I’m amazed at the traffic in this city. Toronto is after all the 5th largest city in North America so what did I expect! I Live almost downtown- A 10 to 15 minute drive if there is little traffic. My sleep clinic appointment was at 3:30 right in the middle of the down town area, and of course right at the start of rush hour. It took us 45 minutes to get there. Which wasn’t too bad when you compare that to how long it took us to get home- 1 hour and 20 minutes!
My husband was driving and for some reason he took the streets that are always busy, 24 hours a day. As we drove home I was wishing that I had brought my camera with me. Since we were sitting in traffic most of the time I could have taken some great shots of this diverse city. We drove through Kensington Market, the heart of China Town, the Fashion district, Queen Street West- the hip area, the financial district, the slums of East Dundas all the way to my area which is called “The Danforth” or Greek town.
If I’d had my camera I could have shown you just how different each area is from the next. It’s a beautiful city. If you’ve never been here before I think you should make plans to come for a visit. Let me know if you’re coming- I’ll be your tour guide.
Oh, we saw three movies being filmed on the way there and back too.
The sleep clinic doctor was very nice. I mean very, very nice. He was tall and handsome and quite friendly. I don’t think I’ll mind my next appointment with him at all. I saw a literally 80 year old allergist last week with poop breath, so this new doctor was refreshing.
The Dr. isn’t quite sure what my sleep problem is right now. I was sent to him to evaluate my problem getting to sleep after a night shift, but since I haven’t been to work for the last 5 months due to my illness he can’t really evaluate my sleep pattern related to my shift work. I do have a bit of a problem though … I mean, it’s 4 am and I’m sitting here on the computer instead of sleeping like I imagine most of you in my part of the world are probably doing.
I think we’ve decided that at this time, my biggest problem is my pain and how it affects my sleep. The abdominal pain wakes me in the night but usually isn’t too bad when I first get up. However, as I go through the day and eat food the pain gets worse and is usually quite bad by late evening onward which makes it harder for me to feel sleepy or want to go to sleep.
Now that I think about it, maybe you are keeping me up too? All the great writing as I surf and battle. If all of you would just write something boring for the next day or two maybe I’d decide to give up and go to bed?
He’s sending me for a sleep study. They tried to book it for next Monday night but I said no way! Next week is the first week in a long time that I don’t have a single doctors appointment booked. I’m looking forward to that. Plus I have a big wedding to get ready for. So I’m going to do the sleep study the following week. Not looking forward to that! I have to be there at 8:30 pm and they told me that lights are out at 11 pm. When I told them that it’s very unlikely that I’ll be able to sleep at eleven they called the Dr. and I now have special permission to go to bed at midnight when I do the test. Yeah! That will still be a problem but I’m going to try.
The Dr. also told me that there is a clinical trial going on that has something to do with insomnia related to pain. He called the researcher while I was there and left a message to see if I could get into the trial. I may not be able to because I have a chronic disease but he tried. Hopefully I’ll find out whether I’m in or not by the end of the week.
I don’t know much about the clinical trial other than that it involves the use of medical marijuana. In the past I’ve had people ask me “Are you smoking Pot?” when I’ve done something dumb, and in the last two years I’ve had a lot of people tell me that I should be smoking it … well now I might end up taking it in capsule form.
At this point I’m just about willing to try anything that will dull the pain that I’m in, so I hope that I do get a chance to be in this trial.
I’m pretty sure a lot of you have tried smoking and or eating pot before, maybe some of you are doing it right now, but have any of you used it therapeutically? As in for nausea, pain, or to help you sleep? I’d be interested in hearing your comments on the subject.
Speaking of smokin’, my pal Ed over at Parenting Toys is still burning up in the Texas heat. Maybe if you all go visit him at once from this site a waft of cool Canadian air will surround him and make him feel more comfortable? Doesn’t work that way huh? Well give it a try anyway.
Update: March 7th, 2007: Duh, I just realized that the date I originally wrote this post was 420. LOL How funny is that? I just thought I’d update this to let you know that I didn’t do the study with the sleep doctor. I would have had to give up my pain meds for a month or more at a time and I just couldn’t do that. However, I do have a pain doctor now and I saw her this past Monday and she finally prescribed the medical marijuana PILLS, well capsules. I’m going to try my first one tomorrow night. Wish me luck!
smoking some strains of marijuana can make you sleepy, though relying on that to fall asleep i doubt would be medically healthy to maintain over a long period of time. It could however set you into a good timewise habit for falling asleep and let nature take its course sans drug eventually
First of all, in my world view, everything is interrelated. So the fact that you can’t sleep in the wee hours and that you experience extreme pain and you’re going to a sleep clinic to figure all this out, is probably all intertwined.
Did you hear about the latest studies with regard to sleep? It seems that the ancient pattern is to sleep for four hours, then be quite awake for three or four hours, then sleep for another three or four. This is the way cave people slept, and it helped insure the survival of the human race.
