Hello, friends.  I'm still fairly new to you all and just wanted to pass on some recent experiences I've had in hopes that you can provide some answers.

I've been on the D3 regimen faithfully for a couple of months now and think I'm seeing some positive results, but the last two weeks have been kind of rough.  I'm currently "between careers," without insurance and without the means to see a physician for oxygen and/or prescription medications.  In addition to the D3, I'm avoiding all alcohol like the plague and taking 10-20 mg melatonin daily.  Also reaching for a cold energy drink at the first sign of trouble.  The drinks are a big help and I highly recommend them to anyone who hasn't tried them.  They seem to cut the severity and duration of attacks dramatically.

Been having episodes almost daily for about two weeks now, not as severe as in the past, but enough to evoke some fervent prayer on my part.  Also threatening to rub the hair off my head with the massage that seems to help.  The pain is unilateral, but it seems natural to grab my head and massage both sides symmetrically.

I can't seem to put my finger on anything causative in the last two weeks - after a couple of especially bad  consecutive days I was ready to place the blame on a particular brand and flavor of snack chip.

Anyone else having similar experiences?  Are there some common triggers of which I'm unaware? 
 

Do the chips of which you speak contain MSG?  I know, for certain, that MSG affects my CH.  My hits are much stronger if I'm not careful to avoid it.

Hope things get better for you soon.

Jeannie

My experience with 30 plus years as an episodic. Avoiding ALL triggers will somewhat reduce my attacks, but I'll still get creamed regularly. There's no way to avoid CH just by avoiding triggers. So for me , in high cycle, I get hit twice a day, morning and evening, no matter how hard I work to avoid triggers. :'(

What's your current dosing with the D-3?

Have you looked at the possibility of welding oxygen?
This link will show you how to get set up with welding oxygen:

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



Joe

Jeannie and Joe - thanks for the replies!

Jeannie, yes the chips contain MSG and I will avoid it henceforth.  I've always heard about people in all walks of life having various problems with MSG, but I never made the connection with clusters.  Don't know why the food industry insists on using such a suspect ingredient so widely.

Joe, I'm taking 10,000 IU D3 daily, bumped up to 50,000 once a week, along with the fish oil, magnesium, calcium, etc.   

A year ago (before I'd heard of D3) I was having great results just avoiding alcohol and taking 10 mg melatonin a day.  Someone on the message board suggest bumping that up to 20 mg.  I fell off the wagon with just 5 or 6 beers one day late in June and seem to have been paying for it ever since.   

Hoping the D-3 kicks in for you like it has for me.

Joe

Hey Joe,
Love that link to the 4 step program ::)

Done wonders for many Nolan!!! ;)

Joe

fstub - in my experience, chemical triggers such as alcohol, solvents, detergents etc., tend to provoke attacks that do not react to regular treatment. So it's possible a certain food additive will get the beast out even if you're under the D3 regimen or other successful prophylactic treatment.

That's exactly why it's a good idea to stay away from snacks and processed food, as much as possible.