I've never had MJ in any form.:mad:

Me thinks me needs a hit! :D

the cancer clinic research study is still taking volunteers in the Scottsdale area, it may extend to Phoenix. Not sure.

So if you know anyone here that has MS or any condition in which MMJ may be used as medication, let me know and I will be glad to give you the contact.

The medicine is free, it is also delivered.

And you can quit anytime you want to.:)

I never did either Sally. I am still driving so I don't want to mess with that.

Just sneeze here and you get pulled over. Camera's on ever corner light pole, intersection and all turns. Hundred's of tickets. Our state is trying to pull in money fast to pay down debt. They raised our property taxes anyway. :eek:

Another update.

I tried the lollipop. It was strawberry/banana and it tasted really good. Perhaps too good because although I tried to measure the effect, I ate the whole thing without noticing anything. It took about an hour of digestion and for the next few hours, I felt high.

The high was not overpowering but I am not a fan of mental alteration. That aversion is probably why I am not a fan of alcohol or most pharma drugs.

On the positive side, spasms were minimized and pain in my feet disappeared for a few hours.:)

In the vaporizer, I tried the purple kush and it is nice. The high part lasts about 20 minutes but the relaxation dosage is good.

Again, no spasms that flex my feet unbearably and lift my leg into the air.

And please do not combine my experiment with the lollipop and the vape of the purple kush. Each dose was on a different day.

Received a call that the caregiver had product for me. Since the MMJ study has not begun, the buds were not delivered. I arranged for a ride to pick them up.

The variety is called pineapple. It does have a cannabis fruity smell.

I am storing the various strains in mason jars. I label them with the name and date I received it.

DH suggested we purchase a second "rope" for the vaporizer. I have one sativa and the rest are indicas. I have only tried the sativa (blue dream) once and I did not make a private notation on my reaction.

Two reasons for no sativa:

1. I have not needed MMJ during the day.

2. I don't feel like cleaning the bowl to try a sativa since the principle time I am vaping is around 6-8 PM while watching TV.

I do eat a small piece of brownie at night. Not sure if it is because of the benefits of MMJ or an excuse to eat chocolate.:D I read until I am tired.

What am I reading? I am tired of reading history and am giving it a break. I uploaded The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain.

The MRI results from last week show mild activity. My first thought was "easy for the radiologist to say, does not feel mild to me."

One of the new sx's is constant nausea/hunger to appease the nausea.

As things move forward, last night was a new experience and unwelcome. Since my fainting spell, I have had waves of nausea wake me up during the night.

It was unpleasant last night around 2 AM. Dry heaving.

Irony is although the vaporizer was ready to turn on, all I wanted was to get back to bed. I thought of vaping, just did not follow through.

This AM after my usual 1/2 cup coffee, DH loaded the bowl with blue dream - sativa. Took a couple draws. DH made me toast w/honey.

Still dealing with nausea sx. MMJ relieves the nausea a bit but the medicine does not last.:(:(

Aww Aarcyn, how dreadful! Dry heaving is horrible. I hope the nausea subsides quickly for you. :hug:

Cyn, when was the fainting spell and what does Doc think caused it and the ensuing nausea? Feel better soon, please..:hug:

Fainting spell was about 3 weeks ago. DH and DS heard me fall and came in. I have total amnesia as to the event. Slurred speech lasted about one hour, so I am told. DH and DD did not think to take me to ER. I was acting happy, drunk and it probably lulled them into thinking putting me to bed and having me sleep was the right choice. When I found out what happened the next night at 11 PM, I waited until the next day. Called doctor and he sent me to ER.

Had an EEG - normal. MRI shows activity.

As to what happened leading to the fall, no one was there...including me (as far as memory!). Proverbial lights were on but no one was home.:rolleyes:

After insurance pays, I am confident that our pocketbook will be $500 or so lighter and docs will say, we have no idea, just let us know when it happens again.

I had not had any cannabis during the day nor the evening. Nothing unusual happened. Just the sx of nausea began afterwards and has not abated.

