Greg said to stop crying and do something!
So I’ve kicked him out of our shared office…I’ve stopped crying… and listening to Nina Simone sing “Feelin Good” on Pandora.
I woke up with a horrible headache this morning. Why? My daughter has recently come out of the hospital after staying a whole week for very bad Pneumonia with complications. She was on morphine almost the entire time for the pain. Thank god they were able to control the pain… It was heart breaking. They were able to control the fear she was suffering from with Ativan… thank god… it helped stop the tears for hours at a time.
She came home on New Years Eve. I held her in my arms for literally 4 days and 4 nights. She was crying and moaning… vomiting…once again… heartbreaking.
But today is a new day. And she is doing better.
But I’m not.
Luckily I, as a Brain Cancer patient, can treat my pain, fear and nausea with Medical Cannabis. This morning my headache and misery was gone in 3 mintues. Gone… and now I’ve eaten breakfast and am writing. No headache… but with a clear issue that I need to get out.
After her last dr. check-up… when she had finally stopped the 4 days of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea… I got the lovely information that she was going through Morphine withdrawal.
And I’m angry! She had to be on all of the same damn medicines I was on… as almost every patient is on… with needles in their arms… crying. While I…. can go use Medical Cannabis…. and be home…. out of pain… not addicted to anything… no more needles… no more vomiting… no more fear.
I’m angry… As a mother of a 10 year old little girl who had to go through Morphine Withdrawal!!!!!! I’m angry for everyone who has to needlessly suffer in the hospital because of ridiculous laws that need to be rethought!
There has to be a better way. If we are changing the laws… lets also change the Healthcare system. When a patient is admitted… give them options.
Don’t just immediately stick a needle in them and fill them with drugs that… hmmmm…. I don’t know… Maybe they don’t need or want. How about we give people the option to choose. To be an active and educated part of their treatment.
Pain, Fear, Muscle Cramping, Shaking, Vomiting… can all be treated with Medical Cannabis. And it can be administered in a number of ways. No one will be lighting up a Doobie in the ER. (BTW… I had to look up how to spell “Doobie” in the Urban Dictionary!)
Medical Cannabis can now be administered to patients by drops put under the tongue, they can have a dissolvable strip put in their mouth, a chocolate drop, a vapor… so many options. That don’t include needles, tears and withdrawal.
I have been nominated for a Patient Advocate position with the American Board of Internal Medicine… which is a really big deal. I would be taking over for Doug Ulman, former CEO of LIVESTRONG.
And in this position… I’m going to be talking about this… this morning… these tears… the tears of a tired Mom… who had to see her little girl got through Morphine withdrawal.
My headache is gone now. The pain will return… but I will get rid of it. Quickly and simply… because of what I helped accomplish.
As I always say to people who poo-poo me…. I DIDN’T BREAK THE LAW…. I CHANGED IT!
Love,
Tra