Blood and Weed
Well here we are again: on the train, off to get blood-work done downtown to see if anything we've been doing treatment wise has made a difference since late June. I doubt anything substantial will be reported, but wouldn't it be something if the Lyme was gone? If the only Lyme I had left - after inadvertently treating it for years with the Doxycycline and Minocycline that was prescribed for my skin - was finally gotten rid of thanks to the Samsara and Biocidin?
Sigh. That'd be a treat. I'd love to have bread again. But, alas, I probably shouldn't build up any of my hopes in case the all too likely outcome is that, while some of my symptoms are getting better, the Lyme is still present. But we'll see! While I managed to remember to fast 12 hours prior to the appointment, I forgot to chug water this morning for the "pee in a cup" portion of the blood-work. Last time I wasn't able to get them the specimen they wanted, that is not the quantity they would have preferred.
Wouldn't it be ridiculous if the reason they said I have Lyme was down to my not getting them a proper urine sample? If, with a sizable urine sample, the tests would've turned out different? It's a long shot, considering the Lyme was detected thanks to blood-work and not urine-work. But I can't deny that I've though and questioned it before.
I'm getting low in my medication/supplements too, so those will need to be ordered soon. I'll have to determine how best to use them all before the trip west, so that I don't find myself in the middle of the Mohave desperately seeking a glass of water for my Samsara cocktail. In my mind, using Biocidin multiple times during the day, and 1 or 2 GI Detox as well, should suffice. But I'll ask the good doctor about that on the 28th, when we have our next meeting.
Oh! Interesting development: yesterday I purchased a vial of CBD oil and a vaporizer. Let me explicate, in the case my mother/family should ever read this: I'm not a pothead by any means, even if I'm up for a hit if someone else is supplying or passing around, and I'd never go out and seek marijuana on my own - it just doesn't interest me THAT much. However, I was talking to Dr. Gemelas a couple meetings ago and she mentioned how Cannabidiol (CBD) oil, taken both by vapor and under the tongue, can help treat inflammation and pain in the body, anxiety, diabetes, acne, sleep problems, and all sorts of other conditions. Seemed like a pretty fantastic thing!
And no, mom, CBD is not marijuana - technically. Marijuana contains both THC and CBD, but each compound has a different effect on the body. THC is well-known for the mind-altering "high" it produces when broken down by heat and introduced to the body, such as when smoking the plant or cooking it into foods. CBD, on the other hand, is not psychoactive. This means that it does not change the state of mind of the person who uses it. Not to mention, most of the CBD used medicinally is found in the least processed form of the cannabis plant, known as hemp. Hemp and marijuana come from the same plant, cannabis sativa, but they are very different.
Over the years, marijuana farmers have selectively bred their plants to be very high in THC and other compounds that interested them, either for a smell or an effect they had on the plant's flowers. On the other hand, hemp farmers have not tended to modify the plant. It is these hemp plants that are used to create CBD oil.
So, no worries mom. The CBD oil is not getting me high; I took a couple hits last night and put a drop under my tongue just before bed, and if anything it helped my sleep be more restorative. Despite only getting 5/5.5 hours of sleep I feel pretty good this morning.
Aaaaand we're at my stop! If you're reading this and are curious at all, be sure to check back on the 28th - I'll post an entry updating then blog on how my body's doing.