No jokes about purses and skin please. And fyi, I'm going to go off in a minute, so if you think you might be offended, don't read on.
Ly and I went to Breitenbush last weekend. We had a lovely time. UMO ensemble got a lot accomplished at their retreat, and Ly and I got to soak and play in the natural hot springs. It was great this time because we went to the medicine wheel in the morning before breakfast. This is the place under a grove of trees, where there are 4 stone tubs with different minerals in each. Each tub gradually got hotter, and then across the platform was the cold plunge that is constantly filled with very chilly river water. A few times through the entire process, and I think it is safe to say you are walking on sunshine. We rented a nice little PT Cruiser knock off, and had a good road trip on the way down, and back.
Been working like a dog ever since.
Cut to today. If this is repeat information for anyone, feel free to skip ahead. So for the last year and a half, I have experienced pain, numbness and muscle weakness in my right arm. Went to a bunch of doctors, did a bunch of tests, and ended up with some cervical herniated and bulging disks. Got a cervical epidural last August which helped immensely. My symptoms increase when I sit at a computer (hence my decreased posting). My symptoms also increase (not as much) when I have a long day of massage. I am doing every PT exercise known to man, I work out, I get chiropractic adjustments, do massage and acupuncture, ice, work on myself, and everything in between. Currently, I get spasms in my right hand with my middle and ring fingers. They are so bad that I have to pry my fingers open. This happens 4 or 5 times a week. I get medial scapula pain so bad I can't even hold my head up at the end of the day some days. Sometimes, the fingers of my right hand don't even feel like they are able to get any nerve impulse to tell them to move. All of the symptoms make for a very hard time in, billing, doing dishes etc., being happy and bright, and not wanting to cut my head off. I have gone through every medication known to man. Some have helped a bit, some make me drowsy and more retarded than usual(all the percocet and narcotics), some make me irritable, most make me not able to poop (and those of you that know me know that I HATE it when I can't poop). In addition, narcotics are WAY harsh on your liver, and mine can't afford it any more.
So that is the history. I haven't had percocet for this condition since the end of last year. I am at loathe to get another prescription for it. My pain, at it worst, would totally qualify for another percocet prescription. Since I really don't want one, I'm trying other options.
What I have found that works best for the pain, the trigger points, and mostly the spasming, is coming home after a day of massaging, icing my neck, taking some naproxen, and smoking a little medical marijuana. Medical marijuana is technically legal in Washington state (or I should say, at least the voters made it law). I have wanted to do things on the up and up, so I went to my spine doctor to see if he would sign my medical marijuana letter. He understood my plight, but alas, would not. He claimed he didn't like the lingo that was on the recommendation letter that was drafted by the medical board of the state of Washington. He said he would be happy to talk to another doctor that would be willing to sign the letter. He said he would give any history as to my condition, and help in whatever way he could - other than signing my letter.
So I go see my primary care physician the other day. I was faced, yet again, with another pussy doctor who is afraid of getting sued. Sidenote: There was a just a bill passed by Congress stating that doctors couldn't be touched for recommending medical marijuana. I started crying right there in her office. I was like, "so, you'd rather give me a percocet prescription and send me on my way than give me a recommendation for a naturally grown herb that helps just as much with MORE symptoms, and is far less harsh to my system?" She was like, "well, yes." She told me that it was partly a legal fear, and partly that she doesn't know enough about it.
This, I believe, is what is totally fucked up about our conservative, back-assed, litigious society. It's not even logical. That someone can go out, have six beers, drive home, killing a pedestrian on the way(this happened to one of the founders of a local naturopath school here in Seattle), and yet I can't have medication that helps me open my fingers so I can write to do my billing and make a living, is f.u.c.k.e.d.
In the end, my doctor ended up printing out my spine doctor's notes, and writing a letter that states that I have cervical radiculopathy with chronic spasming and pain, and that I use medical marijuana to alleviate the symptoms. So hopefully this letter will be all I need. It doesn't say what the other letter said, but it will do, for now.
(beware generalizations follow)
It is my hope, that some day, this back-assed thinking can be changed. Perhaps I am niave in hoping that the conservatives, those who have NEVER even tried marijuana, those who know NOTHING of it's effects, and anyone else who falls in between those cracks, can re-evaluate their judgments, their biases, their ridiculous assumptions about who people that smoke marijuana are. Because I'm tired of fighting. The current polictical regime, and the armies of conservatives, and the religious right that follow them are creating a world of hate, judgment, and evil unlike their bible has ever known.
Friday, June 30, 2006
It's a mixed bag (rants ahead)
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9 comments:
I'm a conservative herbalist with a love/hate relationship with the idea of MM. As long as it's treated with the same class as any other major pain reliever I have no issue.
A majority of conservatives feel this way (at least the ones I associate with). The ones that are all anti whacked are the extreme few. Just like I know all liberals aren't lawless nut jobs.
Drug abuse is drug abuse no matter the drug.
And I'm so sorry you're hurting. It's not hair and it fucking sucks. xoxo to you.