Thanks for the well wishes.:) Although I will never be at peace with MS, I realize I have no control over the progress. I must say I am flattered that anyone is reading my MMJ thread.:D

I've been doing mmj for about 18 months now, smoking every day. My son grows it for me. I'd like to say it has helped, but of course I won't know unless I quit and my sx get worse. I have not had a relapse since I started smoking regularly. I am also on Copaxone until this month. Again, not sure if the copaxone kept my relapses down, or if the combination does.

I wouldn't worry too much about whether to go with an indica or other variety. I will say it seems to help with some pain management (less spasms, and no RLS), it also helps immensely with the nausea I get as a result of nerve damage.

For some people, edibles work great. I can't take edibles, the taste is awful (think chocolate grass clippings), and I get no relief.

My son has sever fibromyalgia (and possibley MS) and he gets great relief from the cookies and stuff he makes.

Are you familiar with "weedtracker.com"? They get some good discussions going on and there are many on there who have ms or other neuro issues.

Good luck with the trial!

I had similar sx for about 18 months. Finally went to a gastroenterolgist and was dx w/Gastroparesis, or slow digestion. My stomach takes longer than normal to digest, causing the nausea and the weird hunger pains. It caused me to lose a lot of weight, but my gastro got me on Domperidone. You can't get the drug in the US, I get mine from Canada. I have been amazed at its effectiveness, I gained my weight back (slowly) and now I have to drop a few pounds.

Have you had any tests done to get to the cause of your nausea and dry heaves?

:hug: thought you needed a hug :hug:

@Catch. Thanks for the weedtracker site. I took a quick look and I am going to investigate it more thoroughly, I just wanted to say thanks first.

Edibles. The first brownies were horrible, just like you described. However, I have sampled brownies, blondies, granola bars, fudge, mint cookies, and a lollypop.

The latest batch of brownies DH has made do not have a marijuana taste. I had a small piece, probably one inch square, height maybe 1/4 inch at most. Too much, an overstone. Good news is that this latest batch will last a long time. Basically a small small portion before sleep will be what I need.

@Catch. Since this nausea/dry heaving/fainting is not an emergency, I am waiting for the MS doctor appointment to be scheduled. I have no real faith that there will be a finite answer. My experience has made me a skeptic.

I will take Gastroparesis suggestion to dr. Thanks!:)

and like you, don't know if MMJ works well. I have only begun with this thread and the actual study has not started, hopefully in September.

@Dej. Thank you my dear internet friend.:hug:

I have gastroparesis because MS pinched my Phrenic nerve and my vagus nerve, so frequently things just sit in my tummy and go nowhere, OR they come back out the way they came. Its not fun.

Have you done a google search for good MJ recipes? I know you MUST have some fat in the batter, like a MELTED butter to churn it into before you mix it into the brownies in order for the THC to be relased. If you just clump it into the mix its like eating brownies with leaves in it, not good! Peanut butter cookies are great! the higher the fat content the better. it really does help to melt the butter, then grind in the stuff into your butter to make it a paste, and then add that paste to your recipe.

http://www.thestonerscookbook.com/ho..._with_weed.php

http://www.thecannabischef.com/all_recipes

http://www.marijuanacooking.com/ (really good spot to learn how to make Weed Butter which is essential to a batter that is smooth and good tasting)

http://www.smokingwithstyle.com/cookingetiquette.htm (easy to follow stuff)

That should give you a good idea on how to better handle the ingredients and make them into whatever dish you choose.

Good luck :hug:

Headed out of town to northern California to see family and an old friend from my wild single days.:rolleyes:

I am hoping to be able to see the inside of a dispensary at some point, not sure if we will have any time.

I am not sure I will be able to persuade them to let me see the actual thing rather than just the outside waiting room.

I would love to compare it to the compassion club here.

We had a good trip to Northern CA over the weekend. Every minute was filled so there was no time to visit a dispensary. Although I wanted to see one, it was low on the list of things to do.

We did take a couple brownies with us for the night. I ate 1/2 brownie before bedtime, same as always.

I now have two "whips" for the vaporizer. Whips are the tube that heats the bowl on one end and the other end is where the cannabis is inhaled. Not sure if it makes sense as I try to describe it.

