Is Cannabis useful for mbc patients? - SHARE Metastatic ...

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Is Cannabis useful for mbc patients?

viennagirl profile image
25 Replies

I don't know if anyone of you are interested in watching a video on the history and the nature of Cannabis. It is quite a long video and I haven't watched all of it but it is certainly very educational. If you want to watch the documentary video called The God Plant here is the link. youtube.com/watch?v=FnUqIZ8...

Hope this helps all of us who are considering use of Cannabis to understand more about the Cannabis plant and why some people claim it is an important healer. I think the use of this plant might increase our options to heal and provide quality of life. I am considering adding it to my drug regime. Hugs Marlene

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viennagirl
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25 Replies
BluHydrangea profile image
BluHydrangea

Thx so much for posting this!

viennagirl profile image
viennagirl in reply toBluHydrangea

I am happy to know that the video was helpful. Hugs Marlene

Gwennie123 profile image
Gwennie123

I find cannabis products very helpful. I take cbd drops after chemo. I also like the cannabis infused drinks.

Too bad about the video. People’s might find it educational.

viennagirl profile image
viennagirl in reply toGwennie123

Hi Gwennie,

I have also just started getting seriously interested in adding cbd to my drug regime My friend gave me a batch of marijuana infused olive oil and I take it daily. But I want to get more of my cbd pills. Don't know if our dispensaries are open yet. I will likely always take it before bed time - most of the time anyway, to help with sleep. I am happy you received benefit from the video. Hugs Marlene

Dancer1000 profile image
Dancer1000

I watched it yesterday on Amazon Prime. Really good! I have been using Med marijuana for three months now. Sooo much better than opiods! So happy I have included it in my treatment.

viennagirl profile image
viennagirl in reply toDancer1000

So happy to hear that you are feeling better with medical marijuana. added to your treatments. I agree that they are probably better and safer than opiods. The video is very informative and I keep hearing and reading and watching videos that support the healing properties of cannabis. My husband worked with a man who stuttered badly but when he smoked a joint the stuttering stopped almost immediately. That in itself says the drug is powerful and useful. Sound like it affected his nervous system and calmed it down. Hugs Marlene

Dancer1000 profile image
Dancer1000 in reply toviennagirl

I have an 20 year old son who is challenged with severe autism and minimally verbal. I have been trying to convince his medical team to wean him off of all the psychotropic meds and try just marijuana. I have seen wonders with others and I feel like it can make a difference for him without the horrible side effects of the pills.

viennagirl profile image
viennagirl in reply toDancer1000

Hi Dancerd1000,

Yes, I think it would be wise to at least try the marijuana for your son instead of the psychotropic drugs. There seems to be more and more evidence that Marijuana helps with autism and related disorders. However, you definitely want to get the right dosage. Maybe you could ask a naturopathic doctor if you can find a very reputable one. Let me know if you find someone to help you with this decision. Hugs to you and your son. Marlene

RLN-overcomer profile image
RLN-overcomer

Thank you for this information. I will always use quality certified herb, and supplement compounds from God' green earth, before I would ever take a pharmaceutical drug. I have a cousin who has just started taking CBD oil for prostate cancer.

viennagirl profile image
viennagirl in reply toRLN-overcomer

That is important information. Because prostate cancer is as deadly as any of the other cancers. I hope your cousin does well and recovers his or/her health. Hugs Marlene

RLN-overcomer profile image
RLN-overcomer in reply toviennagirl

Thank you I pray the same for him.

hurricaneheather profile image
hurricaneheather

i am a proponent of medical marijuana; this arose with the metastatic diagnosis in July 2015. i have carried a license since the mets dx. i have learned what works for this body, for side effects, collateral damage, and overall health and well being. an aside, i've followed research for medical microdosing mushrooms (psilocybin), also.

viennagirl profile image
viennagirl in reply tohurricaneheather

Hi hctrojan.

