Xeni, it is always great to hear that everything is still going well for you.
Other than MJ are there any other anti-nausea meds without the psychotropic side affects that you can recommend, if not it would make sense after finding the best one for you. I am trying to find a better treatment for nausea while a passenger on public transportation. Even flying an airplane(pilot) I am always fine, but acting as a ground passenger with nothing to do I get sick, as a paramedic riding in back of the ambulance I was fine as long as I had a serious case, backwards with a non-emergency transport was brutal though. I have found that the mint chewing tobacco substitute, or extreme mint gum/candy works pretty well for all nausea and I can go straight from the bus to the cockpit.
Also if I may treat you as a hands on expert has any of your research pointed toward a ketotic diet, as in bypassing all possible glucose producing food, in order to slow the growth of tumors? It has a kind of sense that this would work to slow the hyperactive mutated metabolism of sprinting to grow cancer cells, much as that messed up hyper-metabolism is also more sensitive to chemo and radiation. With all of these rumored magical cures or treatments it takes a good body of evidence and anecdote to overcome the skepticism that it is somebody trying to spread a moneymaking or attention getting scam. I have not heard enough on the ketotic cancer starvation diets in real life cases.
(Both of these ?? are for everyone not just Xeni.)
There is a vaping method actually, Xeni mentioned it in the article.
There’s two kinds of vaporizers, ones that use ground-up plant material (THC and CBD vaporize at a low enoguh temeprature you can jsut…‘toast’ the stuff rather than burning it, and get all the active compunds without the nasty smoky stuff) and ones that use what are called concentrates: basically the active components of cannabis, separated out using a chemical solvent (usually butane or liquid CO2 if you’re getting it from a dispensary) into the kinda soft, sticky wax or oil.
There’s actually neat little self-contained disposable vaporizers using concentrates, that are about the size of a cigarette and work roughly the same way (no lighting to turning on required, it automatically heats up when someone sucks on the mouthpiece.)
If it doesn’t work, there’s a drug called Ponstel that I would recommend you ask your doctor about. It worked for me for several years until I unfortunately developed a resistance to its effects. You need to have a healthy liver and kidneys to use it (which is not unusual for an effective painkiller) but I don’t think it’s as toxic as the acetaminophen carrying compounds (percocet, vicodin, etc.).
Also, if your pain is related to blunt trauma injuries, I found rolfing highly effective. 20 years ago I was told by multiple physicians that I had incurable osteoarthritis and that I would never be free of joint pain and would never regain my flexibility. Ten sessions with a certified rolfer and I’ve never had any symptoms of arthritis since. Wikipedia has a lame slam-piece on rolfing, if you want to read another viewpoint, but I found it was highly effective for breaking up scar tissue and restoring pain-free movement. Note, the more you need rolfing, the more it will hurt when you get it done. Over the years I’ve managed to break all my fingers and toes, both arms, my skull, nose, and jaw, more than a couple of ribs, I’ve been ripped up by dogs a couple of times and totaled a car or two, etc. etc. and when my rolfer tore all the adhesions loose it was not fun. Really, really not fun. Worked a treat, though, so it was well worth the agony.
You are incredibly brave to share about your experience, especially in these days of Cretingate.
I have used, 100% legally, medical marijuana to help with depression and arthritis pain. I recall the first time I did so, and I just started laughing and laughing, because in my humble, without-medical-pedigree opinion, the “side effects” of being pot-inebriated are not at all very different than being alcohol-inebriated. (And, indeed, alcohol can provide some relief to anxiety and pain, but pot works a lot better.)
Important: And now, high-CBD medicines provide relief with much less inebriation. Indeed, pot-medicines are ALREADY better than opiods in that aspect.
Indeed, now that the pot economy is taking off, we’re just starting to see some kind of without-scientific-pedigree research into pot-derived medicines. Once the government loosens up a little more, I expect we’ll see lots of non-inebriating, scientifically studied medicines coming from that funny plant.
"a pharmaceutical Rube Goldberg machine " I love that term.
Yesterday I was talking with a friend who’s daughter died 4 days ago at age 4 of liver cancer. I commented that I believe the pharms are more interested in torturing patients with their medication than finding a cure, or even a good drug to combat multiple symptoms, like marijuana.
Thank you so much for sharing this, Xeni. I hope everyone here spreads this article far and wide. It really does have an impact especially coming from someone as respected as Xeni.
Individual stories like this are dramatically helping us activists to not only get medical marijuana safely into the hands of those who need it, but also getting marijuana decriminalized all over the USA and start the process of emptying our prisons of non-violent marijuana offenders (and getting their records expunged).
