Marijuana and Terminal Cancer

2ndBase
2ndBase Member Posts: 220
edited March 2014 in Prostate Cancer #1
I entered hospice back in May of 10. Tumors in spine, hips, arms, legs, etc.
Controlling pain is the hardest part of it all. The morphine alone was not enough at first but with a high dose of the steriod dexmetazone I was able to keep the pain down.
By August it was taking about 1800 mg. morphine, a morphine patch, the steriod, and about 15 hydrocodine pills every day.
It becomes hard to stay awake on that much medicine and I asked to try marijuana.
I now use only 20% of the morphine and no hydrocodine. I am also much more alert and in much less pain. I may be able to eliminate the morphine altogether soon.
Currently I am taking Dronabinol 5mg.
If I had not done this I would not have believed that this drug would be able to control that kind of pain. So anyone who needs major pain relief might want to look into this medicine.

Comments

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,641 Member
    #2
    2ndBase, Acupuncture treatments to alleviate pain
    2ndBase,

    Your information is choking. I hope you hung on and that something good to relieve pain, better than marijuana, comes around. One friend in similar situation as yours did acupuncture treatments to alleviate pain caused from cancer problem. Have a look in this site; http://www.medical-acupuncture.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=79
    The practice may seem awkward, but in Asia is common practice even to aliviate a simple cold. I have experienced the “Yari” (needles in Japanese) in my thirties to relive a shoulder pain and it worked. Though my case was different than yours.
    I wish you find a good way for the relive of your pain.
    Take care.

    VGama
  • bdhilton
    bdhilton Member Posts: 847 Member
    #3
    I am very much interested in
    I am very much interested in the marijuana aspect and I am pleased that this is working for you ...You continue to be a shining example here with dignity and perspective with dealing with the darker side of this beast...

    Best to you
  • ob66
    ob66 Member Posts: 227 Member
    #4
    2nd Base
    First and foremost let me convey my wishes for the greatest comfort you can achieve. I have read your posts before, and was well aware of your situation. This post really rang a bell for me. I am not where you are at this time, but someday may be. We just don't know. But having come from the world of medicine, I do know the pain relieving benefits of morphine/hydrocodone, etc. And to hear you espouse and chronicle the pain relief you get from marijuana is heartening when I think of you, and enlightening when I think of the rest of us. Yes, we all know it is recreational. And yes, we all know it is a great pain reliever to those who suffer pain. But I never realized or quantified how much. You have done that for all of us, and for that I deeply thank you. Best wishes, and keep posting. So many times things that any of us post may seem "day to day" to us, but can be so meaningful to others.
  • 2ndBase
    2ndBase Member Posts: 220
    #5
    bdhilton said:

    I am very much interested in
    I am very much interested in the marijuana aspect and I am pleased that this is working for you ...You continue to be a shining example here with dignity and perspective with dealing with the darker side of this beast...

    Best to you

    Pain Relief
    Thank you all for your helpful comments and ideas. I will certainly be willing to try acupuncture in the near future and have someone looking into it for me at this time as he uses it now.
    I never used marijuana in my life until this past 6 weeks. Several people had suggested I try it. I was taking what seemed like way to much morphine and vicodin and having trouble staying awake. Having nothing to lose, a friend gave me enough product to try and I was just amazed at the pain relief aspect of it. I told all this to the hospice nurse and she asked the onocologist to prescribe the pill form. Over the past 6 weeks I have cut the use of morphine by 80% and beginning today I am going to try to quit using it altogether. I feel so much more alive, not totally exhausted as before, and more secure about making decisions. I realize that this is just another temporary event and at some point the marijuana will not be enough help, but I am glad to have it's help today. I guess you can get by with a little help from your friends. Thanks, Mark
  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,641 Member
    #6
    ob66 said:

    2nd Base
    First and foremost let me convey my wishes for the greatest comfort you can achieve. I have read your posts before, and was well aware of your situation. This post really rang a bell for me. I am not where you are at this time, but someday may be. We just don't know. But having come from the world of medicine, I do know the pain relieving benefits of morphine/hydrocodone, etc. And to hear you espouse and chronicle the pain relief you get from marijuana is heartening when I think of you, and enlightening when I think of the rest of us. Yes, we all know it is recreational. And yes, we all know it is a great pain reliever to those who suffer pain. But I never realized or quantified how much. You have done that for all of us, and for that I deeply thank you. Best wishes, and keep posting. So many times things that any of us post may seem "day to day" to us, but can be so meaningful to others.

    2ndbase; Heating Pads for pain relief
    Hi 2ndBase
    My wife asked me to inform you about Heating Pads. She is not a cancer patient but she uses them for pain relief in several parts of the body.
    There are many places where to buy them like Amazon, but you can make heating pads yourself, say; with 2 small bags or long socks filled with rice or beans, and then just microwave them to have it warm (about 40C). They keep the warmth for about 5 hours and can be reused.
    In these sites you can see what some chemical heating pads look like; http://www.clickheat.eu/?gclid=CLfhzviEsqYCFcKIDgodgigx2Q
    http://www.repeatheat.com/multi-purpose-heating-pads.html

    I wish you get better.
    VGama

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