Quick update – Alex has oils again!

We got Alex’s OMMP card recently, and we now have a donor (TJ’s Organic Gardens), so we’re able to give Alex a blend of high-CBD and high-THC oils, mixed to whatever ratio we think will work best. We’re not sure how much he needs or what ratio, so it’s still a bit of a guessing game (TJ’s has been giving us pointers), but we’re back to being able to dose him again, which is obviously very important. And we can dose him TWICE a day since he’s so close to us. In practice, we’ll probably miss a dose here and there, which sucks, but so far we’ve hit a lot more two-dose days than not.

In other news, the U.S. Senate is considering a bill to reschedule cannabis. Please support the Carer’s Act so that kids like Alex can get cannabis without jumping through absurd hoops. (For instance, if we go on vacation, nobody is legally allowed to dose him)

A happy Alex, yet another interview, and other updates

First, since surgery, Alex has been doing really well. This should not be the case from everything we’ve learned about the SEGA (the growth in his brain they removed), but we’re not going to complain. We’ve been told by doctors that the surgery wouldn’t likely help him long-term, and based on when the SEGA first showed up and when Alex’s behaviors hit, it definitely seems unlikely the SEGA was to blame for his self-injury, but who knows?

Of course, he’s still having to be wrapped up all the time. The video I posted recently still shows a more easygoing version of Alex than what we’re seeing lately. He’s super happy, but seems to need his security items a lot more. Continue reading “A happy Alex, yet another interview, and other updates”

Looks like we’re in for another rough patch

Alex’s mood has taken a major turn for the worse, as I mentioned a couple weeks ago, but now it’s gotten downright awful. The behaviors we’ve seen in the past three or four visits might be the worst since we placed him in his first home over two and a half years ago. Nothing consoles him, nothing comforts him, and nothing calms him down. I fully believe a regular dose of cannabis in his system would give him an overall better life, but I have to wonder if there’s anything at all that could help him when he gets this bad. Continue reading “Looks like we’re in for another rough patch”

Another month of quiet

I write to tell about what has happened in Alex’s life, or to mention exciting activism-related information. But Alex’s status hasn’t changed in such a long time that there hasn’t been much to say other than describing the up-and-down nature of our visits or talking about the (still several months off) vote on Measure 80. With the full-time job, 2-3 Alex visits a week, and our family situation in general, it’s tough to feel like writing after a long day.

Writing becomes even harder when Alex’s mood takes a turn for the worse. Continue reading “Another month of quiet”

We’ve moved!

It’s been a long time since an update, primarily because of the move. We’re now about a twenty-minute drive from Alex, so we can see him throughout the week instead of only on weekends. Of course with all the craziness of the move, we still haven’t seen him as much as I’d like, but that should change as we settle in and get more of a routine going.

Not a lot else to say – too much stuff to still take care of today. Here’s hoping things can slow down in the next week or two….

What happened to February??

It’s been a long time without an update, due to a complication with a “minor” surgical procedure on yours truly. Alex’s moods have been up and down, there’s not really much to say about them, but even so I’d prefer to say something certainly every month if not every week. However, I had a vasectomy recently and am one of the lucky few suffering a much longer than expected period of post-procedure pain. This cost me two visits with Alex, and has made other visits more difficult than usual. It also makes daily life very slow – my 1/2 mile walk to work (I work at a university, so I park pretty far from the building in which I work) is now about a 45-minute affair one-way. All of this combined has made writing about Alex one of the last things on my mind. Continue reading “What happened to February??”

Saturday visit – mixed results

A bit ago I spoke with my grower (Alex’s grower, technically — but I am the caregiver so that has to count for something), and he mentioned eating hash usually requires a pretty large amount for most people he’s dealt with.

On Saturday, we tried out a whole lot more hash than usual. A typical amount is about a tenth of a gram. I gave Alex .15g, waited 30 minutes, and gave another .15g, for a total of three times our normal dose. He had arrived at 10am pretty upset, but had calmed down a great deal by 11 or 11:30. He went from needing direct, constant protection to playing a bit on his own. Continue reading “Saturday visit – mixed results”