Chondrosarcoma – ah shit, bob's sick

The Medical Garden Series For Chondrosarcoma Patients, Sunday, February 13, 2011
Part 1

One of the spare time projects I’ve been working on is called ‘The Medical Garden’. Basically, it’s a piece of software that helps medical marijuana patients (like myself) organize and grow the best possible medicine at home.

Here in Vermont, there are no medical marijuana dispensaries. While the State does allow the usage of small amounts of medical marijuana for cancer (and a few other diseases) patients, it gives them no legal way to acquire it. So unless you’re an avid grower, you’re plain out of luck …. which is an insane way to control it, to me, but that’s the way it is. So I’ve embarked along the long trail of making my own medicine at home.

What I’m not going to do here, is discuss whether or not marijuana ought to be legal or illegal in the first place … to me that’s a no-brainer and more directed at the political arena and nothing to do with what I’m suggesting here. In a nutshell, the state says cancer patients can use medical marijuana and that’s good enough for me.

The only thing I will say about it, is that I am a bone cancer patient, Chondrosarcoma, and I can attest that it is helping me cope with not only the pain of Chondrosarcoma, but with the rest of the many symptoms that are common to many cancer patients. Loss of appetite, sleeplessness, stress, nausea, muscle spasms, mood and the list goes on and on.

I’m also not going to get into the science of it. I am not a scientist and have no way of accurately measuring things like THC content, doses etc etc. There is much information and evidence out on the internet for that and I’m assuming you’ve already made your mind up to try medical marijuana. My thing is simply, 1.)helping you get the most for your money, and 2.) knowing what you’re smoking or ingesting is natural and pure.

My intent with the software, and these writings is to help those in need, but without the specific knowledge, on producing high quality medical marijuana and to do it at reasonable cost. My end goal is to produce a series of pdf files (with photographs) in which people can download with the software and have a darn good idea of what to do, and how to get started.

It’s been awhile since I’ve written about how daily life, from a health point of view is going, so here it is.
As a general outlook, I’ve been feeling pretty. My nutritional intake has increased (strictly due to MM usage) and I’m finally beginning to feel I have a controllable handle on it. Although far from ideal, I no longer feel like I’m slipping backwards.

The effects of proton treatments should just about be winding down. They said it take just about a year for it to do its thing … and it’s been about a year from the first treatment, and although the cancerous tumor remains on my lower spinal column, wrapped around the nerve bundles (which is what makes daily living uncomfortable), it feels different. I’d have to say that it appears to be either completely non-active or if it is active, it’s been severely hampered in it’s attempt to either re-grow or continue to grow.

This is a good thing.

My energy level is not as it once, and probably never will be, but I also seem to be having occasional days when it is pretty darn good. For over a year now I’ve literally struggled with simply staying awake for eight hours in a row, let alone expending any energy during that time, and now it seems I’ll get one or two days a week that I can go to work, work a full day and still have a little “life” left in me when I get home … and that is a really good thing!

Of course our sex life has taken a huge hit during this past year … but even that seems to be on the rise! (no pun intended).

So while things are not back to “normal”, and honestly I have to assume returning to past levels of energy is basically out of the question, I am beginning to feel like a reasonable degree of recovery is within reach, as long as the cancer doesn’t start moving around (metastasize) or return with a vengeance … and only time will tell us that. While I continue to have a few days a weeks that are “off”, I have a few that are “right on” too … and that is yet another good thing!

Read more…

One morning this past week on my way to work, I stopped at a local convenience store to grab a quick coffee before heading in. I usually keep my money in my pocket as opposed to my wallet, but for some reason that wasn’t the situation this morning, it was in my wallet. Not being completely awake, I took my wallet out to pay for my coffee, pulled a few dollars out, and half placed it on the counter while the young female clerk worked on getting my change.

The clerk, as she was handing me the change back suddenly smiled and blurted out, “that’s what I want … one of those”, and she pointed downward towards the counter near my wallet. For a moment, or I should say, that it took a moment, for what she had said to register, and then I still didn’t know or realize exactly what she was pointing or referring too.

I politely smiled back, … and then for a moment, my eyes and mind didn’t know where or what to focus on. It was only a split second, although it felt much longer and frankly, it was beginning to feel awkward. Well not really awkward but I didn’t want to appear stupid either!

I’m sure, for anyone that’s ever worked in that type store, that days can go by that are just full of funny, odd, weird, customer situations. I’d think you’d have to have a good sense of humor to work in the average convenience store .

Read more…

Somehow I thought I’d have more time for writing once I dropped the responsibilities of the radio shows and all that went along with that world. Boy, was I wrong! Maybe it’s the summer season, maybe it’s taking a bit more R and R … I don’t know, but whatever it is, time just seems to be flying by.

For those interested in our recent Boston trip, there are lots of photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/116405034524500132179

I had and still do intend to write more on Boston but simply haven’t had the time to do so.  

One of the things that’s been keeping me busy is that I finally got my wheelchair … and let me tell you what a difference it made. I have planned a post (with some photos) about it for this weekend.  Hopefully Alberic, who took most of the photos on the Boston trip will help me take some pics of the chair and explain the difference between a well-made wheelchair and the typical chair you see at most hospitals.

Last weekend I went to the mall in Rutland …. and what a pleasure! Now I’m personally not very big on malls, and there’s between little and nothing I want to purchase from them … but it was great to be able to take Sher and let her go do some shopping … which is something she does  enjoy. Earlier this evening, we went out and walked the dog together … something I haven’t done for almost a year. OK, I didn’t walk, I wheeled … but still, it was great to be able to go along.

This weekend is also Father’s Day and we still have to do a bit of celebrating for Alberic’s birthday … so it’s going to be a busy, but fun time. Al’s last day of school for the year was this past Wednesday, and next year he’ll be going to a new school.

We finally got all the light fixtures replaced in our house from last winter’s electrical disaster.  Can you believe it took this long? I have to admit that this time, it was not the insurance companies fault for slacking … we (well, mostly Sher) had a really, really hard time finding replacement lights. I know that sounds crazy especially since we do a lot of shopping online, but it was very challenging to find the right things. Crazy, but we’re both happy it’s finally finished. They are installed and lighting up rooms! Life is wonderful!

I’m also beginning to do research on the possibility of using medical marijuana. It’s an incredibly complex set of rules, regulations and hoops to jump through but the rewards can be extremely helpful. Let me explain how this could work for me … or better yet, let me leave for my next post. Ohhhh … so much to write about.

It’s getting late and I have to work tomorrow morning, but over the weekend I’ll try and write a clear explanation of why I want to try taking that route, even though it’s definitely not the easiest way out of the daily pain and nausea issues I face. It’s bedtime for me …. good night Alberic.