Good morning all. Im a 34 yr old male from Rosenberg, Texas. I've been a Cluster Headache sufferer for going on ten yrs. now with no help in site. In my 10 yrs. I have seen countless Neurologist and Physicians and have been to emergency rooms in the middle of the night more times than I can remember. I am currently seeing a Neurologist in Houston (Edmundson) Who has me on Imapramine 150mg and Topmax 100 mg (twice a day). I also take Butalbital for the pain witch is not working at all. I also take a Triptan that starts with the letter "A" but I can't think of the name at the moment. I have three daughters and a beautiful wife who has dealt with my sickness right along with me. My poor kids use to mimic the noises I would make and pace with me in the middle of the night when I would have an "episode". Your site is of great help to some one like me. I'm afraid I have given up hope though. I cant see the end of the tunnel, and I am having more and more frequent cluster attacks everyday. they have even gotten more intense. Im afraid I will loose my job soon due to this damn illness or what ever the hell Im suppose to call it. I'm rambling......I guess I just need help. Someone or somewhere I can go for help or to a doctor in my area that can really treat me. Not just throw a blanket of drugs over me.

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Here ya go.

      Potter

There's help to be had - don't give up hope Scooter!

That O2 link that Potter supplied details the newer, more effective, high liter flow/non-rebreather way to administer O2 as an abortive, and there are legions of enthusiasts here who swear by it. It works.

There are certainly more preventative options too. More and more we're seeing people who feel they have exhausted the pharmaceutical options and are at the end of their rope turn to clusterbusters, and end up wishing they'd gone there a lot sooner! Offhand I can think of a couple CH'ers in your fine state of Texas who have turned things around this way.

Here's a Newsweek article on clusterbusting: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

And a video talk on the subject by one of our fellow CH'ers: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

And the clusterbusters message board where you'll find helpful Texans to converse with  :):  START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

Hang in there with us Scooter - you'll turn things around.  :)

Thanks for the help in the right direction guys. It seems like this site really pushes O2 route more than anything else. Im interested myself having never tried that before. Would this be something that I would approach my Neurologist about or GP?

ScooterGoat34 wrote on Apr 13^th, 2011 at 1:35pm:

Thanks for the help in the right direction guys. It seems like this site really pushes O2 route more than anything else. Im interested myself having never tried that before. Would this be something that I would approach my Neurologist about or GP?

Have you access to someones oxy/acetylene ?  If ya do get a mask and give the o2 side a whirl.

           Potter

Print out some relevant parts of the O2 user's guide and take them to your doc. Discuss with him or her and see if you can get a prescription. If that doesn't work, get your own from a welding supply house.

You need:

- High flow (< 15 liters per minute)

- A non-rebreather mask (like the O₂ptimask)

I have an AOC Welding right down the street from me. Me being new to all of this, I just dont want to go in their and make a total fool of myself. So any help you could give that makes me look less like a clown when I go in there would be appreciated.

I haven't tried the welding shop route myself yet, so hopefully folks who have will be along to advise, but in the meantime I know that you do NOT want to say you're using the O2 for medical.

If it was me and and they asked what's it for I'd say a friend needs it for welding, and he already has his acetylene.

M size tanks are good for home use and E tanks are the portable size for toting around in the car.

You'll probably have to order your mask and regulator online, so that would be a good very first thing to accomplish.

ScooterGoat-
I second bejeeber - don't tell the welder supply guys what you are planning to use it for.  Glass lampworker/bead makers go thru the O2 like mad so you could tell them that as an alternate to the welding scenario, should you wish.
-Gary