Hello fellow sufferers, my name is Jay and I am a clusterhead. I will be having an attack within the next 2 months I suspect and I am getting ready. This will be my 4th bout and I am afraid it will be a doozy as my attacks have increase in duration and intensity since they started. They come every five years, my last bout lasted 52 days with 4 to 6 daily onset attacks and 4 to 6 rebound headaches between them . My primary doctor was only giving me stadol spray and imitrex pills and I believe the spray was causing me the rebound headaches so I am trying to avoid using that. I went to a neurologist last week who of course ordered up a brain scan- I'm waiting on the results- and we discussed treatment. He mentioned lithium, verapimil, and imitrex injections among others but I was there to get the o2 script which I did at 10-15 Lpm. ( I may have  a problem getting him to increase the Lpm) I have not used o2 before so I am having a lincare set me up with a system and they will show me how to use it. I choose the liquid o2 tank over the gas tanks because it holds so much more. I have not read anything on this site that refers to liquid o2 tanks. I am curious as to why liquid o2 tank aren't the tanks of choice. Is there a reason I would  need gas tanks? When I am under attack I can't go anywhere or do anything so I don't really have a portable need, even if o2 works wonders I can't see taking a tank to work. I work as cashier in a smoke filled bingo hall with an array of perfumes and other smells. Smells really trigger me off. Also have any body heard of cranial sacrum massages working as a preventative?
Thanks in advance.
Jay

This is Jay again, I am full of questions and I will try the glean the answers from the forums as best as possible but here's a couple more.  I will be using a non re-breather mask for o2 delivery. I do not know the brand but is one better than the other? Is an on demand valve the device by which to get around the 10-15Lpm setup I will be getting?Are those of you who find that o2 works also using imitrex, verapimil, lithium or whatever other meds as well. I know it will be a trail and error situation and I can't expect to be pain free but knowledge is power and I'm going to need  plenty of power for the beast this time around. Is there anybody out there that has missed their cycle and or just plain gone into remission? Conversely, has anyone that has been in a cycle gone chronic. That's what scares me the most.
Thanks in advance,
Jay

Hi Jay, Hopefully you will not be having a cycle in the next few months but... usually the docs will prescribe a preventative such as Verapimil and you would use the O2 as an abortive. I can only speak for myself but O2 and or imitrex nasal and ice is what I use. O2 first. Don't know the diffenece between liq and gas on the O2 but the O2 helps. And believe me if these babies get bad enough you WILL take the canister anywhere if it helps you, yes, even to work, if you can still work. I didn't say use it where folks are smoking but there is always someplace out of the way, because who wants to be around alot of people during an attack??

I have several regulators but my favorite is a Precision CG 540 dials to 25 lpm.  A demand regulator would waste less Oxygen and I may yet lay out the coin for it but the Precision cost me $50.00+-.

I have several regulators but my favorite is a Precision CG 540 dials to 25 lpm.  A demand regulator would waste less Oxygen and I may yet lay out the coin for it but the Precision cost me $50.00+-.