University of Cincinnati president Santa J. Ono wants better suicide prevention measures on his campus — and to that end, he’s willing to get personal. In a series of Tweets posted Saturday evening, Ono opened up about his own mental health struggles, admitting that in his youth he attempted suicide twice…
Santa J. Ono @PrezOno
If we can reach more who are depressed, the good news is that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Let’s bring more light into the world.
In my search for bud, I recently met another chronic pain patient who is a current member of the Medical Cannabis Program. For the sake of this story, let’s call this patient Mary.
Mary hasn’t been in the program very long, but she’s tried a handful of different dispensaries and was mostly disappointed in what she found. Mary likes purple strains to treat her chronic pain, which she has trouble finding. She says she likes the Purple Kush at R. Greenleaf and she brought some to my place for me to try.
The label says the Purple Kush is an indica and has 20% THC and 0.27% CBDs. It had a strong smell, but was so dried out, it crumbled between my fingers. That condition is nothing new, as I found the same problem with all of Greenleaf’s bud when I was in the program years ago. Mary wondered if they microwave it, which is one way some growers use to dry the bud as quickly as possible and to kill germs. But no grower worth his or her salt would even think of curing bud with a microwave. I told her the smell was almost artificial, as if they added it in at some point during the process.
When Mary told me she paid $20 a gram for this bud, I was shocked. Shocked, I say! Not only is this bud not worth that much, it’s not even worth half that much. I told her truthfully that Greenleaf was ripping her off. Poor Mary, she didn’t know there was better bud out there, and at a better price. But not at the dispensaries, which is not only sad, but rather tragic.
Mary says she tried The Verdes Foundation, but they have a problem with running out of bud. And she said they close down a lot, too. (That was also a problem with High Desert when I was in the program.) You can only buy in certain quantities at New Mexican dispensaries, like at Greenleaf, just 1.5 to 3 grams at a time. Then you have to keep going back to buy more, almost every other day for Mary. Because there’s not enough supply for the demand, so the bud has to be rationed. And this, even when more dispensaries have been added since I was in the program.
I told Mary that the Purple Kush from Greenleaf was proof that I made the right decision to stay in the underground. Crappy bud for $20 a gram? Shameful. Just shameful that the dispensaries are ripping off patients like that.
From Greenleaf’s website: “The quality of our medical cannabis rivals that of any you will find in the United States or across the world.”
Bullshit. Total bullshit. Don’t be fooled.
Three white teenage boys at Dietrich High School in Idaho are accused of coaxing a black, mentally disabled teammate into what he thought was a hug in their locker room, before they held him down and raped him in the rectum with a coat hanger on Oct. 23, 2015. Now two of the boys are being charged as adults with “forcible sexual penetration by use of a foreign object.”
The boy accused of holding his teammate down will be charged as a juvenile. However, 17-year-old Tanner Ward is accused of forcibly penetrating the victim with the hanger, while 18-year-old John R. K. Howard allegedly repeatedly kicked the hanger into the victim’s rectum, causing physical harm.
“I screamed,” the victim said during a pretrial hearing in April, according to Magic Valley. “I was pretty upset. I felt really bad. A little bit betrayed and confused at the same time. It was terrible — a pain I’ve never felt.”
The victim’s family is also suing Dietrich High School for $10 million, arguing the rape was the apex of months-long racial bullying and harassment.
The civil complaint alleges he “was taunted and called racist names by other members of the team, which names included ‘Kool-Aid,’ ‘chicken eater,’ ‘watermelon’ and [the N-word],” the Washington Post reports. He was also reportedly forced to sing “Notorious KKK,” a racist, extremist song.
The lawsuit argues that Howard in particular targeted the victim, who, according to the suit, suffers from “mental disorders, including learning disabilities,” and that the school not only failed to thwart the abuse but encouraged it.
I know you don’t want to read about stuff like this. But I can’t help but wonder, WTF? Why would anyone want to hurt another person like that? So physically and intimately. Punishingly. I’ve known fear, but I just can’t see how these actions were caused by fear. I know that most bullies have been bullied themselves, but a hanger in a sexual assault? Why, dudes, why? To feel powerful? To feel sexually powerful? Is it mental illness?
WTF?
This awesome art is about the empowerment of women:
This woman and her fellow governors are taking away other women’s right to choose, stripping all women under their command of their own power. A legal right, decided decades ago.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/south-carolina-20-week-abortion_us_57461464e4b03ede4413c138
CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) – South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley on Wednesday signed into law a bill banning most abortions after 19 weeks of pregnancy unless the mother’s life is at risk, a spokesperson told Reuters on Wednesday. The South Carolina legislature passed the bill last week, the 17th U.S. state to approve such a ban…
If you want to tell me what I can do with my own body, then you’ll have to put a ring on my finger first. No, scratch that, even as my partner, you have no right to tell me what to do. I won’t tell you what to do with your body, and I expect the same respect.
