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Doctors, Knives, Drugs and Marijuana
When I turned 18, I reached that point in my life where I had been given the right to make my own decisions about my own body. Those decisions are many and some are far reaching, many effect the rest of your life. Six months later I got to make one of those decisions... I had taken a serious fall down a flight of stairs and fractured three vertebrae. The doctors wanted to do surgery, to cut me open, remove bones and replace then with steel and plastic. I made the decision that I would only allow doctors to sew me up and not allow them to cut me open or stab me with needles or mechanically extract fluids from my body. This was a decision of faith of belief, one of those decisions who shape who we are and who we will become. Thus I turned down the operation...
Fast forward 22 years and I decided to betray my own oath and let a doctor cut me.
I have had a small growth on my tongue for many years now and it had grown large enough that it was beginning to affect my speech. The doctor assured me that it was mostly a cosmetic surgery. I justified it, by believing if it was on my hand or foot I would cut it off myself. The Doctor said they would just slice it off, a couple days and I would be able to resume normal activities.I went in for the operation, they strapped me into a dentist chair, binding my arms and legs. I began to think about what it would be like to be strapped into the electric chair. Then they shoved a wedge in my mouth. Then they stuck a needle in my arm, hey I thought this was gas, no I was facing lethal injection the world went black...
When I awoke, I was in a different room and I was feeling no pain. I looked at my tongue in a mirror, it hurt to stick it out. My tongue looked pierced, not pierced for some silly ring but pierced for a hula hoop. There was a large hole in my tongue, big enough perhaps to accommodate my little finger. Sticking out of the hole were many stitches, it wasn't so bad after all... The Doctor had given me a prescription for codeine and a antibiotic. I was able to drink, almost able to speak, but taking those pills was a pain in the ass. My tongue had lost the swallowing motion. I forced the pills down and went to bed early. I awoke the next morning, unable to speak, my tongue had swollen to at least six times it's normal size. The pain was unbelievable, taking pills for pain didn't help any. It was the kind of pain that was so intense, that it felt like the pain went beyond my physical person. Yes, like a hangover but a hundred times worse. The world no longer existed, I couldn't read, watch TV or even think about anything other than the pain. My entire world was a point of pain the size of a beach ball, suddenly I understood the term agony. When I thought about the Doctor, my first thought was the next time I saw him, I would kick him in the balls and when he bent over in pain beat him senseless for the damage done to my body. We called him, he said it was a deeper growth than expected and would I like some more pain pills? I suffered the agony for three days, my diet consisted of applesauce and chicken and stars soup.
On day four, I went back for my recheck, the swelling was reduced greatly the pain was still constant. After my appointment, I saw a friend on the street. I stopped to mumble for a moment, he had some kind bud for sale. I thought what the hell, it can't hurt. Personally I have always thought that those who said they used pot for pain, just wanted an excuse to get high. While those that used for stress, sleep disorders and appetite stimulation, I could accept as true medical uses of the sacred herb. When I returned home, I rolled a small joint and lit it. As the smoke drew across my wounded tongue, I experienced a minor numbing sensation. After a few hits I realized that not only was I watching TV, but I was able to pay attention to what was going on and found myself giggling at the sitcoms. Ouch that hurts, but the agony gone. I threw away the prescription and bought another baggie...
Pot for terminal patients?
I say yes, I would give it to them myself!!!
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