I have non-cancerous chronic pain (in addition to the previously mentioned movement disorder) and inhaling/ingesting cannabis doesn’t “kill” the pain (in me), but it does let me be very mindful of it and as such, help me concentrate and function more or less a normal way. I’ve found making tea from it works the best this way for me in that regard and inhaling for the moment to moment issues in that regard. I’ve also never it found it worked well for migraine headaches in me, but great for tension ones.
That’s a good description–the mindfulness doesn’t exactly let you ignore your issues (yay for non lethal chronic pain) but it is easier to compartmentalize. As an aside, I personally find a very light kratom tea a bit better for actual pain relief. It is short lasting (~30-45 minutes) which I prefer. But the downside is it can cause nausea.
I can usually drink a cup of cannabis tea (no milk) and continue on happily with my day. Sometimes it might encourage me to nap, which isn’t a bad thing in the general scheme of things. I know others who have it and it really puts them to sleep right away.
My great uncle told me that it made him feel seasick, so you are not the only one. I have no idea if he had any experience with opioids, though. Of course, we have a (semi) joke in our family about all of us being aliens just visiting this planet, so who knows! Weirdness abounds!
When I try to imagine someone who could ignore this account, some parody of Sam the Eagle comes to mind. Who is also, oddly enough, absurdly callous when it comes to police abuse of civilians and women’s rights relative to their unborn babies. The entire political process could use a sanity check at this point.
Thanks for the informative article Xeni. I only really know you as someone whose writing I read from time to time but I’ve always appreciated your spirit and I’m glad you’re still with us.
Some members of my family have been stricken with this disease. I have seen first-hand how it destroys people. I am very sorry that this happened to you- but I am very glad that this wonderful plant gave you comfort during your recovery.
Thanks for the concern and suggestions; sadly I’m many many states away so there is little to nothing I can do for hands-on help (and I’ve already offered to hire a cleaning service, arrange for a meal delivery service, etc. and been roundly refused. Hopefully they’ll receive - and accept - offers of help from their church). I’ve sent them the link for the local chapter of Gilda’s Club, sent the whole family the article on “How Not to Say the Wrong Thing,” and spent a good bit of time on the phone with my sister helping her get adjusted to the idea that from here on out, either she can hang onto old beefs with Dad/wife or she can support our father while he goes through whatever he goes through as the husband and caregiver, but she can’t do both.
I was thinking more specifically in terms of medical pot - their state doesn’t allow it, and the two nearby that do, require residency. They usually travel to Colorado every ski season but I don’t see that happening this year somehow. A local (to me) friend with a card has offered to purchase some butter or even bake some edibles but I’m a little nervous about, you know, committing a felony by mailing it (especially as a person who requires a license from the state to practice my career, which could be terminated for being convicted).
I’m going to send them this article, and some others, with no idea if they’ll be open to it, but it’s really frustrating that even if they are, it’ll likely be a huge hassle and no small amount of risk to help them actually take advantage of it.
This topic leaves me seeing red everytime it comes up. Personally, I think you should be able to mess with your head in whatever way tickles your fancy so long as you can do it safely and not harm others overtly. However, I can at least understand the argument against it and agree that they are rational, even if I disagree violently. The arguments against medical marijuana on the other hand are pure fear mongering. It is batshit insane that we live in a world where opioids are the go-to drug of choice for many things, but marijuana is illegal. The insanity of that defies all reason.
This hits kind of close to home for me. I have a grandmother going through chemo, two more grandparents in sever chronic pain, and a parent with chronic pain. Their drug arsenals are impressive, and not a one of them uses marijuana. Marijuana isn’t a panacea. It won’t cure your cancer or solve your pain. It might not help any of my loved ones. It is however an important tool; or rather SHOULD be an important tool in the tool kit. In fact, marijuana should probably be the first drug you hit once it is clear that over the counter drugs are not going to work. Anything that is not over the counter is almost by definition either too unknown to be known safe, or simply known to be unsafe, something which marijuana is not.
What kills me is that the stigma around marijuana has meant that this very effective tool is tossed aside in favor of vastly more destructive, addictive, and impairing drugs. Of the four people I mentioned that are either suffering chemo or chronic pain, not a one of them will try marijuana. They live in a state where it is legal, but they won’t touch the stuff because marijuana has a stigma that apparently oxy-fucking-codon doesn’t have. It is almost criminal to give someone an opioid when marijuana might be enough.
People fighting against medical marijuana are ruining lives and essentially leading to the torture of their fellow humans. Anyone who really feels that medical marijuana should be illegal, I beg you to go look at the facts and talk with people who use it for real medical treatment. Compare it to the alternatives and realize that you are causing horrible pain and suffering to utterly innocent people in your attempts to keep people from using a drug that is vastly safer and less destructive than alcohol. This insanity has to stop.