The reason for the second whip is really for the bowls. I wanted two bowls because it is easier to use a sativa and an indica without going through the trouble of cleaning it out anytime I want to switch.

So if there is a need to vape during the day, all I have to do is switch whips. Less of a mess.

I have not used a sativa often. I battle pain/discomfort from the MS hug without medicating. But after a few hours of maximum effort, a sativa may be good.

I will have to see how it goes.

The indica is good for the late night interruptions of bathroom breaks at 3-4 AM when getting back into sleep mode cannot be achieved and spasms begin to interfere with being in a prone position in bed.

A couple draws of a vaporizer are quick acting and serve its purpose of relaxation allowing me to sleep a few more hours and wake up naturally.

The marijuana buds I have are lasting a lot longer than I anticipated. I am hoping to have enough to create cannabutter in the future and experiment with making my own edibles from start to finish.

I have a cookbook with sweets. The study is supposedly going to start in September. I have not heard from the cancer center but either way, the caretaker has supplied me with cannabis while everything gets set up.

Just bumping this up so that I do not lose it.

and...I had the results of the EEG and MRI. One "new" lesion but it is considered mild because the lesion is in the gray matter rather than on the cortex.

so no one can diagnose why I fainted/have total memory loss.

Such is the path of MS.

Study has still not begun but it is not an issue. I have plenty of product for vaping, just not to make my own edibles. But the cannabutter was so strong that the brownie pieces I eat at night are literally just a bite.

The bite at night makes sleeping easy.

Negative? I get hungry while I am sleeping!

This may not be the place to post, but since we're all talking about the evil "Mary Jane" here, I wanted to share.

I went to my gp last week because it had been 6 months and I needed a refill of Gaba. It doesn't seems to do much good when I take it, but I had some really bad days after getting off of it, so I figured I'd continue.

I dont have insurance and my GP is pretty good imho. I had mentioned before that I smoke pot for pain and he mumbled something about self-medicating that I ignored at the time. This time around he asked me how my pain was. I told him I woke up ok and it progressed through out the day until it was unbearable and then after dinner I smoke pot for relief.

I asked him if he had anything better for me (other than pain pills) and he said no. He said that pot has been found to do some pretty miraculous things and if it worked for me, I should stick with it.

I was pleased with his open-mindedness to tell you the truth. Although, I will do what I have to do to try and live a normal life, it's nice to be told by someone you respect that what your doing is ok with them. Btw, I have PN.

@Clarkstar. I am sorry that your experiences with trying to use cannabis to relieve your symptoms was such a nightmare and I hope all is going well now that a week or two has passed.

@Surfer. I had the same "self medication" comment from my psychiatrist time before last. I see him every three months for conversation. The last time, he asked if a dr in training could sit in on our session. Of course, no problem for me...I love an audience.:p

With all doctors, I am very open about MMJ. It did feel weird at first, almost as if I am doing something wrong. But I would add marijuana to the list of medications and it has been received with respect and curiosity.

I wear contacts so as my eye guy was asking about medicine, he wanted to know a few details. He has patients with glacoma.

Using MMJ is not making anything "all better." It is more of a substitute for the meds I take now that really did not do wonders anyway.

Pineapple is one of my favorites so far because of the mood elevator. Ironically, I had MJ that is older so I am using it up first.

Reminds me of eating my vegetables in order to justify eating dessert!

Aarcyn,

I'm with you on MJ not making things all better. It helps though and gives me something to look forward to during the day when I hurt (relief). Neuronten, (I take generic Gaba-something) doesn't seem to do much if anything to relieve my pain, but when I hurt bad, I figure it can't hurt to try.

"Pineapple is one of my favorites so far because of the mood elevator."
Is this a Sativa? Indica has always been preached as the strain for pain, but sometimes I've felt better with Sativas than with Indicas. You know, I think with mj, results are pretty unpredictable. I know I've smoked a certain type and had wildly different results. Sometimes I'm chatty, sometimes hilarious and sometimes very quiet. Sometimes I never think about pain the rest of the night and sometimes I can't think about anything BUT pain.

Unfortunately, it's not a miracle cure, but it's better than anything I've been offered by my doctor.

