 per refill of my tank, so:
$18.50 tank / 40 CH's = $0.46 per CH.

I am jobless and broke, but I can assure you that I am very happy to pay 50 cents to kill virtually every hit that comes my way!

Depends upon how badly you want to stop the agony.


On the OUCH website, there is a list of non-script C.H. remedies. They mention visiting your local firehouse if you're having an o2 emergency. You may want to give them a try. After all, they are there to "serve & protect".
Bring any o2 related literature with you that pertains to C.H.
Good luck!
Mike

Title: Re: no insurance!! O2 etc
Post by Sandy_C on Aug 28th, 2009 at 11:59am
I also use welder's O2.

I went to my local welding supply house and asked for a tank of 100% oxygen.  They didn't ask why I wanted it, so DO NOT volunteer any information.  If they do ask, tell them you're going to weld something.  They will not give you a tank if they know you are going to breathe it.

The welding supply houses don't label their tanks like medical O2 does (E tank, H tank, etc), so I just said I wanted one that was about 4' high.  I lease this tank for $56 per year, and it costs me around $18 for a refill.

That said, make sure you get a regulator that goes to a minimum of 15 lpm (most folks here now recommend a 25 lpm regulator).  I bought my 15 lpm regulator on e-bay.

You also will need a full NON-rebreather mask.  You can find this on the OUCH website (which is on the list of items to the left of the screen, which you don't have????? - I dunno why you don't have it).

Sandy

Title: Re: no insurance!! O2 etc
Post by Lawrence on Aug 28th, 2009 at 12:39pm

Marc wrote on Aug 27th, 2009 at 8:31am:
Lawrence,

Might as well post it here, as others have asked also.

Many of us started using welding O2 when we discovered that it is the identical product in every way. I've actually visited two O2 production facilities and watched them fill O2 and "medical" tanks from the same huge tank.

I'm not a welder, but I walked into my local auto parts place and asked what it would cost me to set up with a BIG tank. No one asked if I knew what I was doing, but I said that I was just learning to use a torch so I would probably be using a fair amount.

I was given the choice of buying a new tank or leasing tanks from them for $45./year. I chose to lease, so I simply swap empty tanks for full tanks.

You CAN use a welding type regulator by adapting the welding hose to the tubing for the mask. I already had a medical regulator CGA-540 fitting. More explanation of my set up here:

START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to Login or RegisterEND PRINTPAGE

Let me know if you need more info.

Marc

nice, thanks for posting that.
favorited

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