The Limits of Herbal Help

Lest people think that the medically prescribed cannabis is solving all of Marty's problems, I am sorry to inform you that it is not the case. The baked goods and tincture help his nausea and cramping on "good"days. Once he is having a not so good to terrible day, the cannabis products have no positive impact.

If we had any notion of what sets off his episodes, or what sort of pattern of timing was involved, we could at least take some preventative measures. The frustration of all this is that we have no clue about cause, timing, or patterns. Planning for life is rather impossible. Marty might feel relatively well for days then suddenly be too sick to get out of bed.

We had a run of functional days in the past weeks, then the hammer of nausea, vomiting, cramping hit again. Every episode of this sort depletes him further, and costs him calories, hydration, sleep and stamina. Astonishingly, he continues with some small measure of optimism.

We go day by day, hoping to sleep, trusting he can work, finding serenity in the most surprisingly small details.

Evidence of Progress

Although the medically prescribed marijuana is not making everything OK for Marty, it is making some difference in the quality of life he can enjoy.
This past week, Marty and I went out for dinner together for the first time in many months. Typically, Marty comes home from work with nausea and intestinal cramping, so we skip dinner and go to bed early. He rarely feels well enough to go out for a meal. But this past week, due to cannabis tincture and baked goods, his nausea and cramping calmed enough for us to dare a meal at our favorite local restaurant, Stumbling Goat. Although I accomplished the far greater percentage of the eating, Marty did enjoy some of the meal, and only suffered slightly with cramping afterward. Plus, of course, he was great company.

Progress toward fuller energy and health is incremental and slow, but seems to be going more in the positive direction now. Osteopathy is also assisting Marty's health. The subtle adjustments and comprehensive rebalancing that Osteopathy offers is gently urging Marty's system toward a healthier response.

As always, we hope for the best with cautious optimism, welcome the good days with appreciation, and look forward to any indications of improvement.

The Dispensary Experience

Never a dull moment around here! My mother is in the hospital with complications due to congestive heart disease, thus necessitating a shift in priorities for time, attention and energy.

Marty has been on the fair to good part of the wellness spectrum during the past week. He rarely has much appetite and deals with cramping and nausea, but not to a debilitating degree. Thus, a small but welcome reprieve!

The two of us went to the dispensary for medically prescribed marijuana today. To say that the dispensary is well hidden in a very non-descript location puts it mildly. Anyway, we found our way there, pretty much by happy accident, and we were buzzed in after displaying ID cards at the door camera.

Once inside, we found ourselves in a friendly, light-filled cheery environment. The staff were wonderfully helpful in making suggestions for products that would potentially address Marty's nausea and lack of appetite. Marty expressed a strong preference not to inhale smoke. We were then urged to consider a vaporizer (not available at this location, though they did have some huge bongs) for future consideration. Apparently, this is the most effective means for marijuana to be useful for someone in Marty's condition. Since we don't have a vaporizer (yet), we were sent home with: 2 baked confections (to be split into quarters), two lollipops, and a honey based tincture. Since Marty had some intestinal discomfort while we were in the dispensary, he tried a dose of the tincture right there and then. Within several minutes, his intestinal rumbles calmed a bit. Hurray!

Of course, we will keep close track of what works and what doesn't and how much and when etc. The tincture doesn't make him stoned, by the way, so he can still work, drive, converse and make decisions. The baked goods are recommended for evening use to encourage sleep without nausea or cramping.

And so with cautiously hopeful attitudes, we carry on!