Retirement

Not much going on, so that's why I haven't posted on my blog for a while.OK that's not exactly true, but some things I either can't share or won't.

Social media can be a good thing, but it also carries a heavy burden You think you have privacy and can express yourself  freely? Wrong.  If they can get the head of the CIA, they can get you.

So I would like to talk about my work  and social experiences however with all the rumour mongers and spies out there, it's just not worth it.

I can say that I will be retiring  early 2013. Don't want to publish the exact date yet until I get closer to that time.  The bureaucracy can be very unreliable.

Do I sound negative? Sorry. The world can be a disappointing place sometimes.

Summer 2012

Summer 2012

And wasn't it a hot one! So many days with record breaking temperatures . It was a challenge for me and I'm sure for everyone else out there with MS. Most days I could only go out if my clothes were stuffed with frozen cooler packs!

At least all the crazy pains in my legs have disappeared. I still walk much slower than ever; but I can walk, and can still  climb the 200 stairs at the harbour trail. Slowly.  


On those super hot days  I had  things to keep me busy : my garden, postcards, and an online course from Coursera  https://www.coursera.org/ .

I recommend trying a course there. They are free for now as the site is in the beta stage, so I imagine once they sort out the bugs they will either start charging money or zap us with a million ads like all the other sites do. I have ad blocker from  Google  Chrome which really works to get rid of those pesky ads.
 
Here's a few snaps from the Locke St. Festival, which is held every September and is right around the corner from my place.  

That's me posing with the car for Festitalia which is this weekend. I have my free sunglasses on that I picked up at one of the booths.

Then there are the energetic folks who make it a good time.

Drugs; It's Your Choice

Found two interesting articles in the news today.

 Injectable MS drugs do not halt disease progression. My own opinion on this is that I don't believe that MS is an autoimmune disease. The immune system attacks the lining of the brain and spine due to inflammation. What is causing that?  One theory is that blood is backing up in the brain; causing inflammation. Another is that a lack of vitamin D or poor absorption of vitamin D could be responsible.

The study cited in this article does say that interferons cut MS relapses. I still don't understand how they reached that conclusion given that MS is so unpredictable.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/health/research/multiple-sclerosis-drug-doesnt-stop-disability-study-finds.html?emc=eta1

Then we have another study showing that marijuana does reduce pain and vaporizers are an effective way to give the benefits of weed without harmful tars and other chemicals.

For myself I can  state that marijuana is the best pain reliever I have ever used. I no longer need to take Ibuprofen or ASA.  It also calms my muscle spasms and my"nighttime worries". For some reason the night is when I think of all the terrible things that might happen to me, which makes it so hard to get to sleep.  A few puffs on my vaporizer and I calm down and fall asleep.  Nice!

I know using a vaporizer is much better than smoking a joint. If I had to smoke marijuana I would give it up. Smoking marijuana is almost as bad as  smoking cigarettes
The coughing and throat irritation tells me that something bad is going into my lungs  

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/07/17/156468/research-backs-up-claims-of-medical.html


So the choice is yours to make. Everyone is different. Keeping yourself informed in order to make wise decisions about your health is one of the best things you can do.  

Vacation 2012

Back home after a nice holiday visiting friends in New Mexico.

Went to the UFO festival in Roswell, to help my friend promote a book of which he is coauthor and editor.

"The Aztec Incident" is another UFO crash that occurred in  Aztec, New Mexico, which is near the Four Corners area of the state.

Had lots of fun at the festival! An interesting mixture of serious UFO researchers and authors, and the foil hat crowd. Those who think the aliens will come to save us and others who think they will have us for breakfast and I don't mean as guests.

The website http://www.theaztecincident.com  has the first chapter which you can read for free. There's also a link to a YouTube video about an Aztec Incident documentary.

It sure was nice of people to be willing to pose for the camera You just ever know who you will meet at these events:

Treating Yourself  Expo 2012

Here I am once again  visiting the Treating Yourself Expo at the  Toronto Convention Centre

Here's Cannabis Dude

Had a great time. Spent too much money and came home exhausted. I was slightly disappointed because before I left home I decided to switch purses and  forgot  my possession license!! That meant I couldn't try out the Vape Lounge, where they had a selection of different vapourizers  to use so long as you brought your own weed. I didn't want to do that, I just wanted to see the different makes because I would like to get a portable  vape device.

I also couldn't take advantage of many of the offers from various compassionate clubs and sellers.  They really impressed me with their genuine desire to help people !

That will all change once the current government implements new policies for medical marijuana, which are expected to be in force in about two years.

