My experiences with medical marijuana / cannabis

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I started using high concentration CBD and THC extracts on March 14, 2015. I purchased two 10 gram syringe tubes - one of CBD extract, one of THC extract, at a concentration of 500mg/gram each. I thought I'd share my experiences - I'll regularly update the timeline of events at the bottom of this post. Hopefully this will help someone else using or considering using this treatment.

TOLERANCE: It is recommended that you use the THC and CBD at a 1:1 ratio, as the claim is they work better together than separate. It's necessary to build tolerance to the THC, which is one of the most psychoactive components of marijuana. At first it's suggested to just dip a toothpick in the extract and rub it under your tongue, then every four days, double the dose until you're able to tolerate a gram of extract per day (1/2 THC, 1/2 CBD). I'm not yet able to tolerate anywhere near that amount! Currently I am using half an inch squirted from the syringe of CBD, and half an inch of THC. I am using it almost daily and my tolerance is increasing VERY slowly. Where I am in the chemo cycle affects my tolerance, how long it takes to take effect, and the length of the effect. (see below)

INGESTION: The taste is absolutely vile and long-lasting, especially as I increase the dose. Trying to hide the extract in food just ruins the flavor of all my food. As such, I started putting it in empty medication/supplement capsules.

TIMING: If you're considering using THC extract, be very careful with planning and timing. "Raw" under the tongue, the extract by itself takes about 1-1.5 hours to "hit." In a capsule (even if I only use half of a two-part capsule) it takes anywhere from 2 to 5 hours to hit, which is incredibly inconvenient. Once it hits, the high can last 12 hours or more.

Once I started chemo, I noticed that the timing is very unpredictable - something to do with the way chemo affects my digestion I'm sure. Now when I take the extract, which I put into half of an open capsule, it can take several hours to hit and the high is much shorter and weaker. If you're using it for nausea or pain relief, this is very inconvenient.

TOPICAL: In addition to using it orally, I also experimented with using it topically with DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide) as a carrier to take it into the skin directly on my breast at the site of the tumor. (I alternated days, using it orally one day and topically the next, or some days doing one extract orally and the other topically.) Because DMSO is a solvent, it actually makes it much easier to wash off the remaining extract without leaving a stain. DMSO will take ANYTHING into the skin, so I have to be careful not to use anything "contaminated" to smear the mixture on, otherwise it will lead to irritation (be careful that soap, cleansers, lotions, perfumes, etc. don't end up passing through the skin.) I'm doing topical application of high concentration iodine this way as well, also very effective and greatly reduces skin staining. I do note the psychoactive effects of THC taken topically, but it's reduced compared to orally, which would indicate less efficacy in uptake - though hopefully it's reaching the tumor directly rather than just circulating through the blood to my brain! (I know, that's probably not how it works...) NOTE, since surgery I have only been using it orally.

CANCER EFFECT: I'm told users of cannabis extracts have seen improvements in their cancer markers after about six weeks of use. In vitro and animal studies show signs of shrinking tumors, preventing metastasis and initiating apoptosis (programmed cell death.) I can't measure the last two, but I didn't note any reduction in tumor size. My tumor was originally measured at 2.4cm via ultrasound and was very easy to feel just under the skin. It seemed to me that it changed discernibly on a daily basis. Some days it felt more solid than others, some days it was closer to the skin, some days it actually felt larger - it never felt smaller. It was roughly the same size (2.38cm) when measured via ultrasound before surgery, and actual size was 3.2cm when removed via lumpectomy.

OTHER EFFECTS:

- CBD extract is not psychoactive, but it makes me feel slightly "uncoordinated," and at the same time clear-headed and open-minded. THC extract makes me high, creative, giggly and very sexual. VERY sexual. I've had two hour long orgasms on cannabis. I've also been able to orgasm from my husband just caressing my leg. (This is crazy, but true.)