BTW, I may have missed a post somewhere, but why do you want to make your own cannabutter? I've never tried (dont like the way i feel with edibles and it's too slow for my taste) but always assumed it would be cost-prohibited compared with buying pre-made butter. Is it to control the strain used?

Hope you have a good day. With any luck, my son will invite my wife and I to go baby-sit their dog and I can swim in his pool! (One of the few things that doesnt aggravate my condition). Oh, and he has Wii and I'm addicted to bowling, lol.

Making your own cannabutter is nasty. smelly, messy work, but it is one way to know how strong it might be, and how finely it has been strained. That is why it is wise to make bigger batches and freeze it. The usual proportions I have been told is an ounce per pound of butter . . . but that would be very strong butter! The best (and most cost efficient) cannabutter I have ever made was done with shake I got for free. Put it in the blender and cooked it in butter/water mixture most often described in recipes for hours . . . really smelled up the house. But the end product made the best medicine in the form of gingerbread cookies. Three 2" cookies was a good dose . . . five was overstone. The spices did a great job hiding the taste and even helped with the odor.

I used to get a good snickerdoodle cookie made locally, but she moved. The new baker didn't seem to like to fully bake the cookies, and I got tired of soggy, flat, doughy cookies. I found 1/4 - 1/2 of one of those was a dose.

Ingesting is not the best way to fight nausea, as it takes too long to act. Inhaling is still faster and better relief for nausea, IMHO.

Pineapple is a indica. The only sativa I have is Blue Dream and even though I have a separate whip, I have not used it. My body does not seem to require any kind of pain/spasm medication during the day. It is only in the evening when sitting to watch TV that my spasms often become so annoying as to use medication in order to relax. My pain is manifests mainly as heat/icy cold and again, I can ignore it during the day.

@Surfer. Do you suspect that the different results could be that although you thought you purchased the same strain that in fact, you got a different variety or was your reactions just based on a different day?

I want to make my own cannabutter for a few reasons.

1. I would know exactly the ratio of buds to butter mixture.

2. There seems to be no control when it comes to the cannabutter I have used. When getting an edible, I ask what strain was used but every time, nothing is printed on the homemade food label.

When I talked to Mo at the Colorado dispensary, I asked about edibles and if the strain used would effect the reaction of my body. He said yes.

So part of my self exploration will be if I can discern a difference.

Mo suggested a mild roast of the buds to release the THC and make the cannabutter stronger. I have very little product so although I would like to experiment, I have nothing to "waste."

3. When it comes to homemade goods, I know my kitchen is clean/sanitary.

4. Smell and mess? I am ready for it. It will be noted eventually!

5. Although MMJ in Arizona is going through a lot of challenges, if it ever becomes legal enough, I may go into the cooking edibles business. That is really far off in my planning and may never happen.

bumping up.

Since the more recent overstone, I have backed off on my night brownie to see how I feel.

I will probably go back and forth on usage.

Last night's spasms got dosed with Baclofen. I was too lazy to go to the kitchen. The bathroom was closer.

"@Surfer. Do you suspect that the different results could be that although you thought you purchased the same strain that in fact, you got a different variety or was your reactions just based on a different day?"

No, I'm referring to actually smoking from the same bud. I think that a lot has to do with a person's mood, pain level, etc. each time it's utilized. The same bud can produce different results.

I think I've mentioned it before, that sometimes a Sativa will knock me out and an Indica will raise my spirits. (opposite of what one would expect). Try your Blue Dream sometime and see if you like it. It shouldn't be a dramatic difference to you.

It makes sense to make your own butter to monitor the strength. Btw, in case you didn't know it, you just need inexpensive trimmings to make butter, not the buds.

@Surfer. hmmm, interesting input that the current mood can change the reaction of the cannabis rather than a consistent reaction.

I will have to see how it works for me and monitor my moods. Thanks!

And when it comes to using shake to make cannabutter rather than buds, my benefactor may have given me cannabutter made from shake. There is no label to indicate anything.

That is a negative.