The drugging most commonly occurred in someone’s home or apartment, followed by either at a fraternity or a bar. According to the survey, the most common drugs used were roofies, or Rohypnol, and Xanax. Typically, these drugs are undetectable to the naked eye and flavorless.
Often, the victim’s memory of the experience is wiped out. “I only had one drink and blacked out completely,” one female respondent said.
“When I woke up, I was naked next to someone I didn’t know,” she reported. “He was really rude when I woke up and left the house. I felt really strange, like I was in a dream just watching everything happen.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dave-mirra-cte-brain-injury_us_574464e0e4b0613b512b3c0d
Dave Mirra, the legendary athlete who helped popularize BMX in the world of extreme sports, suffered from chronic brain damage when he died in February…
http://www.wesjones.com/pollan1.htm
Opium Made Easy by Michael Pollan
One gardener’s encounter with the war on drugs
And although I did not yet have direct knowledge that these poppies could be made into a narcotic tea, James Duke, a botanist I contacted at the United States Department of Agriculture, had told me that ordinary, garden-variety opium poppies did contain morphine and codeine, and that these alkaloids could easily and effectively be extracted from fresh or dried seedpods by infusing them in hot water – by making a tea. Duke, who has done extensive work on poppies and is something of a legend in botanical circles, further suggested that alcohol would make a better solvent for extracting alkaloids from poppies than water…
You’ve been poppied. LOL. Now, go make some tea.
There I was, minding my own business, limping along the sidewalk on a warm summer’s day, camera in hand and ready for some art therapy…
When I hear a grumpy voice behind me asking, “What are you doing?”
I turn around to find an old couple in an old car, the husband in the driver’s seat, looking rather irritated and suspicious.
I said, I’m taking pictures of flowers, do you have a problem with that?
The old man said, yeah. I waited a beat or two for him to elaborate, but I finally said, fine, I can stop, no problem. Because I thought the yard and flowers belonged to the old couple in the old car.
I walked on, finding other flowers and trees to photograph. But I turned around and went back, past the wine-colored flowers, for a few more photos.
Turns out, that old couple in the old car don’t live in the house with the wine-colored flowers — the owner is a lady about my age, with two very loud weiner dogs.
I wondered why that old couple was so suspicious of little old me, and the only thing I could come up with is they thought I was spying on one of their neighbors.
Like a private detective, taking pictures through the tall, concealing flowers.
Perhaps I should’ve just told the couple about my art therapy…
Because one day, I could become one of those grumpy old-timers who yells at the kids to get off his lawn.
But probably not, mostly because I’ll never have a lawn. So, thanks to my neighbors and all the time and care they put into their lawns, which allows me to enjoy the view for free.
Happy Monday, all you grumpy whiners. LOL.
I would love to be sleeping right now, but instead, I’m trying to distract myself from insomnia by discovering websites where I can find the stories of other pain patients (survivors).
Patients on this Reddit thread are discussing their current difficulties because of the opioid war, and it looks like a know-it-all pain doctor felt compelled to add his “expertise.”
https://www.reddit.com/r/ChronicPain/comments/4kdklo/opioid_induced_hyperalgesia/
ityprpain doc, 1 day ago
Opioid-induced hyperanalgesia is not rare at all. It happens to almost all chronic pain opioid users… Disclosure: I am a pain dr…
If your pain doctor has this kind of strong belief in hyperalgesia, I would start looking for another pain doctor right away. Because hyperalgesia is rare, at least according to pain patients. Your doctor’s belief in this unproven theory just means he has an excuse to cut you off. Or force you to again try other, more expensive treatments.
There is nothing that “happens to almost all chronic pain opioid users,” except maybe poverty. Oh, and of course, almost all chronic pain patients taking opioids obtain some level of pain relief. A small percentage of this patient population will suffer from addiction, but no one knows exactly how much. Most would say it’s around 5%, which is lower than the addiction rates found in the general public. But, as this Reddit poster (orangesunshine) said:
Though I thought we had decided that worrying about this risk of “addiction” made little sense in a population at significantly higher risk of suicide …
Mr. Pain Doctor has more to say (of course):
In proper opioid pain management, once short acting opioids are tried and the pt is in need of around the clock pain management, you switch to a long acting opioid to cover your “baseline” pain and then use prn IR opioids to control breakthrough pain, hopefully less than twice a day. I say “proper opioid pain management” because most drs, especially PCPs do not properly rx opioids to chronic pain pts.