- Nothing is as effective at making me sleep as cannabis extract. I've used a lot of melatonin and tryptophan over the past couple years, and neither works as well at inducing a deep and restful sleep. Once night sweats or hot flashes started during chemo, I found that the extract allows me to sleep though them undisturbed.

- Aches and pains nearly vanish. At one point I thought I had a cracked rib from coughing so much while sick - turned out to be an extremely painful pulled muscle. Cannabis made it possible for me to function until it healed. I also used it as my sole pain medication through lumpectomy and port placement surgery recuperation with great success.

- Mood is elevated. Getting a breast cancer diagnosis threw me for a loop, I could've easily fallen into a depression. Cannabis has helped me to avoid that and maintain a better outlook on a terrible situation. I notice that I'm more irritable and prone to becoming morose about my diagnosis if I skip cannabis for a day or two.

- Hair and skin are greasier after about a month of taking cannabis extracts. My face is oily and my chest and breasts have broken out in red spots (looks kinda like heat rash - just red dots, no heads or pimple-like characteristics.) This went away after the first month. My hair has actually been looking better than normal for the last couple weeks, with no flyaways or frizzies... not sure if it's related to cannabis or something else.

Any questions let me know, and as I continue with this treatment, I'll update with any other notable information. Hope this helps!

____

My timeline of events:

Mar 2 - mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy. Tumor size recorded at 1.7cm x 2.4cm via ultrasound

Mar 4 - IDC diagnosis

Mar 5 - got my cannabis recommendation

Mar 14 - purchased cannabis extract (10g THC, 10g CBD), began taking it daily

Apr 11 - pre-op appointment with second ultrasound at my request. Tumor size recorded at 1.44cm x 2.38cm via ultrasound.

Apr 27 - lumpectomy. Actual tumor size 3.2cm. It would appear cannabis did nothing to shrink the tumor. It did, however, work effectively as pain medication. I didn't use my prescription for Dilaudid at all.

May 21 - diagnosed with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS), a rare genetic disorder that gives me a nearly 100% lifetime risk of various cancers. 40% of women with LFS get breast cancer. Radiation increases our chances of new cancers.

June 24 - Bard Power Port with Grohong catheter placed in my chest. Agan, cannabis was great pain medication and helping me to sleep.

June 30 - Attempted first chemo - failed, they couldn't access the port and I refused to let them into my arm veins (that's why I got a port!!)

July 17 - Successful first chemo (TCH). Cannabis nightly ever since is helping me sleep, mitigating side effects and still has very positive effect on sex.

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Comments

  • pipers_dream
    pipers_dream Member Posts: 618
    edited April 2015

    I don't have much to say except keep us posted and I wanted to say too that my tumor also grows and shrinks--sometimes within minutes. It's not bigger or smaller than it was to begin with though--I don't think, b/c I've lost a lot of weight and a lot of fibrocystic breast tissue, so it was barely discernible in the beginning but fairly obvious now.

  • Cheesequake
    Cheesequake Member Posts: 264
    edited April 2015

    Good to know, thanks for that. I had wondered if other people's tumors seemed to change all the time!

  • Cheesequake
    Cheesequake Member Posts: 264
    edited April 2015

    Today I met with my surgeon again (pre-op in prep for lumpectomy will be on April 27) and at my request he did another ultrasound to measure the size of the tumor to see if my cannabis treatment is changing anything (timeline in the main post is updated with new details).

    I got my cannabis extracts 28 days ago, and in that time I've used a total of 1g of THC and a little more than 1.5g of CBD. (That's taking as much of the extracts as I can stand daily, alternating days between oral and topical.) The tumor is the tiniest bit smaller today than it was on March 2. Certainly not enough to attribute the change to the cannabis, more likely just a different day, different U/S operator, etc.

    To my eye it actually looked much bigger on the ultrasound today than it did March 2, and like it was in two "parts." He said the top part was likely a hematoma from the biopsy, so he only measured the bottom part.

    Not a lot to take away from today's new measurement. It could be that the cannabis has kept it from growing any larger, but I guess breast cancer is relatively slow growing anyway.