Shake has never been made available to me, only buds. It does mean I can use less product, the MJ taste with edibles will be less intrusive/edibles may taste better. It means to proceed cautiously when creating my own cannabutter.

If the study ever begins, I will have a better handle on everything. I am not bothering the cancer center about it though.

MJ has not made me "laid back." I am a laid back personality in my own right! not pushy unless asked about my politics!:p

I went to a community meeting last night. No progress on where dispensaries should be allowed.

But two caregivers approached me after the meeting was over, both want to give me MMJ with no strings attached. Both are willing to deliver.

I will give them bread as a thank you.

Good people in my world.

Be careful taking free MJ from strangers, Cyn..:hug:

I had a good conversation with one of the two caretakers I met at the meeting. Both had given me their business cards. The other caretaker answered his phone but he was unable to talk.

The first caretaker had wonderful "energy" at the meeting. Silly to say but true. In fact he had his business card in his car and said he would get it while I waited for DD to pick me up. I watched him from the curb and saw him running in the parking lot so as not to keep me waiting long.

The MMJ industry is very new to AZ and the business adventures have the potential to be lucrative.

It would be all sunshine and flowers to ignore the possibility. Certainly the Mexican drug cartel would not be happy if marijuana was legal.

But I digress. I talked to caretaker#1 and he was smart insightful and willing to let me hear his plans. His father deals with pain and this is, in part, what has led him to investigate cannabis now that it is legal.

He talked about marijuana massage oil...is anyone familiar with this?

I hope to also hear from caretaker#2. Also a nice guy who sat next to me at the meeting and we had a side conversation at a couple of points in the meeting.

Interesting dilemma. His plants are budding, no problem but the law does not allow the amount he is able to harvest.:eek: It means that as soon as he takes buds off the plant, he is violating the law!

But back to my question...have any of you heard of using MMJ topically? Have you tried it?

I've not, but I've had topical medications made here at a compounding place in town, so I can definitely see marijuana in a topical setting. I am curious to know the 'mode of action' so to speak, and how the medication gets absorbed as such.

If you happen across some, let us know! :D Topical form would be an excellent alternative to consider for some situations I'd imagine.

Hi,

I purchased a "cream" about 6 months ago and it had no effect on me. I can't think of the name right now and it's at home and I'm at work. It seems like a wonderful idea to apply mmj externally, but I don't think it's in the cards.

Aarcyn - Shake is usually available at dispensaries and is relatively cheap ($50/oz?). They don't have any use for it themselves and sell it cheap to bakers sometimes. You can also make hash out of it, but that's another story.

On another note - I know mmj helps with my PN pain, but I am so used to it that I am kind of spoiled I think and don't appreciate how well it works for me.

Anyway, I had a bad day yesterday and my legs were killing me. I went home a little earlier than usual and told the wife I need to take a hit. (I normally don't smoke til around 8 pm and it was around 5 pm). I went outside and took ONE hit and by the time I walked back inside, I had ZERO pain in my legs. I find this amazing.

One more thing. I live in L.A. and there was a story in the Times about an independant study that found when a mmj dispensary is forced to close, the crime rate shoots up in the area. The police are upset at the study, but the researchers claim they are just going by statistics. I certainly wouldn't have expected those results, lol.

The right handed Gov't will never learn, will they?:rolleyes:

Ain't that the truth Sally. Prejudice (Pre-Judge) is alive and well when it comes to mj, I'm afraid. It's been an interesting journey, as I meet more people benefitting from it and see first-hand the resistance from the law and in many cases society in general.

If it isn't sold by a pharma company, it must be bad. Oh well.

DH put it perfectly when summing up the visit from Caretaker#1.

Tupperware.

Or a few other "parties," i.e. baskets, fine glassware. I used to demonstrate/sell Pampered Chef kitchen items.

Caretaker#1 brought enough ware and by the end of the visit, I was sorta lost as to what would be good to try in terms of alleviating the sx's of MS.

It was fun and interesting. I do wish I could have had a party and those of you that wished could have been here.

I am unsure of the topical MMJ creams. He allowed me to try a modest sample. I tried two different ones, one on my finger and one on my foot. Both have pain, the areas affected are larger but I did not want to use all his demo stuff.

