Paul - When I'm getting hit, I'd rather my wife and son just went about their business. I know it pains them, too, but I'm not looking for sympathy. I'd rather stay focused on getting rid of it.

For the love of God, get yourself a big ol' tank of welder's oxygen, a regulator that goes up to 25 liters per minute, and an O2ptimask. You can order the latter right here at the ch.com store.

8 times a day at K8-9 is enough to kick anyone's ass. High flow 100% Oxygen therapy is cheap, and you don't need insurance to git 'r dun.

Now stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something to change your situation. Pity party over.

paul e wrote on Jun 1^st, 2009 at 5:08pm:

Sometimes I'm a little short, but I'm not apologizing.

O2 - Cheapest, most effective treatment. Little to no side effects. Low risk, potentially high reward.

Paul.
I am new to the board, but not to clusters. I have been a clusterhead since 1985, finally diagnosed in 1990 (took a while, women are not supposed to have clusters). I went into remission in 1998 and I truly can empathize with you as two weeks ago on Wednesday evening I experienced two attaacks out of the blue. It think it is a devasting ordeal to be pain free and sleep able for SO long and then all of a sudden you have this to deal with again. You have, during your remission, go on and gotten so used to arranging your life as though you have total control over it (well to a degree obviously) but suddenly out of the blue, it is the Beast and his shadows that have you in their grip and you feel so pulled by a very fast moving torrential river that is a cluster cycle. I learned a long long time ago that control is what each of us clusterheads need in order to stay sane.. at least to the degree that we can control it. By Thursday morning (two weeks ago) I made my calls to the home oxygen place, went and saw my doctor (GP this time who had no idea about clusters) and by Friday afternoon, they were delivering the O2 tanks. One large one for home, one portable for work and the outside world. Wrong masks delivered (venti instead of non-rebreather (and I know aboout this stuff regarding the masks et al because I sat in front of my computer on the Wednesday night (in between attacks) and all day Thursday and whenever I get a chance since, to research, research research.. Knowledge is Power and Power is control.. and if you know what it is that you need to do in order to get control of the Beast you are taking back some of that helplessness you are feeling) I already knew about the O2 from previous years, but at that time 11 years ago, it was a gentle breathing in of 8L/min, forget about hyperventilating(!!) that is a new one for me. But I am having 100% success rate with aborting the attacks by following the instructions for O2 use on both this forum and the OUCH web site. Research research research is necessary for you to educate yourself and you will feel a hell of a lot better. (This was a gentler way to say what the other two posters were saying.. get off your ass and do what ever you can to get that control back. It can be the difference between living and suicide.. beleive me, I know two men who ended it (this was years ago) because they did not see a way out from under the Beast.. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER AND POWER IS CONTROL My motto to live by.. thanks and good luck, a fellow clusterhead

thanks guys!!!! alot has changed in the past few days thank god. i got hit pretty hard monday and tuesday......monday i had a 3 1/2 hour and two 1+ hour headaches that were 10's and tuesday i got hit at about 730 am and had some serious pain for a good 10 hours but like i said things have changed a bit and i'm gonna post it on a new thread so other people might see it as well and hopefully be helpfully to some again thanks for taking the time to responding to my pathetic post and giving me a little kick in the ass -Paul

Thanks for venting. I often feel as if I am one of the very few who do that. This reminds me to bother my doctor for some 02.
Have a pain free day and I hope the beast goes and bothers someone who REALLY deserves it.
Sophia

I cant agree more about 02, high flow, proper mask.  It can't hurt to have a decent portable abortive med like imitrex or whatever works too.  If the preventatives arent working try different ones, different doctors, whatever you need to do, but you'll find something eventually.  Until then, after, or forever, 02 usually works quite well as an abortive.