Actually, my greatest criticism of the modern liberal is that far, FAR too FEW of us are lawless nut jobs. We need a libertine party. :^)
But seriously, folks . . .
Fair enough, ~a~, though I wonder what treating MM with the same "class" as any other major pain reliever would look like. Considering that acetaminophen mixed with alcohol can cause catastrophic liver toxicity, aspirin and ibuprofen can cause stomach bleeding, etc., it seems to me that while any program that accepted such would, of course, be obligated to be forthright about any risks--proven or potential--it also seems to me that the side-effects as demonstrated are notably less.
The problem with classifying drug abuse is that to the mind which, for lack of a better word, I'll call "conservative", in the distilled sense (for lack of a less inflammatory term), use and abuse are treated fairly equally--one may be a social drinker but not a social pot smoker; one may reasonably use prescribed narcotics, but use of the herb is always a step onto the slippery slope toward criminality and ennui.
On the matter of conservative/liberal, you'll have to forgive us a certain amount of generalization: we both grew up in states where the conservative majority was hectoring and immovable, whose male children strutted with proto-fascistic fervor and unprecedented license, preying on the weak/smart and singling out the potentially homosexual for their worst abuses. We were well into our 20s before escaping to the city, where living amongst a majority of our peers has a) made us realize the ways in which we weren't necessarily as liberal as we thought and b) made in easier, in any case, to view conservatism as alien, and more than a little quaint. Gay rights and the drug war tend to be my greatest sticking points, politically speaking.
Funny enough, I've heard good conservative arguments for ending the war on drugs and eliminating ALL marriage benefits not directly tied to children in the interest of truly small government, though such arguments usually get filed under "libertarian", which I'd probably be were it not for my environmental concerns and rabid advocacy for universal mass transit. At the very least, lifting all bans on medical marijuana seems like a step in the right direction.
gasp, horrors and other such folderol, how dare you impugn the quality of the products that Western Medicine have brought us?
You obviously haven't been watching enough TV, otherwise you'd realize that catastropic liver toxicity, stomach bleeding, anal leakage, episodes of sleep eating or sleep driving, mild headaches, mild nausea, and other such piddling concerns are mere inconveniences when compared to the damages that are associated with the illegalities of medical marijuana.
Toughen up, bitches! Don't like feeling like a zombie? Don't like not pooping? (here's a hint, kids: it's another pill called a "laxative" this time) Don't like losing your sexual drive? Don't like walking through the world in a haze? Your choice is simple:
Live with the pain. If that's not good enough, well, there's this other pill...
If they lift the ban on MM can they lift the crapola I have to go through for my Claritin-D and up my allotted amount that I need for my family during cold and flu season?
I personally don't like any pharmaceuticals, natural or manufactured. Probably why I my doctor allows me to have an ungodly amount of Vicodin for my migraine attacks because he knows I won't take it, even if I need it.
There are some herbs out there that people are pumping into their body that I would not touch with a ten foot poll just because I know what they can do, again the liver toxicity, stomach bleeding, and so on. The body is a giant chemistry set and anything you put in it can knock it off balance. There has been studies, although not proven in humans, that marijuana had an effect on the thyroid of rats. If a doctor said to me, "~A~ take this MM and you'll never have another migraine again". Knowing that there's some slight chance that it's going to fuck with my delicate thyroid balance, I'd have to tell him to shove it up his ass.
If *they* can restrict something like psudephed then they can surely do the same for MM. What I don't agree with something like what OR did or were trying to pass and that's allowing a person to have (what was it?) 6 to 9 lbs of pot at one time. Having worked with pounds of dry herbs, I can say that that's a crap load of pot and even if they're not sharing or anything of the sorts, that opens the poor person to being a victim of theft by someone not so kind hearted. My Honey locks up all my medications in the gun cabinet when we leave the house for anything longer than 8 hours.
So as we can see it has nothing to do with a conservative vs. liberal stance. That's more of a platform both parties use to inflame negatively an hinder an intelligent solution.
There has to be ways to protect the people who need MM and allow them the amount that they need. If WA knows how much psudephed I need or should be allowed to buy in a 24 hr period then surely they can do the same for MM. Reversely there needs to be a way to protect the rest of us from those who abuse their MM, just like we have protection (to an extent) from those who abuse alcohol by drinking driving. It's not against the law for someone to drink a crap load of beer, or for me to take my heavy narcotic prescriptions, but it is against the law for the drunk or me to get in a car and drive around because either one of us can run you over and kill you. Therefore the abusive actions has infringed on your right to live. Since there is not a quick easy way for police to detect if someone has been abusing a substance other than alcohol, it's just easier for lawmakers to keep on saying no to MM or discouraging doctors from saying yes. Which I'll agree doesn't make sense when there's a bunch of other, stronger and more dangerous pain relievers out there.
Okay, done rambling. Need to feed the kids.
If they lift the ban on MM can they lift the crapola I have to go through for my Claritin-D and up my allotted amount that I need for my family during cold and flu season?
- I couldn't agree more, and get really pissed off at all the meth heads who have forced me to have to give an ounce of my blood to get some damn allergy medication. I also want to add - meth is a LOT different than M.
