Seems like a pretty cut and dried solution to me: "If you won't prescribe it, I'll find somebody who will." Then be prepared to follow through.

Becky, I kept asking him over and over again why he wouldn't let me try it. I was trying to get him to give me something to take to the hospital - at which he has full privileges, and has residents and registrars in training with him, and is right across the road from his private rooms - to say that if I came there with a headache, to let me try O2 therapy. He just kept saying "I don't believe you have cluster headaches". That was it! No concern about any dangers or ill effects. When I asked him why he didn't think I had them, his ONLY reasoning was that 90% of CH sufferers are men and most are over 50. Even as I sat there, I knew those stats were wrong.

My GP, and later my headache specialist, were both clearly disgusted that he would use statistics to rule out a possible diagnosis.

I think in the end it was his ego.

I'm actually going back to see him on Thursday - I have to, because I was actually in his care for Maybe-Multiple Sclerosis and I'm getting the results of a spinal tap I had a few weeks ago. I'm not sure if the Headache Specialist was going to write to him about the headaches, but I'd love to take an M size cylinder of O2 to shove up his ass.

Whether it's changing neuros (a must in any case, I think) or going down the welding supply route, you need to do whatever it takes to get some O2!!