Julie Gardener
New Member
Cancer by Kathy
I am 43 years old and was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 1999. I am married and childless by choice and a registered nurse. I have gone through two chemo treatments. The first treatment, with Adriamycin and Taxol, made me so sick I decided not to undergo further treatments. As an R.N. I understood the implications of halting treatment at this point, and my physician warned me that it was very possible there would be a recurrence if I did not continue. We talked of alternative treatments for the debilitating effects of the chemo drugs. He mentioned Marinol (the legal oral synthetic THC) vs smoking marihuana in combination with anti-nausea drugs such as Zofran (which I had used during the first treatment and, by the way, cost $800 for 18 tablets).
After some time passed and my body returned to "normal," I decided to continue the chemo treatments. Again I was so sick, stuck between that feeling of wishing you could throw up in order to feel better and not being able to. As I lay in bed clutching my pink emesis bucket, unable to swallow even ginger ale, I decided to try a little pot. I took a couple of puffs and it was incredible! Ten minutes later I was out in the yard, helping my husband wash his truck. I was able to continue my normal routine the rest of the day. I probably smoked only half a joint over a two or three day period. It gave me a voracious appetite and I gained 9 pounds instead of the feared opposite (I could not afford to lose weight at 129 pounds and 5'8").
Thank you for this forum. Spread the word. There is no reason to suffer!
Source: Comments and Observations
