Hi and Happy Easter!

So, in a week I have to fly half-way across the country. 

Background: My new neurologists are still in the process of tapering Prednisone and adjusting Verapamil.  I'm doing sooo much better than before, but still not perfect.  I'd say I'm getting maybe one attack every other day and they're generally not as intense as before either, but still I'd like to have oxygen with me, especially with the uncertainties involved in the tapering process.  :) 

I tried searching the forum but wasn't coming up with much.  So, can anyone help direct me to info about how to fly with oxygen and/or how to get oxygen when in another city for just a few days? 

Many thanks!

Hi Vince. As far as I know, most carriers such as Southwest, United, American, etc don't allow carrying O2 on a flight (except some may allow battery operated O2 concentrators). Best bet is to check with the airline.

If you have a prescription from Apria, Lincare, Airgas, etc... that normally delivers in the city where you will be, they will deliver there if you make arrangements in advance.

If you can take Imitrex injections, you might ask your neurologist for a prescription in case you have a cluster attack while in flight. As far as I know, you can take that onboard.

Frank has given you some good info. You can't O2 tanks with you and the concentrator they do allow would be of little value to a clusterhead.

When in cycle I fly with Zomig nasal and have tanks waiting at my destination.

Thank you both.  My tanks are Airgas, but they're delivered by a local supplier.  I suppose I could contact them to see if they could make arrangements with an Airgas supplier in another city. 

Thankfully both my flights are nonstop and earlier in the day than I usually get my attacks, so I'm hoping I'll be ok on board, but wasn't even thinking about that.  I will have to give that some thought at least.  That would be bad if it did happen. 

I welcome any other thoughts / experience, but thanks for this good start. 

Vince

As others have said, check with your airline. Some do allow oxygen cylinders onboard, however these will be supplied by the airline via their supplier. You won't be allowed to take yours onboard. If you go via this route you are likely to need to provide them with multiple days notice and most likely to supply medical info too.

Given that it's just a few hours flight I'd be tempted to rely on other methods of aborting CHs. Just make sure that you've got them to hand so that you're not having to jump up to grab something from a bag somewhere in the overhead locker.

Hey Vince,

When oxygen therapy was my only method of controlling CH, I traveled all over the US, Hawaii, Alaska as well as across Europe, the UK and Norway... 

I traveled with my own regulator, non-rebreathing oxygen mask and oxygen demand valve throughout the US.  I always had oxygen waiting at my destination.  I even had an adapter made to enable me to use my oxygen demand valve in Germany and Switzerland...  Different standards in different countries.

Flying with your own oxygen system or one provided by the airlines is an expensive crap shoot and not worth the trouble or expense IMHO.  An imitrex nasal spray or two usually covers most cross country flights...

Airgas should have a travel program for most US locations...  If they don't, Oxytravel does...  All they need is a copy of your Rx for oxygen.

For local travel in my car and at work, I kept an M60 with regulator and mask in my trunk...

As it appears you've a great neurologist and friend, ask for the lab test for 25(OH)D.  This is the serum level metabolite of vitamin D3 that's used to measure its status.  The normal reference range is 30 to 100 ng/mL.

Nearly every CH'er with active CH who has gone in for this lab test has had the results come back as deficient, < 30 ng/mL. 

Better than 80% of CH'ers who have started the anti-inflammatory regimen with at least 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 plus Omega-3 fish oil, and the rest of the vitamin D3 cofactors has experienced a significant reduction in the frequency, severity and duration of their CH.  78% experience 24 hour pain free days.  Nearly 60% have remained pain free.

This regimen is proving to be effective for both episodic and chronic CH'ers with 83% of episodic CH'ers and 73% of chronic CH'ers experiencing a favorable response.

The latest survey data as of Friday on this regimen indicates when these CH'ers tested their 25(OH)D after the favorable response to this regimen, their average 25(OH)D serum concentration was 78.5 ng/mL, STDV 29.2.  I'm still crunching the numbers, but it appears the slight advantage enjoyed by episodic CH'ers may be due to confusing a favorable response to this regimen with end of cycle.

Roughly 500 CH'ers have reported starting this regimen here at CH.com since December of 2010...  The raw data harvested from their posts indicate better than 80 % of them have experienced a favorable response...

You can read more about the results of this regimen at the following links:

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

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

Hope this helps.

Take care and please keep us posted.

V/R, Batch

I carry a 5Hr ENERGY in my pocket nearly all the time for times I cannot use O2.  It is not quite as effective as O2, but works quickly to at least get it to a tolerable level.  Also, it is smaller than a can of Red Bull, allowing for pocket use so I can always have one.

All oxygen suppliers should have someone with whom they work in other locales to provide for travelers.  The company I used to work for did this, and I have often delivered to hotels/motels and even homes.  We did it at no charge to the customer because they were in our system, and we were just providing the service.

Jerry

the last time I flew I had a can of Red Bull in my purse and when I was going thru security they got real stupid about it. I had my grandson with me and he jumped into it..

"My Granny has Cluster Headaches and she HAS to have that Red Bull in case she gets hit and if you take it away from her you don't even want to be around if she gets hit!"

They left my Red Bull in my purse. :) (the 5-hour stuff doesn't seem to work for me).