Yes, this is the current thinking on opioid treatment, but I don’t think it works with the new CDC rules. And I’m not sure this theory works for most pain patients, either. You won’t know which drugs will help until you try them. Unfortunately, as can be seen in this Reddit thread, doctors are forcing patients off of opioids, and replacing them with drugs that are ineffective and have worse side effects.
Or replacing pills with patches. I tried fentynal patches a long time ago, and I don’t think any drug made me as nauseated as that one did. I laid on the couch for hours and hours, waiting for the nausea to subside and the pain relief to arrive. Unfortunately, that never happened. I tried one more time, with the same results. (Yes, I’ll say it again, doctors suck.)
Mr. Pain Doctor says the future in pain medication lies in Ketamine, which may become more available in 3-5 years. I’m not sure I agree, but I don’t know if my disagreement lies in my dislike for Mr. Pain Doctor or not. LOL. Any doctor who says that hydrocodone and oxycodone don’t work for long-term chronic pain doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Mr. Pain Doctor’s view of the future in research:
ityprpain doc, 22 hours ago
“Also if you’re going to publish something it’d be nice to see someone do a review that looks at which opioids have the best efficacy in the treatment of long term chronic pain.”
There is nigh zero chance of that happening.
Melting_Phoenix, RA/failed back surgery/nerve damage, 9 hours ago
My neurosurgeon was prescribing my pain medication after my failed spinal fusion (this was 2 years ago) and he referred me to a pain clinic that was willing to do anything but prescribe me meds. I have spent that past two years trying every non-opioid med, nerve blocks, epidurals, CBT, facet injections, PT but nothing helped. I wish my brain chemistry was different and something like gabapentin actually helped me but it did nothing. The only way I was able to manage the pain and keep working was by taking pain killers and I honestly didn’t have any side effects except occasional constipation. Every doctor I have seen I have been totally honest with. I give them my medical records showing I have nerve damage and showing that I have tried everything and only painkillers helped lessen my pain. Apparently saying pain killers help my pain means I’m a drug addict.
I used to do bio-med research and I try to keep up with recent research. I’m sure there will be better drug options several years from now but I’ve been to the ER 3 times in the past two years wanting to kill myself from the pain so I don’t know if I can wait that long.
I know it’s hard for doctors because they don’t know who they can trust to be honest, even with drug tests people can still be selling some of their pills on the side. And I know they consider people with depression at a higher rick for overdosing so I do regret admitting that the pain made me depressed.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/glow-in-the-dark-cement_us_573b2761e4b060aa781b42f6
A scientist in Mexico announced earlier this month that he had developed solar-powered, glow-in-the-dark cement that could be used to illuminate roads, bike lanes and walking paths, according to the news site Investigación y Desarrollo. The cement absorbs energy from the sun during the day and converts that energy into light at night. After a full day under the sun, the material can shine for up to 12 hours…
Hey, Donald Drumpf, do you know this Mexican?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/shelby-erdahl-idaho-state-achilles_us_573f757ee4b045cc9a710b5c
Badass Female Hurdler Finishes Final Collegiate Race After Rupturing Achilles
“I never really thought of stopping,” she said. “To me, that would have let myself, my team, and my coaches down.”
Erdahl had successful surgery on her Achilles four days later. The recovery and rehabilitation process for a blown Achilles is notoriously tough — but with the resilience that Erdahl has already shown, there’s little doubt that she’ll blaze through this challenge as well.
My comments:
Is it being a badass to ignore acute trauma like this? How much long-term damage did she do just because she wanted to help her teammates? The crowd applauded her perseverance, but will they be around to applaud her attempts at pain management? For even when surgery is successful, a chronic pain condition could develop. Will her teammates be around to help her when that injury causes her pain for the rest of her life?
Should we redefine what “badass” actually means?
Nicole Mi
Bruce Hunter you apparently missed the part where she already suffered a COMPLETE rupture. Once that has happened, there is nothing more you can do to it. If peopel dont do things because they “might” have complication, we might as well cancel ALL sports and just wrap everyone in bubble wrap at birth.
Nicole, there are many things to love about sports. But I’m not sure every athlete understands the long-term effects of pushing oneself beyond the limits and capabilities of the human body. (Was the human head built to withstand boxing and football?) And I’m pretty sure athletes don’t understand the consequences of injuries suffered in their youth, as many people over 50 could tell you. Should you be thinking about a future of pain when you’re competing in a sport you love? Who should we ask, the young or the old?
Wikipedia: “Pollen is a fine to coarse powdery substance comprising pollen grains which are male microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce male gametes (sperm cells).”
(Photos taken last week.)
A Beekeeper has Trained Bees to Make Honey from Cannabis Resin
Seattle-based tech company binds itself to cannabis industry
Through a new licensing agreement between two Washington-based companies, cannabis-infused sugar and salt can make its way to the state’s recreational retail marijuana market.
All Things Chronic 