I am a former marine and viet nam vet.  CH's began in early 1984 and I first sought treatment at the VA in 1986.
After several visits to triage I was told that they had done all they could do and would refer me to Neurology.  A week later I got a notice from them saying that my appointment had been scheduled....in a year!!! 

I immediately got on the phone to Senator Phil Grahams office, told them when I was told in 1966 to go to Viet Nam, I didn't say "OK, I'll be there in a year", and I didn't feel like I should have to wait a year to get some help.

Long story short, they intervened, I got to go to neurology the next day, and they more or less refused to help me cause I didn't have a service connected disability, (and because I went around their little system).

Fast forward to late 1997;  A terrible cycle started shortly after Christmas and on Jan 15th of 1998 I decided I had had enough and swallowed enough pills to kill 3 people but my wife came home unexpectedly and found me unconsicous, called 911, and I spent several days in ICU, another few on suicide watch and was then released to my wifes custody on Feb 4th.

On Feb 6th I checked into a motel room with a 6 pack, 3 vicodin, and a razor blade.  Drank a couple of the beers, downed the vicodins, and remember slicing my wrists with the razor.  Came to around 6 PM still very much alive but in quite a bit of pain.

Ended up in the Psych ward at the Dallas VA where they decided that since I drank beer and used pot I should be sent to their domicillary substance abuse program at the Bonham, Texas facility.  They absolutley refused to accept the fact that I tried to kill myself to escape the CH',s and told me I was just depressed from being an alcholic/addict but here is where it gets really crazy.

Because I was incarcerated in this DSAP program, my case worker could bypass normal chanels, and when I told him about the CH's I was sent to the same neurology department in Dallas where I was given varapamil and imitrex injection scripts (8   2 shot kits a month). I recieved those 16 shots a month for the whole year that I was in the program plus almost a year after I returned to the Dallas VA for a Compensated Work Therapy program.  Keep in mind that like most sufferers, I have periods of remission so I wasn't using all those shots as I got them.  At the end of the 2 years I was discharged from those programs and almost immediately thereafter, neurology refused to treat me any further and DC'd the scripts.

Now, after almost 4 years in remission, the beast has reared its ugly head and I'm down to the last 14 shots of all those that I hoarded (they still work despite being almost 4 years past the expiration date).

I don't have another suicide attempt in me and an now wondering how I'm going to get through all the VA bullchit to get another script when these are gone.

Thanks for lettin me rant and I'm open to suggestions if anyone has experience with greasin the wheels of the VA system.

As a taxpayer who is supposed to be taking care of the men and women who have and continue to do our country's fighting......I'm so sorry :'(. That's so damned wrong on so many levels. Anyone know how to right a screw up of this magnitude????

On a side note, please read the link on the left titled "Oxygen Info". It's far cheaper then trex, with none of the side effects, and if it proves as effective for you as it has for many, stops the attack just as fast. Hang in there, you're with family now.

Joe

Thanks Joe.  I do have oxygen and it helps alot.  After reading the oxy page this morning I called my supplier about a rebreather mask and am picking up one of those today.

Hey DallasDenny,

1) If you haven't seen this imitrex tip yet - it could practically save your life as it did mine: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE
It will double your 14 injections to 28 (!) and I and a whole  lot of others around here can testify that it works really well, even on the real slammer hits. In my case this even holds true for trex shots that expired SEVEN years ago :o, so your 4 year old ones are still newborns in comparison.  ;D

2) Great about getting the O2 mask! Well as long as it's a non rebreather, that's the kind ya really want.  :)

What Bejeeber just said.........for oxygen to work it's magic the FASTEST, it's critical your lungs get ONLY pure oxygen. No outside air, no exhaled air. That's best accomplished using the NON RE BREATHER  mask at a high flow rate, at least 15 LPM. If you drain the bag and then some on every breath, you need a higher flow. If you're not completely deflating the bag with every breath, your flow rate is probably okay.

Joe

Thanks for the posts ya'll and now I have another question.  Shortly after I posted this morning I got a call from my wifes work telling me she was being transported to the ER with chest pains, so had my son run me up there. Thankfully she was stable when I arrived and a co-worker that went to the hospital took me back to the facility where they work so I could get her car.  I decided to go by the oxy supply on my way back to the ER and pick up the non rebreather mask only to be told when I got there that they couldn't sell me one unless my DR wrote me another script requesting it. Said they were dangers involved with their use and my cluster diag didn't warrant its use. So I left without one and went back to the ER to be with my wife.  Low and behold there on the wall behind her bed was.....a non rebreather mask with bag sealed in plastic....which I politely thieved....and which is now hooked up to my tank just waitin for the beast to show.  Did ya'll have the same kind of trouble getting one of these masks and does anyone know what these dangers consist of, not that its gonna make me not use it, but guess would be nice to know what their big fuss was about.

Thanks again for the input   

Dallas Denny 62 wrote on Sep 29^th, 2009 at 7:18pm:

Thanks for the posts ya'll and now I have another question.  Shortly after I posted this morning I got a call from my wifes work telling me she was being transported to the ER with chest pains, so had my son run me up there. Thankfully she was stable when I arrived and a co-worker that went to the hospital took me back to the facility where they work so I could get her car.  I decided to go by the oxy supply on my way back to the ER and pick up the non rebreather mask only to be told when I got there that they couldn't sell me one unless my DR wrote me another script requesting it. Said they were dangers involved with their use and my cluster diag didn't warrant its use. So I left without one and went back to the ER to be with my wife.  Low and behold there on the wall behind her bed was.....a non rebreather mask with bag sealed in plastic....which I politely thieved....and which is now hooked up to my tank just waitin for the beast to show.  Did ya'll have the same kind of trouble getting one of these masks and does anyone know what these dangers consist of, not that its gonna make me not use it, but guess would be nice to know what their big fuss was about. Thanks again for the input

yep same shit from the place I got my masks.  check your pm box.

    potter

If all you need right now is a standard non-rebreather, send me your address in a PM and I will send you several.

Yeah, at one point my 02 prescription had expired, they wouldn't even repair the damned pressure guage on my regulator until I got a new 02 prescription. Covering their own heinies I'm sure.

Joe

Thanks Linda for the offer but I was able to get hold of one today.  Question though, I saw a post earlier today from someone who said they were getting relief though the nite by using the O2 prior to going to bed but now I can't find the post again to see how long they were using it.  Any experience with this?

Denny - Off topic: I thought you only became a former Marine once you were pushing up daisies.