All posts filed under: cannabis

Journal, Cannabis and Tramadol

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Today was a good day for me. But first, the boring stuff. Let’s talk about the medical.  Since the VA had my Tramadol prescription, they require a urine test occasionally. My urine test came back positive for cannabinoids. So now my prescription has been cancelled. No one told me. No one asked about my pain status.  Lucky for me #1 cannabis will either manage your pain or you will not actually care that you have it. The added bonus is that it reduces inflammation, an RA killer. Lucky for me #2 every month I took the left over tramadol pills and put them in another container, enough to last a long time.  What I have been doing lately is take one tramadol in the morning and the two at dinner time. My RA is tough in the morning, but it can be tougher in the afternoon. Fortunately, I have just about gotten the dose correct. My will is a work in progress with a visit to a lawyer next week. Today I got the deed. …

Journal entry 3.25

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When life hands you a bucket of sour grapes, you really don’t need to cry or get angry. You can if you find it helps.  But the older I get, I find there are just too many speed bumps along the way. And since I don’t really have as much energy,  I need to save my energy for things that make me  happy. Okay there is the occasion for anger, but best to keep it a memorable thing not a habit. Matilda and Her Alien have moved on to book two and the BlueStone Colony, The colony is growing.  Matilda and Bertrand have a new story. Thomas and Timothy rescue more of the college student experiment/ Big Furry People. We meet furry children  who are as cute as teddy bears.  Marigold and Tess are newcomers.  Rescue of the mutant BlueStone continues. The original sixteen babies start nursery school much to the delight of their teachers. Matilda and her Alien is now available in paperback. I have had rheumatoid arthritis for twelve years. I have also …

Day to Day with RA

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Today is a good day for me. The Kevzara stopped working. I retried low dose Methotrexate but immediately started having side effects. So, I stopped that too. I now depend on Medrol, Tramadol and Cannabis. Both the Medrol and the Cannabis are big helps. Titrating cannabis gummies can be tricky, but once you get used to it, it is the answer for now. I like taking 2.5 mg at a time. Low dose. Keeps the inflammation at bay. When I do have a bad flare, I up my cannabis dose accordingly and I stay in one place for a while. I have complete pain relief, but I don’t really care. It is nice. I use the WANA brand. The company started in Boulder but was sold to a Canadian company. Cannabis is legal in Canada as it is here in New Mexico. My primary doc signed off on the medical cannabis program. It saves but is also an access point for more potent cannabis. The WANA brand come in tight closing boxes. The normal label …

The complexity of using cannabis

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Francis is having his early morning nap atop my pillows. The pigeons are busy raiding the bird feeder. I’ve had my morning cup of Starbucks French Roast. Now for  the RA news. The good and the bad. Cannabis for rheumatoid arthritis is a mixed bag. Two days ago I had one of  the worst flares I’ve had in a while. The good side of cannabis is that it will take  away the pain and the inflammation of RA.  In order to do so the dose needs to be high enough. For me that is ten milligrams  which is in a regular  gummy or one eighth a gummy at fifty milligrams in the thousand milligram package. Another issue of using cannabis for RA is the complexity of using cannabis gummies. The first time I tried cannabis I became dizzy.  I recently had a hip replacement and I did not want to fall. I stopped using it. The next time I tried it, I microdosed and it worked. As I built tolerance I  increased my dose. Now …

Cannabis at Eleven

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For about half of us the biologic medication of the last twenty-five years has been helpful in reducing symptoms and lessening disability. Methotrexate has been a big help. It is especially helpful when given in combination with the biologics. The JAK inhibitors can cause cancer. Since I have had five cancers, they are not advisable. It has been eleven years since my diagnosis. I have learned to live with my symptoms. I do know that it is important to keep moving. Sitting in your favorite chair reading a good romance novel or instead catching up with your broadcasts, or podcasts, is inviting. But it is still important to alternate physical motion with sitting in the easy chair. We all know how stiff we feel after sitting for a while. It is called gelling. I still have a bad flare that lasts a week once a month. There is not much I can do when my pain level is between a five and a seven. The inflammation level is high and makes me feel sick. I …

RA, a Progressive Disease

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I have seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. That means I have more issues with inflammation and less joint damage that a person with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. My rheumatologist sometimes thinks they must be two different diseases. Once diagnosed both are given the same treatment. I was on methotrexate for seven years. It helped about fifty percent. Biologics helped anywhere from twenty to fifty percent. The combination made life bearable. Methotrexate had been a difficult drug with the side effects of nausea and diarrhea. They passed. With the injectable version of methotrexate, the side effects disappeared. I have a history of breast cancer that required surgery and radiation. It left my breast tissue with poor circulation. I developed methotrexate black box complication number thirteen, soft tissue necrosis. It took ten months to heal and included surgery. Absolutely no more methotrexate, or it would happen again. So I lost my fifty percent relief. I was lucky to get twenty percent relief with the biologics. I have been through most of them. The TNF inhibitors can cause cancer and the …

New Book and cannabis report

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I finally finished my book. I published it as a Kindle book. An adventure. A romance. Science fiction.  Matilda Finnegan meets up with an old acquaintance . A handsome six foot white hair, sexy  blue-green eyes charming man. Romance blooms. Adventure beckons. The story is about outcasts from a nearby planet finding refuge on Earth. Their obstacles and their romances.  Book website, Matilda and her Alien and place to buy,  Amazon Book site I have known about my rheumatoid arthritis for about eleven and a half years. A little more. Despite Kevzara, steroids and cannabis, I still have a week long severe flare at least once a month. The flares are bad. Most of the moveable joints in my body are affected. All but my knees. Strange ads that seems. However, flares  are still better than what they were. The inflammation  is reduced. My RA seems to simmer the rest of the time. Not good but better than it was. I am on the last biologic left to me. I either have tried them or …

Happy Spring

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Albuquerque is heating up as tulips bloom. Despite Phillies’ losses, loyal fans remain hopeful. The writer finds relief from pain and inflammation using a cannabis blend of THC, CBD, and CBN, reducing their need for Tramadol. They emphasize the effectiveness of THC and CBD combinations and share Easter wishes across religions originating in the Middle East.