Posted by gary g (208.133.217.178) on December 18, 1999 at 00:51:03:
In Reply to: Oxygen question posted by Ed on December 17, 1999 at 23:05:46:
if your HMO is INSISTING you get oxygen you are one lucky clusterhead
most of us have to go through a big rigamarole to get it approved
over the last couple years, we've all pretty much agreed, this is an effective application for ALMOST everybody:
use to abort attack only
(not preventive)
breath through a NONrebreather type bag mask
flow rate 8-10 liters/min
O2 at this level CAN be damaging to the lungs if overdone
but most everybody seems to report that using it the way outlined here doesn't seem to be causing any problems
DON'T stay on it for long periods (if it hasn't knocked back an attack in 20 minutes, it probably isn't going to !)
DON'T fall asleep with mask on
DON'T count on it, if you're doing anything that is known to intensify attacks (eg: drinking ANY alcohol during the overall cluster period)
IMPORTANT to start at very first point you know an attack is starting
then - for me - relief is near 100% of the time, within 10-15 minutes, during which time the pain doesn't get beyond a 3 or so on my own 1-10 scale, before it stops
I have noticed, and others agree:
if you wait til it HURTS before starting, it probably isn't gonna help much - get on it at those first twitches, when the numb/swelling feeling begins to start, BEFORE the actual sharp pain starts to set in
works for me even with the waking attacks IF I don't procrastinate & get right out of bed immediately & hit the O2
is IMPORTANT to stay on it until the attack has fully released
for me usually 15 minutes total on the O2
I believe the people who say it doesn't help
probably:
1. aren't using it pure, at a high enough rate
and/or
2. wait too long to get on it
and/or
3. stop the O2 when the pain decreases but the attack is still active
GOOD LUCK