i had kind of heard of the oxygen before. never really this many people were using it.  i thought my headaches were migraines, so i always researched migraines and never heard of O2. but all the cluster headache info includes oxygen as a treatment.  is it expensive to get it setup?  is it a hassle like am i gonna blow up, i mean i know i'll have to use common sense and be safe with it, but is the system over delicate?  like i have an gas stove with an open flame in my kitchen. is it hard to store?

All your questions can be answered by reading the oxygen link to the left of where you're reading this right now.  It's in yellow.

Yes! o2 is that good, for most of us at least. :)

Oh YES, O2 is wonderful for about 70% of us.

And it's not "delicate" - but "common sense" is required. It won't go BOOM, but it will burn if an area is saturated and then set on fire, so we don't recommend smoking while using it. ;) And you might want to use it in another room besides the kitchen when you're cooking.

Read the info on it and BE SURE you have the right regulator and the RIGHT mask. A high flow regulator is recommended by most of us with a non-rebreather mask or one you can order from this site (CH.com store on left in yellow - they're cheap and work REALLY great). We recommend at least 15 liters per minute regulators and 25 are even better. (Some of us go even higher and swear by it).

I can usually (nothing's perfect) abort in about 3-5 minutes with O2 without any meds.

Hopefully you'll be one of our success stories with the O2. Let us know how it works.

Hugs BD :-*

[smiley=thumbsup.gif] What Barb said!!!

Now that I have Oxygen I haven't used a prevent in two cycles.  I've also reduced my Imitrex injection usage to a handful per cycle.  I get on the O2 quick and kick the beast to the curb.

I have a "go bag" that goes everywhere with me.  It's a backpack that I've always carried back and forth to work.  Since starting O2 therapy I added a gallon sized ziplock back that contains my non-rebreather mask and 6' hose.  There is also a small e-tank regulator that goes up to 25lpm and my Imitrex Statdose backup for the rare occasion when O2 doesn't get it done or I run out or...

I keep an e-tank in the trunk of my car secured by the cargo netting that is built in.  The tank won't explode unless the temp in the trunk reaches 330 degrees.  Unless my car is on fire, that's not going to happen on the hottest of summer days.

I keep another e-tank on the floor of my office and my spares out on the porch in the summer. When winter hits I bring them in because the seals can leak in cold weather.  I can think of nothing worse than bringing in a tank to fight off the beast only to find that tank is empty :o

I also keep a large m-tank in my bedroom for waging war on the beast in the middle of the night.

I don't smoke.  I don't take chances with my O2.  I also don't find O2 to be a pain in the ass at all.  It simply removes the pain in my head  ;)

-Dennis-

O2 Works great for me!   My insurance won't cover it, but I have found two companies in my town, who will sell me e tanks for $10. per tank.   which is not too bad.    I just this year bought the clustermask they sell here, and it makes a big big difference. The ones that come with the tanks, are really junk.
   
   Also when I first found this place, I just wanted answers NOW, and asked a lot of goofy questions...I soon learned that you have to READ everything in here....READ READ READ...that will help ya the most.
   This place is a wealth of information :) :) :)
good luck to you!               lorac

Simply said: High flow oxygen therapy gave me my life back better than any other treatment.

I see it as being whole lot safer than driving my car around with a tank full of highly flammable gasoline.

Marc

YES! It's that good. But as Linda said, do read the link on the left. Used incorrectly it's worthless. Used unsafely it's dangerous. Used correctly it's the strongest, most effective and cheapest tool in my CH arsenal!

Joe

BarbaraD wrote on Oct 2^nd, 2009 at 5:30am:

Oh YES, O2 is wonderful for about 70% of us.

Only 70% ? I'm surprised to hear that. I would have thought the number would be much higher. hmmm

Well, I'm one of the 70%! I say  [smiley=sayyes.gif]  to O2!

I used to think I was one for whom it didn't work.  This summer I got hooked up with a 25 lpm regulator and an O2ptimask (available from the CH.com store VERY reasonably) and I found it works! Much better than I ever thought possible. 

I too cook with gas, but with the stove in the kitchen and my O2 in my living room I have no problems whatever.

Jerry

Yes, it's that good! And it's a lot cheaper than any other abortive. And I don't think it's a hassle: it's easy to use.   

But I would certainly recommend the mask you can buy in the CH.com store. I haven't got one yet, but I will soon, as using the masks my O2 company gave sure is a hassle.

Lottie

I have been using oxygen for several years I find that in the beginning stages and the ending stages of clusters the oxygen works great! Also less harmful to your body than other drugs. During the real nasty middle stage, O2 does nothing for me. But at least I get 2 out of 3 months of the oxygen help. I highly recommend it.

Weatherman wrote on Oct 2^nd, 2009 at 11:25pm:

BarbaraD wrote on Oct 2nd, 2009 at 5:30am: Oh YES, O2 is wonderful for about 70% of us. Only 70% ? I'm surprised to hear that. I would have thought the number would be much higher. hmmm Well, I'm one of the 70%! I say  [smiley=sayyes.gif]  to O2!

The last study I saw is quite old now, and showed 70% for a cross section of men and women. The number for men was much higher. Keep in mind all of that success was reported using 8-12 lpm flow, which doesn't work for me. 25 lpm for 3-6 minutes is FAR better for me than 15 lpm for 20 minutes.

I suspect that the number would be higher if people understood that they might need a higher flow rate than what was prescribed.

Marc

O2 has never failed me, and has very much simplified my life.

is the oxygen really that good?

Yes.

for me, anyway.