If a doctor said to me, "~A~ take this MM and you'll never have another migraine again". Knowing that there's some slight chance that it's going to fuck with my delicate thyroid balance, I'd have to tell him to shove it up his ass.
I totally respect that being your choice. As a thyroid gimp myself, I would make another choice. But see, that's the thing, I'd like the choice - the choice has been taken away from me.
What I don't agree with something like what OR did or were trying to pass and that's allowing a person to have (what was it?) 6 to 9 lbs of pot at one time.
- I agree that 6 to 9 pounds is excessive. My question is, what about the suppliers of MM? If they are supplying it to more than 10 people, they are going to want certain quantities.
So as we can see it has nothing to do with a conservative vs. liberal stance. That's more of a platform both parties use to inflame negatively an hinder an intelligent solution.
- You are completely and utterly correct. I do jump the gun often in going off on conservatives. As Ly mentioned, you'll have to forgive my upbringing, and the retarded illogical dealings I've had with many a conservative on this very topic - among others.
Reversely there needs to be a way to protect the rest of us from those who abuse their MM, just like we have protection (to an extent) from those who abuse alcohol by drinking driving.
- So my question is A, what, to your understanding what constitutes "abusing MM". And, from what sorts of things done by MM abusers, do we need protection?
If they lift the ban on MM can they lift the crapola I have to go through for my Claritin-D and up my allotted amount that I need for my family during cold and flu season?
Yes. See, that was easy!
There are some herbs out there that people are pumping into their body that I would not touch with a ten foot poll just because I know what they can do, again the liver toxicity, stomach bleeding, and so on. The body is a giant chemistry set and anything you put in it can knock it off balance.
Agreed.
There has been studies, although not proven in humans, that marijuana had an effect on the thyroid of rats. If a doctor said to me, "~A~ take this MM and you'll never have another migraine again". Knowing that there's some slight chance that it's going to fuck with my delicate thyroid balance, I'd have to tell him to shove it up his ass.
That's the balance one tries to manage with any drug. The question is, should a federal or state agency make that decision, or should patients and practitioners be responsible for hammering that out twixt themselves?
If *they* can restrict something like psudephed then they can surely do the same for MM.
I'm actually pretty annoyed with current restrictions on psudephed. Actually, "they" are generally a thorn in my side.
What I don't agree with something like what OR did or were trying to pass and that's allowing a person to have (what was it?) 6 to 9 lbs of pot at one time. Having worked with pounds of dry herbs, I can say that that's a crap load of pot and even if they're not sharing or anything of the sorts, that opens the poor person to being a victim of theft by someone not so kind hearted.
Agreed that such an amount doesn't sound like it could possibly be medicinally useful or necessary. Of course, most programs like that mandate that you grow it yourself. I tend to think that it then becomes a matter between an individual and his/her gardening budget. That's where it gets into the thorny question of broader decriminalization, which I support, but which falls outside the boundary of the current discussion.
There has to be ways to protect the people who need MM and allow them the amount that they need. If WA knows how much psudephed I need or should be allowed to buy in a 24 hr period then surely they can do the same for MM.
See, that's just it. I don't think WA should know how much psudephed you need or should be allowed to buy. It's no one's job to protect you from yourself.
Reversely there needs to be a way to protect the rest of us from those who abuse their MM, just like we have protection (to an extent) from those who abuse alcohol by drinking driving. It's not against the law for someone to drink a crap load of beer, or for me to take my heavy narcotic prescriptions, but it is against the law for the drunk or me to get in a car and drive around because either one of us can run you over and kill you.
If we're talking about laws against driving under such influence, I'm with you. If you're talking about not selling to someone who's clearly already intoxicated, I'm with you. After all, we're talking about comparisons to alcohol. So how does this relate to amounts in possession? Compare it to a liquor cabinet, or a wine cellar. How much is too much? Who decides?
Read it. Agree with it. Hope you find a solution. Sorry for your ouchy arm. Love you!
Damn, I wish I coulda been in on this when it was fresh, but I was in Vegas downing copius amounts of a delicious metabolic poison.
Marijuana has its place because of politics and the power of narrative. That's all. The rating it has makes it damn hard to do any real studies on its efficacy in this country. And many powers that be, for reasons political and economic, would like to keep it that way.
It has benefits, it has drawbacks, like any drug. It also has stigma. ~A~ is right that it really isn't a "conservative" issue - it just happens to energize the Republican base, so it is so associated.
I mainly want it to be treated as a drug without the stigma. I can name three football players alone that died from ephedra, directly, and yet there isn't a single death by weed on record (not direct anyway - I've long believed a reliable road test for being high would pave the way for legalization).
Don't think drug stigma taints out ability to think rationally about drugs. Quick test. One of your neighbors gets busted for coke, and the other for crack. Got that in your head? What color are they? How do you feel about them?
Yeah.
I ain't never hit nobody in anger stoned, but I done so tooooo many times drunk. And weed won't kill me but cigs will.
No matter what you think, you gotta think we ain't thinkin' right. Like lucid like.
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