He had an interesting vaporizer, different from mine. Mine looks like a pencil sharpener with an attachment for the bowl and whip/tube. His is similar to an electronic cigarette? A few of you use it instead of smoking cigarettes. The cartridge has hash. It gives approximately 600 draws. Cost was $35/cartridge but the mechanism was expensive at about $100.

I took a draw. No head effect and although I had started to spasm while sitting, I was either distracted or the one hit was sufficient. Taste was okay. Breathing air is best but this did not make me cough.

I tried a strawberry tincture. Tasted like cough medicine. Recommended dosing was about 2-3 droppers full. I do not know the price.

I swapped a few of my bud varieties for his because he had buds that may work better. I will tell you about them as I experiment.

He gave me a capsule of a liquid. It is too expensive when compared to my Ambien but he wanted me to try it and let him know if it worked to keep me sleeping all night.

It was fun and no, i am not afraid of what he gave me. Most were professionally labeled. He would love for me to be a regular patient so overstoning me would not be smart.

From his persepctive - this is a good business opportunity, gives him a sense of helping holistically. He has to try everything so he can have an opinion. I was hoping he would let me be a guinea pig too but my own search into medicinal mj is going to cost me so it will be a conservative adventure.

But it was fun. I do wish I could have had a MMJ party. It would have been as much fun as tupperware, maybe even more!:)

"I do wish I could have had a MMJ party. It would have been as much fun as tupperware, maybe even more! "

You can't afford the refreshments - it would cost a small fortune. (And I'm talking non-medical) :cool:

I had a great conversation with Trish about a day ago. It was more about DD and her finals for school but I really like Trish and it felt good to talk with her.

I did talk to her about my spasms and how they are much more prevalent for me in the evening when watching tv and very strong if DH or DD take me to see a movie.

Sensory overload? Darkened theater with the sights and sound triggering spasms?

Sounds reasonable. I have some sublingual tabs for under my tongue. It is supposed to taste like a chewable vitamin C. I may try one tonight at home. If there is any noticeable positive effect, I will take one at a theater.

Love the updates Cyn, thanks a lot! :hug:

(While on vacation, I actually got to smoke via a vaporizer at a friend's place. I then went 3 days relatively pain free. The pain started to creep back in day 4. While my synthetic stuff's helpful and I can 'function' on it, you can't beat the real stuff as far as pain relief, at least the pains I suffer!)

I've never tried a vaporizer and can't afford one right now. The lotto is tonight, so that will soon change. I keep fantasizing about winning 64 million dollars for some reason. I'll let you know if I win, lol. It'll be "brownies for everyone"!

:yahoo::yahoo::yahoo:

My spasms were active last night. They often act up when I have had a more strenuous day. DH suggested the sublingual MMJ pill since we were just going to watch mindless television.

So I took out my contacts and while getting the bedroom covers, etc ready for sleep, I put one under my tongue.

It was a small brown pill, a little larger than a birth control pill. I was told it would taste like a Vitamin C as it dissolved.

Not true, it tasted horrible and after only 20 seconds or so, I spit it out. I would not recommend it. It took multiple teeth brushings and water to get rid of the taste.

I was given candies in the form of tootsie rolls, one with all indica and one with a hybrid of indica/sativa.

That is next on the "menu" of what I will try next but it will take time because those little sublingual pills were disgusting!

It is easier to vaporize.

Let's see, do I want a pill that tastes like dirt to put under my tongue or a delicious brownie??? Ha ha.

I am here to tell you that I did NOT win 64 million last night. I'm quite perturbed that I will have to wait til the next drawing to get my moola.

Ok, here's another way to get my my 64 mil. - I just read an article that MMJ patients do not have the right to buy guns in the U.S. If you are a raging alcoholic - no problem, have a shotgun. Suffer from pain and take a hit to get through the night? No guns for you.

I've never owned a gun and really don't care if I ever do, but don't tell me I can't. Sounds like a 64 million dollar law-suit wtg to happen. We could all join forces and make it a class-action. After we win, I'll open a dispesary/gun shop. 20% off guns and ammo for mmj patients.