OMG i truly cannot believe it , i feel like im dreaming  ;D , i dropped off to sleep at 4am this morning (i was putting off going sleep as normal) at 7am i jump straight out of bed sweating and clutching my head , i was having a massive attack of the headaches , i chugged a can of redbull and grabbed a nasal spray and sprayed that little thing up my nose , within about 10 to 12 minuites , im completely pain free , i just cant believe it , that stuff is fantastic wow i cant believe ive spent 15 years going through hell , and something so small has just ended that hell in less than 15mins as oppose to the hour or hour n half of sheer agony id usually put up with .
Dont know wether i dare go back to sleep now ? 

I'm glad you found some quick relief. Dreading going to sleep is something I have been doing a lot of lately. :(

What was the spray?

If you think that's sweet, wait until you get a 6 minute abort with oxygen! That's like heaven! :)

Joe

Guiseppi wrote on Aug 11^th, 2011 at 8:58am:

If you think that's sweet, wait until you get a 6 minute abort with oxygen! That's like heaven! :) Joe

:(  Not all of us can get relief from oxygen.  Tried it in my last cycle...and made my attacks worse.  But I do get relief from the sumatriptan spray (is that what you did OP?).  If I take it right as I'm getting an attack...it is aborted within 15 minutes to 30 minutes 80% of the time.  Truly a wonder drug...which I guess explains it's insane costs (I save up in my PF periods just so I can have "all" the sprays I need). 

well that euphoria was short lived, ive just done dancing for the last half hour in sheer agony 9 kip .
fell asleep, started dreaming then woke up with about a 3k , i put off using the spray , thinking it wasnt going to be a  bad one  then it suddenly went straight to a 9- 10 k , i quickly used the spray and it took about 25 mins to start working , i should of used the spray as soon as i woke up  :-[, i hate my life lol anyway at least its gone now , im just afraid the more i use this spray the less effective it will become , is this true ? 
the spray is zolmitriptan 5mg nasal spray , the problem is i only got 6 in this packet , im going to have to go back to the doctors tomorow and get more , ive used two allready and im back at work next week ,im going to ask about seeing a specialist aswell .
why oh why do we have to suffer like this ? i know it was  only just over half an hour tonight but that half hour was sheer hell .
thanks for the advice and kind words , lifes really getting me down at the moment , been on this cycle of headaches for a month now , it feels relentless .

Imitrex is most likely the nasel spray you used and yes, it truly is a wonder drug for those times when you are not in a position to use 02 and are out in public for instance.  Please note that Imitrex can and DOES cause rebound headaches though, so use it sparingly.

The majority of us, like Joe said... can abort a headache in less than 10 mins. with 02, and 02 has no side effects, and is cheap, and safe.   So many have come here saying 02 doesn't work for them when it is discovered upon closer investigation that they weren't using it incorrectly, not a high enough flow rate or the wrong mask.   

Linda

Imitrex spary is my baby,10 min aborts.Use it correctly and its awsome. I get a hit and one shot of 20mg nasal trex,the beast cant hang.I get days of releif from one shot.

your worrying me now linda what are rebound headaches ?
Im going back to doctors tmrrow to get more nasal sprays and to get an apointment with a specialist to see about getting oxygen or the injections .

im in the uk and the nasal spray im using is ZOMIG ZOLMITRIPTAN 5MG NASAL SPRAY

Don't forget to fill out the attached HOOF and take it to your doctor to sign.  It's essential if you want home oxygen therapy for your cluster headaches in the UK.

Take care,

V/R, Batch

---

thanks for that batch , unfourtantly my gp couldnt pescribe me oxegeon or the injections , i have to go to Liverpool in 2 weeks time, to see a headache specialist , they tried sending me to two other places closer by ,but they didnt specialise in this kind of headache so i said whats the point , i might aswell travel to liverpool where i know /hope they will know what they are talking about .
but my gp told me today that its going to be extremely hard to get oxegeon , she said she has 1 other patient on her books who has succefully been prescribed oxegeon and she said it took over 2 years to get it them .she said there is alot of complications
when having oxegeon at your home and started going on about all health n safety bull, i think its disgusting if they wont allow me to have it , and i can see myself having to come up with the cash to get it some other way ,but im sure as hell going to try to get it on the nhs , ive paid enough taxes over the years to justify me having a oxegeon tank to relieve me from such terrible pain .
does anyone know the best aproach for when i go to see the specialist ?
btw these nasal sprays have been working wonders , ive used 1 a day for 3 days now and they have really saved me from the torture we all know  , im WORRIED  about using them to much, but i think my cycle is at its peak and its saving me from 9-10 kip headaches at the moment.
Thanks again for all the support and advise guys , ive been doing alot of reading on here and its a massive relief just to talk to people who know what im going through .

Do fight to get your oxygen as the difference it can make is simply life changing.

Hopefully some people from the UK will post some hints / tips about how to short cut the process to get things done a lot quicker.

Do also look at the OUCH UK web site - START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE - they also have a help line which I'd try to find out if they can help you.

And if it's taking forever, look into welding oxygen, which works just as good, with quite a few people here using it to abort their CHs.

As for health and safety issues in the home, there really isn't too much to it, just don't use it anywhere near a naked flame (gas cooker, fire, etc) and don't smoke or go near an ignition source for a while after using it as it can saturate clothing, etc which can make it catch fire very easily.

Wendy1 wrote on Aug 11^th, 2011 at 7:09am:

What was the spray?

Some folks here, myself included, have found some relief with Four Way nasal spray. Tilt your head back and drop several drops into the affected nostril. Used at the first sign of an attack has helped me before.

Oh Captain! My Captain!

Holey Shiite my good fellow and brother in CH... Thy physician speaketh Ka-Ka with forked tongue...  (as Walt Whitman and The Bard might have phrased it in a more modern vernacular... )

The NHS has a well established process and procedures for providing home oxygen therapy to cluster headache sufferers and you need not travel to Liverpool, Kings Cross, IWM Duxford, Dorset/Cerne Abbas Giant, Bath, Stonehenge, Salisbury, Blandford Camp, Pool, Bournemouth... or the White Cliffs of Dover. to obtain it... (A few of my more memorable haunts on travel to the UK...  less Liverpool.

All you need to do is fill out the HOOF (Home Oxygen Order Form) and call the good people at the OUCH-UK Helpline at 01646 651 979, and they should be able to help you find a primary care physician who prescribes oxygen therapy near your location. 

If that doesn't work, sing out!!!  I've good friends and fellow CH'ers there in the UK who use oxygen therapy so know how to do this.

Take care,

V/R, Batch

[quoteyour worrying me now linda what are rebound headaches ?
][/quote]

Read this thread that went on about the subject a while ago.  Hopefully it will answer some of your questions.



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

The other thing that makes doctors poo-poo the oxygen is they think about it in terms of a COPD patient - concentrators and such (expensive). All you need is a couple tanks that you can refill. You only use it when getting hit, not all day like a heart/lung patient.

Print out our info and take with you to the doc. Don't leave the office without the script!

thanks for all the help everyone , im sure gonna fight for this. >:(