Your post is so interesting. I think we would all benefit from learning more about your research into these natural drugs. Years ago I was afraid of drugs - I grew up in a puritan household but now that I have been diagnosed with mbc I am growing more open to the benefits of taking cannabis. My friend made up a mixture of marijuana leaves steeped in olive oil and made me a gift of a couple jars of it which I keep in the fridge. I take a tiny bit of that mixture before bed. I once took a teaspoon of it when I was fasting and boy was that ever a trip - not scary but a little too technicolor for my liking. Never again. But I have been encouraged by my daughter to take CBD. So I occasionally have one pill. It doesn't seem to have any effect on me. Maybe it is not the right stuff for me. It is called Red Bud and is very weak - I think. I would like to take something that relaxes me but doesn't get me stoned.

We live on acreage and this spring we noticed tons of psilocybin growing on our property. I am quite sure they are the real thing because in the 70s my friends were picking them and ingesting them and getting high. We lived on a beautiful little island off the coast of Vancouver Island and it was hippie heaven. Many of my lovely hippie friends were draft dodgers from the USA. They were the educated kids from wealthy families in the US who opposed the war. They were delightful friends and I look back on those days with so much nostalgia. But I am not one to enjoy getting high so I didn't try the mushrooms with them but I believe I can identify them. Perhaps I should try to find someone who can confirm my belief that they are indeed psilocybin. If so I could try to figure out how to use them safely to help me with my mbc.

I asked my oncologist a couple of days ago if I could take some cbd and she said I could take it but to take a very weak dose before bed time. She mentioned bed time because I told her I had trouble sleeping on occasion.

If you have any information about how to take cannabis or cbd safely I would be very interested. I just don't want to cause my Ibrance and Letrozole drugs to stop working. My recent scans looked good - no progression. So I want to stay on a path that might eventually lead to healing.

But, would like to know more about your research. Hugs Vienna

hurricaneheather profile image
hurricaneheather in reply toviennagirl

hello Vienna. thankx for the share. i enJOYed reading it. medical cannabis use, acceptance, and research continues to evolve. i watch webinars, visit/follow (trusted) dispensaries, and read to learn more. i take CBD daily; i have CBD isolate, also, and plan to incorporate CBN. i do not feel any "physical effect" from CBD. i take it to keep the cancer cells inactive/dormant. i do not like the "high" from THC, and i have found CBD w/THC alleviates and allows for rest/sleep. what works for me, might not work for someone else. it has been trial and error using the knowledge. there's much to say to about cannabis, and psilocybin, for healing. a book that might be of interest: Cannabis Revealed by Bonni Goldstein, MD.

my "work" is staying alive and living a quality life, as per my standards. the body has been labeled NEAD and stable since Mar 2016; eight months after the mets dx. there are additional factors: mindset, exercise, clean/green eating, supplements, meditation, yoga.... thus far, no compromises to treatment, and still on the first line: Ibrance, Anastrozole, and Zoladex; doctors know i use cannabis. may you be at ease. heather

viennagirl profile image
viennagirl in reply tohurricaneheather

Heather, Thank you so much for all your help on the use of medical marijuana. I will order the cannabis book by Bonnie Goldstein. I am wondering why you continue with your drug regime. I think if I am diagnosed with NED I just might go with naturopathic methods. I am already trying to eat a high percentage of my diet raw. I cannot go completely raw but most of the day I stick with raw food. It isn't easy but it does seem to make me feel better. And if there is no evidence of disease I will try to let me body take care of my health. I have tried fasting but don't stick with it for any length of time but believe it is also very curative. This might be silly but I have a deep feeling that the drugs - while they help initially, they might also cause side effects. But, i could be wrong. I would discuss this with my whole family before I took such a drastic measure. Take care and a big hug. Marlene

