Yes, I’m definitely done

There’s not been a lot to say lately, hence the lack of posts. I just don’t have the time or energy to keep up here. I’ll be shutting down commenting today, though the contact form may remain up for a while since I still get occasional questions from people in tough situations like ours.

Alex’s situation hasn’t changed a lot since his return from KKI. We’ve stopped with the cannabis tinctures despite having a wonderful donor (TJ’s Organic Gardens), because we just couldn’t figure out what he needs. We’ve found that while our initial struggles were lack of knowledge and supply, our struggle now is figuring out how it’s actually affecting Alex. His inability to communicate has always made medications difficult, but in the case of cannabis, this country’s bullshit paranoia has made research so spotty that it’s 100% up to the parents to guess at dosage, strain, etc.

So it’s with a lot of frustration that we decided it wasn’t worth the trouble to keep trying. While we still believe in cannabis, it’s just not going to work for Alex until there’s a lot more research and understanding of which components (THC, THCa, CBD, CBN, etc.) are best for different ailments. And as long as that’s the case, we just have no choice but to watch the idiot lawmakers keep screwing up the rules instead of making smart, compassionate decisions.

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)

Why 2015 could be Alex’s best year

I touched a little on it recently, but Alex’s new home’s upper management seem to be significantly more concerned about doing what’s best for Alex than his last home. This is just one of many reasons I’m thinking this year could be the first one where things really start looking up. Continue reading “Why 2015 could be Alex’s best year”

Post-KKI Alex

[ I apologize for the lack of contact, I’m actually at work right now delaying my “clock-in” time, so to speak, in order to write something up – it’s been a crazy, crazy couple of years ]

Initially, Alex went to a “crisis home” in Salem (I think that’s what it was called). It was okay, but they never really got a handle on his behaviors. The state shuffled him off to Creswell before he was stable in our opinion, though we couldn’t fault them really — we, his parents, never did, either. Nor did various doctors, medications, etc.

But the Creswell home is where things went downhill. It seemed like the goal was to figure out the cheapest way to keep Alex alive, as opposed to figuring out how to keep him engaged and keep his mind working. Continue reading “Post-KKI Alex”

Alex is cannabis-free in Baltimore

Well, after a lot of fighting we got Alex to the Kennedy Krieger Institute. It was a ridiculous battle, and shame on Providence for trying to deny somebody as obviously in need as Alex. Their initial denial was flimsy at best, claiming various administrative errors. We appealed and they denied with much more coherent (but still ridiculous) reasons. Continue reading “Alex is cannabis-free in Baltimore”

Updates – KKI, hash oil, and general news

I’d like to say first and foremost that we wanted to thank all of our supporters. in the past few months, even with very few updates from us, we have received tons of emails and Facebook messages supporting us and our cause. The responses and emails about my recent blog post, “I think I’m done”, have been extraordinary. To answer the most common concern I’ve seen: no, we’re not giving up on cannabis — we’re just not writing updates as often. Continue reading “Updates – KKI, hash oil, and general news”

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”