You will no longer be permitted to grow your own weed, nor will compassionate clubs be  permitted to grow it for you. You will  no longer be able to buy weed from compassionate clubs, but only from government approved sources. Well really only one source, which I refer to as Weed Inc.

I can understand  why the government wants to tighten the regulations. I'm certain that many people who use medical marijuana abuse the system by giving or selling  some of their legally acquired cannabis to others.
I could do it very easily. My legal limit is 90 grams per month but I only use about 15- 20 grams maximum per month. If I grow my own what's to stop me from selling or giving away the rest?

Another consideration is  that people often grow far more than they are legally allowed and there is no way of checking unless you want the police to go around verifying every person .

My answer to this dilemma is that marijuana should be legalized,yet I'm concerned that there will only be one source for it . When you purchase from Weed Inc. they only have one kind of weed and you have no clue what it is. It is also irradiated, so I'm not so sure that is a good thing.

 I have learned from going to these Expo's that different types of marijuana can help with different symptoms of illness.  For example Indica is better for pain than Sativa,.so people need to have choices

 Why not have something like the  Beer Store, where they have a selection of many brands and types of beer?  Have weed  tightly regulated just like booze and educate people on the pros and cons just like booze.

Since I began using marijuana to treat my MS I can say that it is the best drug I have tried. I may sound like a hypocrite when I say that it really shouldn't be used as a recreational drug, but it's not my business why people use it.

The Young Liberals, of the Liberal Party of Canada, were the only ones who came out in the open at the Expo  and said that they will have the legalization of marijuana  as part of the Liberal Party platform for the next election.

For me that is a good enough reason to vote for them and I will !

Feeling the Generation Gap Part 2

OK so I can't figure out how to edit in the new Blogger  I'll keep trying.

In my last post I didn't address the Generation Gap; which I experienced for the first time  at the James Street. Art Crawl.

The people in the photo below  are opening a juice bar. As a promotion they were offering samples of a drink that was green and kind of slimy looking. When they offered me some I joked and asked if it was a new version of "Soylent Green"  They had no clue  what I was talking about. My son laughed because he knew, but that's because he's use to his mother watching weird movies all the time.

No  interesting art  that night. Here are the  Hammer City Roller Derby Ladies

Feeling the Generation Gap

Ahh! Am away from my blog for a month and Blogger decides to go for a "new look". Not the best thing for a tired MS blogger to see and figure out. I suppose I will get use to it but truthfully I'm getting fed up with constant change that really just seems to be for the sake of change.

Here's a new study showing that cannabis really does relieve MS symptoms. The draw back is that cannabis can   decrease cognitive  function. My answer to that , me being a legal marijuana user,  is to only use it  in the evening  or before going to bed. I find that allows the effects on cognitive function  to wear off  and   I have no problem doing my work  or other activities. Also the  Indica, type of cannabis gets you less high and works better to relieve pain and muscle spasms.

Now I'm a very light user. Legally I'm permitted  90 grams per month but I'm averaging about 15 grams, so   if I was using the full 90 grams, I would most likely be spaced out. I'm saving that for when I retire.

The problem with using marijuana is the perceptions people have. That's why I don't like to talk about it much with non users. If I forget something or feel out of it "Oh! it's because I'm a stoner". Using marijuana means I must be  a hippie, wasted, loser.

 It's especially humorous  when these comments come from people that I know who take  several prescription medications, including powerful opiates. You see that's OK because the doctor prescribed it.  And the doctor would never give you something harmful or addictive Right?

Certainly I don't think doctors are dope pushers, but they seem to be relying more and more on drugs as being the answer to all medical problems.  I never leave a doctor's office without some kind of prescription. My routine is to either throw the script in the garbage or get it filled and let the pills sit in the cupboard unused.

You might think that is reckless of me or that I'm not being a good patient; not wanting to improve my condition.

I've done my research and I know that anti depressants don't work  unless you really are clinically depressed which most people aren't.  That painkillers like Percoset and Oxycontin are highly addictive and can have serious side effects. Ditto for sleeping pills.

Injectable MS drugs supposedly  slow progression and  lessen the number of relapses I know lots of people who use them, but they don't seem to be doing any better than me. MS is so unpredictable and different in everyone; so how do they know those  drugs  do what they claim?  I mean if I were to use injectables how would I know that I'm having fewer relapses or that my symptoms are less severe? Compared to what?

Then there are the anti fatigue medications with my favourite side effect: Insomnia!!  Seems kind of pointless to me. Oh yeah and the drugs for muscle spasms that cause tremors.

Thanks I'll stick to my weed