hurricaneheather profile image
hurricaneheather in reply toviennagirl

i was practicing integrative care, prior to the initial dx in Oct 2011. western medicine treatment is secondary and at the forefront of mets treatment inquiry, even at the onset of the diagnosis. i've addressed halting treatment with the onc a variety of times, particularly when i met the 2.5 yr Ibrance and 5 yr year milestones. i will revisit the conversation again, after March's PET/CT scan. perhaps the visit with a 'forward thinking' DO, soon, will aide in decision making; my body, my JOurneY, my choices. i believe in "radical remission" and the body's ability to heal itself, including 'plant medicine.' though you are not in the States, thought of another resource that might be of interest: marijuanaaware.com. may you be healthy. heather

viennagirl profile image
viennagirl in reply tohurricaneheather

Thank you again for all the wonderful sharing of your journey. I have ordered the book by Bonni Goldstein "Cannabis Revealed". I ordered it through Thrift Books. It was half the price. The book was over 100 dollars through Amazon so I was happy to find it for less than half of that. Yes, I will check out marijuanaaware.com.

I am really hoping that you can get off the meds. Of course, I think it must be done while under the care of a naturopathic doctor who understands metastatic breast cancer. You sound like a very careful person so I am sure you wouldn't undertake anything too risky. But, for myself, I think I would want to get off the meds if my scans showed NED. My rationale is that my body might be able to take care of me. I eat and live differently now and that might allow me to stay healthy.

Of course, I would only do this if I could still have the scans. This would definitely mean I would have to find a very caring ONC who would support my plan. I do like my new Oncologist but whether she would support something like this is yet to be seen.

I am hoping and assuming I reach this point where my scans show NED.

Thank you again. Best wishes for you to heal completely.Hugs Marlene

blms profile image
blms

Hi Marlene, I see you are vienna girl. Do you live in Vienna, VA? If so , where are you being treated? I am in Bethesda and treated at Georgetown Lombardi.

viennagirl profile image
viennagirl in reply toblms

Hi blms.

Thank you for asking. I hope you are getting good care in Vienna, VA. Is that Virginia? I am 21 months into my mbc diagnosis and I take Letrozole and Palbociclib by Ibrance. Are you on the same meds?

I live in British Columbia, Canada and I am treated in the city of Victoria at the BC Cancer Agency. I believe I am getting good care from the Cancer Agency but hope to get some Naturopathic advice in the near future. I would like to be doing more to get healed. I still believe I will heal completely. I just learned today that my recent bone scan was good. I am so relieved.

I think I am doing well because both the bone scan I had last week and a recent CAT scan show me doing well. No progression..... I guess I should just keep doing the same things to keep my mbc stable. My ONC did tell me today to just keep doing what I am doing. I asked her if I could add CBD to my regimen and she said "yes, take a mild dose".

About my connection to Vienna.....no, I do not live in Vienna and sadly I have never been to Vienna. It is good to hear that Vienna is a city in the USA. Is your city a beautiful city and who were the people who gave your city its name?

The name I chose for my Health Unlocked site came about because the word Vienna is Wien in German. My maiden name is Wiens. I once saw a poster that was advertising travels in Vienna and the poster said "Wien hat mehr". Which I believe translates into Vienna has More. When I saw that beautiful poster it triggered a memory. I remember my father telling me when I was a little girl that his family originated in Austria and that they then immigrated to Russia sometime in the 1700s when Catherine the Great gave them land. So I like believing I have a connection to that beautiful European city Vienna.

When I was younger I did travel to Europe but didn't get to Vienna or Russia. At that time I had no sense of belonging to that part of the world. I was more interested in hanging out in places like Greece. It is funny how our interests change with time. My parents fled Russia in the early 1920s and didn't want to talk much about it. But my mother was sometimes very nostalgic. They lived close to Odessa and the weather is more like New Zealand so my mother never felt totally at home here in BC. They ate things like guavas so it was obviously mild. But it is only in my old age that I think about the places that I am linked to.

I guess getting old and being retired gives me time to reflect and wish for things from the past. Right now I am just so grateful to be alive and I realize that ethnic background, while it means something, is not everything. My children are now mixed with Dutch, German, Turkish, French, Micmac, Swedish and Danish. A real smorg of ethic diversity. I once told them that they are not allowed to discriminate against anyone....heh....heh.....