    Next stop: lumpectomy and full pathology report. We'll learn the exact size, whether there is lymph node involvement, and go from there. I will definitely continue with the cannabis throughout treatment, whatever that may be.

  • coraleliz
    coraleliz Member Posts: 1,523
    edited April 2015

    My tumors came back smaller than expected on my BMX pathology report. The way it was explained to me was that for mamograms you stand & your breast hangs one way. For ultrasounds you lie on your back & your breast hangs a different way. On an MRI you lie face down leaving your breasts to hang yet a different way. Tumors are pliable, perhaps some more than others.

  • Cheesequake
    Cheesequake Member Posts: 264
    edited April 2015

    Of course I had hoped that after a month or six weeks of using cannabis I'd feel a noticeable reduction in the size of my tumor, and clearly that didn't happen. Would've been nice to say "no thanks I don't need any other treatment" ;)

    Dosing is difficult. I can take a lot of CBD (like, an inch worth of extract out of the syringe), but not even half that amount of THC affects my abilities. I'm not building up tolerance as quickly as I'd like. Being stoned so often is a drag.

    I do like how it makes me sleep and what it does for my mood. And since I know it'll help with side effects when I do start treatment, I'll continue using it.

  • Cheesequake
    Cheesequake Member Posts: 264
    edited April 2015

    New effect I've noticed: Hair and skin are greasier after about a month of taking cannabis extracts. My face is oily and my chest and breasts have broken out in red spots (looks kinda like heat rash - just red dots, no heads or pimple-like characteristics.) This effect is no worse in the area that I am applying the extract topically. So it appears to be caused by ingesting it orally on a regular basis.

  • Nightnurse
    Nightnurse Member Posts: 86
    edited April 2015

    Cheesequake, I have a cousin with advanced Prostate Cancer who used cannabis oil rectally. His PSA went all the way down to normal levels. It is very expensive, however. I am interested in trying cannabis. The state I live in doesn't have a medical use law. How would you get it?

  • Cheesequake
    Cheesequake Member Posts: 264
    edited April 2015

    Nightnurse, CBD oil is legal in every state. Look up the Realm of Caring and get some Charlotte's Web CBD oil. There are a lot of other companies making CBD oil as well but it may not be as easy to get or as high quality. Anecdotally I've heard CBD and THC together are most effective, but there is a lot of research that shows that CBD itself is very effective. Hope that helps! Is your cousin doing any other treatment that is affecting his PSA levels?

  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited April 2015

    Thanks for posting this thread! I'm trying to use MMJ for chemo side effects and also for its effect on cancer cells...had a horrid experience yesterday...don't know if I got to much or what, but was violently ill all night. It was my first time trying g it for medical reasons. Does it ever make you sick to ingest it?

  • Cheesequake
    Cheesequake Member Posts: 264
    edited April 2015
    Littleblueflowers that sounds scary!! I've never become ill. I've had too much THC to the point that I was twitching for a few minutes, but that's the only negative experience I've had. How much did you use and how did you take it?


  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited April 2015

    Well, that's the thing. I ate one candy, maybe an hour after having a few puffs on the vaporizer. No idea how much was actually in the candy, but instead of helping get rid of my constant chemo induced low grade nausea, it made me really sick. Sigh. I really want to just medical mj, but I'm not sure it's gonna work out...

  • Cheesequake
    Cheesequake Member Posts: 264
    edited April 2015

    I've eaten and smoked and vaped and topically applied a number of different types and strains without any issue. If I had a candy that made me ill, I would assume it as something else in the candy besides the mmj. But everyone is different, and you may indeed not be able to tolerate it. Just vaping by itself didn't help with the nausea I take it?

  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited April 2015

    actually just the vaporizer worked great for nausea. Only problem was, the vapor irritates my chemo burned mouth and throat, even cold, so I really want to find another option. Do you think or have you found that a topical application of the essential oil is effective?

