2009 update: Oxygen & Vitamin D

ITs been forever since I posted anything on this blog.

What can I say that has changed? Not much. the Migraines continue. however My Wife and I have found two Doctors who seem to be the only Competent ones that we've met thus far.

Dr. Cooper & Dr. Peredo at University of Michigan Hospital. Dr. Copper seems like a young guy, but He catches on quick and was the 1st person who told us of a possible treatment.

Oxygen. I never thought regular run of the mil Oxygen would be a therapy or treatment for these headaches. But the stuff works. They key is the Amount and the Time.

When a regular person is in the hospital and receives Oxygen they get this little "nose hose" that delivers a standard low dose rate of 2 liters per minute. From everything I've read, this is the normal range for most Oxygen delivery.

However Dr. Cooper said He wanted to use my wife for a Research study on the Use of Oxygen on patients with Cluster Headaches. The dose for her is much higher. 15 liters per minute. I've found out that 15 lpm is the Amount given when a patient is experiencing Respitory Distress. Such as when you goto the ER at a Hospital and someone might be fighting for their life.

It was like a movie magic miracle. Nicky was suffering from one of the really bad migraines with stroke like droopiness and sharp intense pain on one side. Within less than 60 seconds of the Oyxgen dose, her face returned to normal and she said the pain dropped from a average norm of 8 (10 being the highest, 1 is the lowest) to about a 3. This was awesome. It brought to tears and I was praising God. Dr. Cooper videotaped Nicky with the treatment and took photos. He wrote a script for her, she was to get Oxygen up to 4 times a day, at 15mins per dose, at 15 lpm. Thats a lot of Oxygen.

I do not know all the science or understand it all. But Its as if under normal conditions we breathe in and out and our bodies get a certain amount of Oxygen. When Nicky is experiencing an Attack like this, She cannot seem to get enough of the Oxygen she needs. Having the Tank of Oxygen with a non-rebreather Mask she is able to get not only the amount she needs to operate properly but also More Oyxgen to her blood which allows the muscles & brain to return to normal.

Dr. Peredo the other doctor she is seeing at U of M. is a Rheumatologist. He did a plethora of blood and other tests and Suggested some levels of her immune system are very low. He suggested her to take a massive dose of Vitamin D. One pill per week for 6 weeks to help bring her body back into balance.
Reading about Vitamin D, turns out that this Vitamin has been shown to help people with various Bone or Muscle issues. There is so much I do not understand.

But since Nicky has been seeing Drs Copper and Peredo and receiving the Oxygen she is doing better. She finished a 4 months medical leave and went back to work this Feb 2009. If we didn't have the Oxygen tanks at home, I do not think she would of been able to function.

Oxygen & Vitamin D. Its not a cure... but its a darn good therapy and so far its the only thing that seems to be helping.

Peace,

Luke