(this is long!)
Obviously, new member. Old school 80s stoner (currently a licensed medicinal marijuana user). Grew up believing joints, were a waste, pipes weren't much better and one-hitter, slow draw bong hits, were the ultimate in smoking pleasure. FF>> several years, even a 6 year Navy enlistment, back to civilian life... picked right back up on being a stoner. It was different this time, whereas before I was an everyday, heavy, heavy smoker... it was more sporadic in my late 20s, early 30s.
Then I just quit. Got a bit paranoid about being caught and with a family... couldn't afford that. Switched jobs, ended up driving big trucks, delivering gas/diesel and other petroleum products. Frequent tests and really not a job to be impaired in any way, just for coming home alive's sake.
Unknown to me at the time, I was hurtling towards a night that would forever changed my life and drastically shortened it. That night was 9/30/09. Most, I'm sure... have heard of John Ritter. He died not of a heart attack, but an Aortic Dissection. That night in September, an aneurysm no one was aware of, tore the inner wall of my aorta. It didn't stop tearing and tore all the way up both my carotid arteries, the entire ascending and descending portion, all the way to both kidneys. Repairing the entire aorta... is impossible. So 13 hours of emergency surgery later, I was left with a graft on a portion of the ascending and the rest... pretty much in internal tatters. As one Cardiovascular Neurosurgeon told me, "If you're asking me to fix you, I wouldn't even know where to start... there isn't any beginning (of the tear... its just ALL torn)."
Now I hope you don't have the sob story scenario playing in your head. I do feel like a miracle. Only 3% of people that have a dissection, survive. Granted it usually hits men in their 60s and 70s... not their 40s. But still... I shouldn't be here. I still am.
I did go through the stages of grief. However, I got stuck on the depression. Not only was I taking pharmaceuticals for my blood pressure, I was on anxiety medicine (Xanax) to. Then one day, I told my doctor I felt like I was dying (didn't want to), every day. From the time I went to bed, wondering if I would wake up... to waking up, wondering if I would make it through the day. I was prescribed Paxil. A year after my surgery and I was still experiencing daily pain... Tramadol! Sure I wasn't anxious, depressed or any sharp pains. But I wasn't really excited, happy about anything and the pain wasn't sharp anymore, but it was dull. Just kind of "being" in my existence.
So I started to look into the medicinal value of Marijuana. Wow, with all the new strains and science of it. Your choices back in the day (if you even had a choice), were typically either Sativa or Indica. Now there were hybrids, gene splicing strains to get desired effects. Wanted to experience the senses, feel alive... anxiety pretty much gone, pain still around, but not nearly as often or intense? You could probably find it. So I got the license. Tried a couple strains from a crap co-op and was unsatisfied. However, I noticed everyone gives away some sort of freebie for joining the co-op. Woot! Free stuff!! I try another one. This time, the guy knows what he's talking about. He takes the time, to hear my story. He shows me different strains. I settle on 2 grams each of 2 different Sativa dominant strains.
Woo Hoo! Now this is a change. I'm starting to move out of that depression zone. I'm going to bed... well, just plain tired, instead of nervous. I wake up in a good mood, I'm world's more active and I take joy in the big and the little things. Family takes on a whole new meaning and I find myself wanting to make a lasting, healthy (mentally. lol) and loving memories of me. I want my daughter to grow up, with all kinds of memories. I probably wont live much past her 16th birthday (she's 10)... but I want to leave her enough, to last her a lifetime of fond smiles. Getting through to my wife is different. She doesn't agree with the alternate medical treatment and doesn't ever want to discuss my medical or mental condition, on a whole. All is not lost with her, however. I do see the difference in her overall mood. I'm helping her heal also.
So...
To make this excruciatingly story a little longer, but a little shorter...
I finally discovered Vaping this week. I decided to start small and got a VG Bat. Took me 3 wasted (wasteful) bowls of exquisite medicine, before I hit that sweet spot. I hit it hard and fast and overwhelmingly. WHAM! My head exploded into a cerebral zone unsurpassed. My body felt, energized and nerve endings were in tune. Senses on alert.
How do you all come into this? During my reading/education on Vaporizers. I lurked here a lot. The knowledge was awesome and the atmosphere informative and friendly. I hope I can be a contributing member.
But thank you all, for making my transition a much smoother and enjoyable journey.
.. We will meet one day in the astral projections , and our spirits shall greet each other enlightened by enchanting super novas.
