The Main Vein

“To find a friend one must close one eye. To keep him – two.”

-- Norman Douglas 1868-1952: Almanac (1941)

Dear All:

The bad news that one of our band-mates (see yesterday’s post) has a medical issue, AAA (Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm), makes any considerations of reunions, and such, small potatoes. The good news is that this is not a disease as much as a condition. His situation reminds me of the time Miss Brigitte underwent open-heart surgery for the removal of a benign growth (Fibroelastoma) in the upper left chamber (atrium) of her heart. In her case, as with AAA, fixing the problem is quite simple, as medical procedures go. The problem concerns the locations where these conditions arise. In B’s.case, the growth protruded from the left Atrial valve in such a way that the contracting heart muscle might randomly loosen it, at which point she would suffer a brain or heart aneurysm and die. Concerning AAA, most people know what the aorta is as it pertains to the heart itself, but are less familiar with the fact that the aortic vein, which is the largest blood vessel in the body, extends down between the kidneys and deep in the thorasic cavity where it eventually divides into two branches that supply blood to the stomach and lower extremities. An aneurysm constitutes a weak length that appears as a bulge on the scans used to detect it. In terms of symptoms, the bulging vein put pressure on the surrounding areas, the kidney for example, and causes pain. The danger is this: if it bursts, there is little hope of containing a severe hemorrhage and sudden death. Ouch! The solution is to replace that portion of the vein with a Dacron or Gore-tex stent that reinforces it. However, the delicacy of the surgery is such that it requires the kind of highly trained surgical specialist that can only be found at large research hospitals typically located near large metropolitan areas, like Madison Wisconsin. The good news is that unlike heart disease, cancer, and other chronic illnesses, once the aneurysm is fixed you’re as good as new.

Speaking of medical matters. Lately my esteemed partners and I have been developing an enterprise aimed at helping those in need of pain relief. My role in our endeavor is, what else, producing professional written materials regarding our project.

Hence the following:

HEAVENLY HERB

Mission Statement

To provide prompt delivery and affordable access to reliable pain management and palliative care by facilitating the delivery of the highest quality medical marijuana to those afflicted with acute, chronic, and intractable pain related to a variety of illnesses and disabilities. Heavenly Herb’s overarching ethical agenda is to ensure that all who suffer debilitating diseases and conditions are provided with compassionate, expeditious pain relief regardless of racial, ethnic, aging, gender, and socioeconomic factors. We seek to achieve these goals by maintaining and implementing rigorously monitored state of the art cultivation strategies that guarantee our product will be at the cutting edge of medical marijuana pain management.

To improve and addend the common understanding of how best to alleviate, relieve, and remedy the myriad symptoms of illness and disability as they relate to overall health and pain management.

To enhance the quality of care for persons who may be differentially vulnerable to the pain experiences by understanding the subjective and objective nature of pain and suffering.

Vision Statement

To be the preferred medical marijuana provider for those compassion clubs interested in studying and furthering the development of successful pain management outcomes.

To expand the general public’s knowledge of the personal impact of pain and provide a better understanding of the role medical marijuana can play in its alleviation.

To explore the many variables that influence the quality of pain care as it pertains to the accessible procurement and application of medical marijuana remedies.

To encourage the idea that compassion clubs and medical marijuana dispensaries be used as forums for the exchange of ideas as well as discussion arenas to promote pain education.

To foster an environment for the study of pain related to health disparities to improve the health and well being of our patients, families, communities, and nation.

Sleep Tight - Randy