I used to think I had weird sleep patterns, until I realized that I was just harmonizing with the ancient ways. I also went to sleep clinic and they found that I had sleep apnea. I stopped breathing 200 times in the four hours that I was being measured, so my system was definitely not getting enough oxygen. Now I sleep with a CPAP machine by my side, with a mask blowing air into my mouth and nostrils. It makes for a deeper sleep and a more restful night.
Did I mention my migraines? I have excruciating pain, usually around the time of my menses. I also live in Canada (though not in Toronto, a place you make sound very attractive), so medpot has been legal here since 2001. My doctor is progressive (he’s not one of the 80-year-old variety with bad breath!!J )
To make a long story short, now I grow my own pot, since I found the government supplied weed to be inferior. How did I learn so much about growing plants? I found a really helpful website, that not only supplied me with invaluable advice, but also guided me to some very fine products to help me produce outstanding marijuana plants with huge, resinous buds.
I grow my six humungous plants each year by the pond in our little forest in the back. We live near a provincial park, so our backyard is a continuation of the forest. But a clearing by the pond gives my plants enough sunshine to be able to produce six-foot high, very bushy plants, that produce enough of my medicine to last me the year.
I use Advanced Nutrients Heavy Harvest, a 3-part time-release fertilizer, that has to be applied once in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Its N-P-K balance is adjusted for each season, to make sure that optimum nourishment gets to my pot plants.
They also suggested Piranha and Tarantula, to colonize the roots with beneficial fungi and bacteria. This enables to root system to be more absorbent, resulting in bigger, healthier marijuana plants.
Between the CPAP machine and my medpot, the severity of my migraine attacks has markedly diminished and now I can live with the minimum pain that remains. My friends kid me about me being a pothead, but it’s much better to take a little kidding than to experience a lot of pain.
My Dad takes alot of different medicines which sometimes make him nauseous or lose his appetite. Before medical marijuana was outlawed here, he took it to give him the “munchies”.
Marijuana… pills? Where’s the fun in that?
Tricia,
I am sorry to hear about your pain and sleep problems. I have heard of this Marinol pill, but never tried it. I have suffered from pain and insomnia in the past and found that smoking marijuana can help. If nothing else it at least helps calm me down and handle the anxiety of living in chronic pain. As for sleep I think smoking a big joint about 2 hours before bedtime is also worth trying. Do not smoke right before bed, but later in the evening as you begin to wind down. I am not a doctor, but It sounds like you have reached the point you are willing to try anything. Don’t be afraid to search for alternative cures, and may you be blessed shortly with no more pain and hours of deep sleep. Hang in there,
David Levasseur
sorry you’re not feeling well 🙁
I personally smoke pot when I have the flu. If I am unable to keep anything down, it will at least allow me to sip water and not worry about having it all come back up and also let me get some sleep. however, when I am not ill, I don’t particularly like smoking before I go to sleep at night because I wake up feeling sleepy/sluggish the next morning.
unfortunately, I have not had any luck with marijuana as a pain reliever. I have tried it for menstrual cramps and while it may work as a distraction, it did not provide any significant relief. I am also a regular recreational smoker, so it’s effects on me may not be typical of someone who ordinarily abstains. good luck to you 🙂
I had no idea Toronto was the fifth largest city in North America. Really?
Came over from Gigglechick and enjoy your site – have already put it as a bookmark.
Sorry to hear about the pain and sleeping problems. Meanwhile, where does one sign up for the study? Just kidding! Didn’t know you’re in Toronto, right across the pond from me. I blogrolled you, and I think you should do the study….grass can make you drowsy, but definitely kills pain, and pain was a problem in my sleeping for years…only when they got to pain in my knees to subside (15 surgeries) was I able to get a good night sleep.
Oh my gosh, am I the only pot prude around blogland? I’m shocked at how many people openly admit they do drugs!!!
As for medical purposes, I can understand your desperation, and I think it’s only fair to patients like you to use it for relief if it works.
I’m so sorry you’re in pain. My husband has been dealing with chronic illness and pain for years and currently takes Percocet 3 times daily, but that doesn’t help him much anymore since he’s built a tolerance for it.
Anyway, I’ve seen him suffer for so long and I know what it’s like for him, so I hate to hear that you’re suffering, too. You will be in my prayers!
It’s been some time since I heard of anyone using any strain of marijuana to help with sleep or effective pain relief. Having suffered with sleep problems for some time I found that sometimes the simplest solutions were the best. In the end I managed to control things with breathing exercises coupled with a few meditation exercies.
Marijuana is an effective pain killer, but like any other drug it can have side effects like anxiety for example, so just monitor carefully how you react. Also be aware that some people find it can have habit forming potential, I feel I was addicted to marijuana and so do many others regardless of what you hear about it not been addictive. So marijuana may well help with your pain and insomnia and I am not trying to put you off trying it, but just be aware that like with any other drug there can be potentially negative side effects.
Take care