Status update:

Finally received my 25(OH)D test results. As of the 14th of this Nov. when I took the test, I was apparently at 88 ng/ml. I wasn't completely pain-free at the time that I took the test, so I continued to take the D3 at an accelerated rate 23k UI daily. Obviously, I should be higher than that now given it has been another two weeks roughly.

Unfortunately, I'm still not completely pain-free at this point. My hits have been reduced from the daily 1-2 (sometimes 3) attacks to more in the range of 4-5 total a week, give or take, and randomly timed. The intensity seems to be somewhat lower for each attack overall as well. Thanks to that much, I have been able to avoid taking Trex doses for a fair number of attacks which has helped save a fair chunk of change already. Of course, that does mean I'm still choosing to ride out some very uncomfortable sessions.

I'll likely need to go ahead and adjust my daily dosing of D3 down so that I don't continue to climb too high in serum levels. I have yet to calculate an estimate as to what my D3 level is likely at currently as the test was a couple of weeks ago. So, once I do that, I'll figure out what to change the dosing schedule to. I just hope any reduction in dosage doesn't bring back more frequent and intense attacks.

I still have to admit, I was optimistically hoping for a better result in kicking this beast's a** with this D3 regimen, but that isn't quite the case yet. I may be one of those that has to push the 100+ ng/ml to find full remission. We'll see, I guess.

Either way, I'm looking forward to putting the shots, alcohol swabs away, taking a nap, sleeping in, staying up late, and grabbing a frosty beverage out of the fridge once in a long while! End of cycle, D3 or not, come on already. 

Yeah, I'll still be stockpiling some shots, man, especially after this go round. But, first, I'll have to dig out of the financial ruin this cycle has pretty much left me in. 

Looking through my HA journal, I noticed of the last attacks I've had since Nov. 7th in this cycle so far, the highest kip was 7, and only 2 of the 19 in that time actually reached that level. It's a clear difference from the abundantly 7, 8, and 9s I was getting daily for weeks just prior to that reduction. The attack I had earlier this evening, for example, reached about a 4 at best, and lasted only about 47 minutes (unaborted) versus the more typical 7-9 kip for nearly 2-3 hours (unaborted) that I would normally experience.

Given this reduction in intensity began roughly after a month of starting the D3 regimen, it could be attributed to that, especially since my attacks in previous cycles didn't seem to fluctuate in intensity much at all. It's still hard to say, really. But, I'll keep posting as this thing goes on.

Hope you're finding some luck and relief with all you were talking about with the DHE and Imitrex and needing to find another option. It's bad enough dealing with this s**t when you have a somewhat reliable (albeit expensive) abortive to lean on, but to not have that "luxury" is scary.

Just an update...

Been PF for weeks now, no shadows or anything. Of course, the tricky part for me is determining whether or not the D3 regimen is directly responsible, partly responsible, or if it just was the end of my average 2-month or so cycle. Those with chronic CH would be much better able to verify with any real degree of certainty that D3 was having a real effect than I could with my episodic clusters.

That being said, I still would have to recommend to anyone seeking relief from the beast to get on the D3 regimen. Even if it isn't directly responsible for the end of my cycle, the health value of the supplementation can't hurt.

I'll continue to pop in and out of the forum here from time to time. But, it's hard not to enjoy the PF time with a little "out-of-sight, out-of-mind" right now. Best of luck to current sufferers, and I hope you all find great relief!