Thank you for asking. Now you might share your name or names with me. Thank you.

Hugs Marlene

blms profile image
blms in reply toviennagirl

Hi Marlene, Shame you do not live close to DC so we could eventually connect. I actually live in Bethesda, MD, suburb of DC. My youngest daughter trained as an opera singer in Vienna for 6 months. I went there when shows completing her training to tour some of Europe with her. You are correct, Vienna, Austria is magnificent and Prague is even more magical! Maybe after this virus is under control, you can travel to Eastern Europe.!!

viennagirl profile image
viennagirl in reply toblms

Yes, it would be nice to get to Eastern Europe to see Vienna. My husband's ancestors are from France so a trip to Europe would be lovely and we do talk about it. I still hope that we could someday take that trip. It would be lovely to connect with you too but BC is a long way from DC. I am sure it is beautiful where you live. Right now I have a deep sense of love for this beautiful old world of ours.

You are lucky - you have a talented daughter. That must be a source of great joy.

Yes, I would love to get back to Europe. But, I have to be practical and enjoy photos - at least for the foreseeable future. I am sure you had a wonderful time when you got to Europe and able to enjoy your lovely talented daughter's career. I hope she still has a singing career.

Yes, I am sure that Vienna and Prague are very beautiful. I often watch You Tube documentaries on international travel - so at least I can travel that way. I love the old buildings and sometimes feel that I am disconnected from myself because nothing is very old in Canada (especially BC) compared to Europe.

After all our ancestors spent thousands of years in one or two places in Europe and there must be some deep comfort in that. We are disconnected from our roots if we live in North America. I wonder if that doesn't affect our psyche in some way.

Hugs and best wishes for a complete recovery. Stay optimistic. Vienna

blms profile image
blms

Yes BC is tremendously beautiful, certainly hands down much more so than DC! My husband and I had a chance to see a little if it on a vacation to Vancouver and close by areas but I would love to see much more. My older daughter and her husband are talking about taking the Canadian train across your beautiful country so maybe I’ll get a chance to do that in another year. Right now I am looking for a trip in the fall to give me encouragement to live . So we will see what pandemic brings

viennagirl profile image
viennagirl in reply toblms

Hi blms.

Yes, it is beautiful here but I know that there are many magnificent sites in the USA. If you ever come to British Columbia let me know. We are on Vancouver Island and we have a vacation rental. It is a delightful little cottage on the Englishman River. I don't like to advertise on this site but if you know you are going to be on Vancouver Island please let me know and you can pop in to say hello or you can book our cottage.

I agree we need things to keep us hopeful and wanting to live. It is easy to get down-hearted during these trying times. But, we need to plan to do nice things in the future. My daughter just mailed me an interesting book called "Breathe" written by a non-medical, non-scientific guy by the name of James Nestor. James has has travelled extensively and done research on breathing and how just learning to breathe properly can heal us. The subtitle is "The New Science of a Lost Art". I am so eager to get reading it. He might be on YouTube also.

I hope that my husband and I can also go somewhere nice this fall. During the spring and summer months we are busy with our cottage rental but come fall we might be able to take a trip. I hope you can also take that desired trip. I actually would like to spend a month in Spain. I don't know if that will ever happen. But I keep dreaming.

I wish you the best health for this coming year and for many more good years into the future. Hugs Marlene

blms profile image
blms in reply toviennagirl

Yes, there are several youtube videos on deep breathing and health benefits. I do a short exercise routine in the shower with deep breathing attached. but I try to remember to do during the day. Cancer cannot live with oxygen so that basically is the premise.

viennagirl profile image
viennagirl in reply toblms

Hi again. Yes, apparently we benefit from breathing properly. It is good to hear that so many of us are doing these things besides relying totally on our drug regime. If I learn anything from the book Breath I will post it on this site. Take care. Hugs Marlene

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