  • Nightnurse
    Nightnurse Member Posts: 86
    edited April 2015

    Cheesequake, is it possible to get a mmj in the state next door? Or do you have to live there? How much does the CBD oil cost?


  • Nightnurse
    Nightnurse Member Posts: 86
    edited April 2015

    ***mmj card****

  • Cheesequake
    Cheesequake Member Posts: 264
    edited April 2015

    littleblueflowers, I have no idea of the efficacy of either of my ingestion methods (topical or oral) on the cancer itself - it doesn't seem that my tumor has changed in the month+ I've been using cannabis. I will say that I do get high from topical application of the oil but only when applied with DMSO, a solvent that can "penetrate the skin and other membranes without damaging them" and can "carry other compounds into a biological system." (quoted from the DMSO Wikipedia page.)

    I don't think it would have any effect at all if I applied the oil topically by itself, though I have heard anecdotally that it works on skin cancer. I had a basal cell carcinoma on the tip of my nose in 2012 and after it was removed in the biopsy, I had 9 radiation treatments on my nose. Had I known then that cannabis oil worked on skin cancer I would've tried that before jumping into radiation!)

    Nightnurse, I live in an MMJ state, so I have no idea about the legality of getting a recommendation if you aren't a resident. I was quoted $250 for the CBD oil from Realm of Caring. That was for a 100ml bottle of olive or coconut oil containing 5000mg of CBD. There are lots of different CBD and THC products available from different makers, but that price for that amount seems to be roughly standard.

  • Nightnurse
    Nightnurse Member Posts: 86
    edited April 2015

    Thank you, Cheesequake, for responding! Arkansas will probably pass the medical mmj law this next time, cause it just failed by a small number of votes before..

  • Cheesequake
    Cheesequake Member Posts: 264
    edited May 2015

    Still waiting for final pathology from my lumpectomy on Monday (it's only been four days, I know, I gotta be patient...)

    Very anxious to learn the exact size of my tumor and all the other details. Of course, can't know definitively whether cannabis contributed to any kind of positive outcomes, but I do know that they gave me Dilaudid for pain and I haven't used it - just cannabis, and it works great. I'm anxious to get back to my normal life, though my underarm still bugs and tires easily.

    This week's biggest "breakthrough," if you will, is way TMI... but on Tuesday - the day after surgery - I had a healthy dose of cannabis extract and things with my husband got very intimate, as they do...

    ...and I had an orgasm that lasted about two hours, almost continuously.

    That has certainly made this week easier to deal with!! :D

    I imagine a lot of that was emotional release, but it wouldn't have happened without cannabis. Mood elevation, indeed.

  • littleblueflowers
    littleblueflowers Member Posts: 2,000
    edited May 2015

    Holy Moly! I want some of that! My provider and I are still working out the best mix for me, but I take a little every day of the cbd oil, which contains very little THC, and vaporize during the first day or two post chemo. Slowly trying to build up my tolerance. Have you heard of juicing the leaves anDid stems? From my research, it looks so good for you, especially if you had cancer. I am hoping to make it a regular part of my diet.

    So seriously...orgasm? Geezer since diagnosis I can barely get there with a viberator. Chemo blows. DH comes home tonight though, so I'm gonna up my dose and see what happens....thanks for posting!

  • Cheesequake
    Cheesequake Member Posts: 264
    edited May 2015

    How did it go littleblueflowers?? I'm not dealing with chemo and I'm taking pretty high doses of THC, so your mileage may vary greatly.

    Before I got the extracts I bought a high CBD low THC strain called Harlequin (5 parts CBD to 2 parts THC - hardly any high and not enough CBD to really provide therapeutic amounts for cancer, which is why I tracked down the extracts - very concentrated.) Anyway, the person that delivered it was very passionate about medical marijuana and talked to me for a long time about growing your own - and he did mention juicing marijuana for its health benefits. It doesn't get you high at all, and as I understand, it tastes pretty awful, but I haven't tried it myself. Gotta get a good food processor!

    Anyway, hope it was a positive experience ;)

  • Bren-2007
    Bren-2007 Member Posts: 6,241
    edited May 2015

    Cheesequake ... This question is a little off topic, but in any of your research have you ever heard if the cannabis oil can be used on dogs who have gran mal seizures? I know of two people whose dogs are having bad seizures. I've read that many children with epilepsy are having good results with the oil. Maybe you know someone you could ask about this. Thanks for any info you may have.

    Bren

  • Cheesequake
    Cheesequake Member Posts: 264
    edited May 2015

    Unfortunately I don't have a network of cannabis people to ask, but a quick google search shows one result that cannabis is toxic to pets and another that says people are indeed using it to treat animal seizures. I wouldn't know. Asking a vet about safety and dosing is the way to go.

  • abigail48
    abigail48 Member Posts: 1,699
    edited May 2015

    one of my biker's dogs would eat it with pleasure if he got the chance. no visible bad effects, blowing smoke at cats as well so I rhink not

  • Bren-2007
    Bren-2007 Member Posts: 6,241
    edited May 2015

    https://www.leafly.com/news/health/this-dogs-seizures-are-being-treated-with-cbd-d82e

    Here's an article I found on the internet about using CBD's to treat seizures in dogs.

    Bren

  • abigail48
    abigail48 Member Posts: 1,699
    edited May 2015

    many many years ago the most intelligent person I everhave known was an epileptic. he used cannabis, opiates & alcohal. the latter certainly didn;t prolong his life, but all three curtailed the seizures. any downer is acurative for these types of troubles. (he was a poet, a lexographer, a linguist translator of other' poetry

  • boblajo
    boblajo Member Posts: 18
    edited May 2015


    Hi everyone! I have been using medical cannabis for several years for chronic pain and anxiety. The day I was diagnosed with IDC, I immediately started on a CBD regimen. The yucky tasting oil, followed by capsules and now I'm vaping the oil. I'm still learning about it, but I believe in this plant, it has so many healing properties! It also appeared to shrink my tumor so I am having a lumpectomy instead of a mastectomy!!

    Cheesequake, you are very knowledgeable about this, I am glad I found this thread!

  • Cheesequake
    Cheesequake Member Posts: 264
    edited May 2015

    Lucky you boblajo! Mine did not shrink my tumor AT ALL. It was 2.4cm on imaging, 3.2cm in "real life" when it came out. I hope it was just the variance in method (imaging being much less reliable than actually having the thing in front of you) but I can't say for sure. I am still using it almost daily for mood, sleep, sex, and plan to use it during chemo for all of those and nausea as well.

  • boblajo
    boblajo Member Posts: 18
    edited May 2015


    I really can't say anything for sure yet! Having surgery in two weeks, so we will see. I just really believe in this plant, and the numerous medical uses for it. It so far " appears" to me, based on the imaging to be smaller, but it has helped my pain and anxiety and I know it will help with the nausea.

  • DayLily15
    DayLily15 Member Posts: 144
    edited May 2015

    hi cheesequake - i saw this about jucing and wondered where or how you can test the concentrations in each smoothy. i have hemp cooking oil and it tastes yucky, this at least sounds tasty.

    love to hear your take on it.

    http://www.thestonerscookbook.com/article/2015/05/...


  • Cheesequake
    Cheesequake Member Posts: 264
    edited May 2015

    DayLily15, I have no experience with juicing. When I first got my mmj recommendation, the fella that delivered my first order of high CBD flowers told me that juicing the raw/fresh leaves was very medicinal and no psychoactive and that he could supply me with leaves, but I've not followed up (I don't have a juicer or processor, and have been focused on many other things.) I note the article you linked doesn't source any of the medicinal benefits to actual research, it's something I always mean to follow up on. And from what I understand the taste of juiced cannabis leaves is pretty foul, I guess it would require messing with a recipe and including other ingredients for flavor. Sorry I can't be of more help!

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