The Phillies, Sickle Cell disease, My RA |

Philadelphia Phillies.

I have joined my son and am now a Phillies fan. He has his red hat. Francis has his Harper, 1^st base, shirt. I will get a hat soon. We watch all the games that are not blacked out or are at an odd hour. Amazing how unpredictable the games are. A team will play well one day and poorly the next. Harper was out to have a baby and no one seemed to be able to play 1^st Base like he could.

Sickle Cell disease

Sickle cell disease is a devastating disease associated with extreme relentless pain. There are about 100,000 people in the United States with sickle cell disease.

The new gene therapy has been approved with about 20,000 individuals eligible for the treatment. Unfortunately, the company doing the treatment can only care for about 100 patients a year. The treatment is complex and involves hospitalization and chemotherapy. Before this gene therapy there was no successful treatment. So this is a new frontier with promises of hope as the therapy is refined and improved.

Cannabis

President Biden is working to reduce the status of cannabis  from a category that lists a drug as dangerous and of no value to one that needs a prescription. The Senate is working to remove cannabis from the list it is on.

Currently the situation is confusing. Cannabis is legal for medical use in many states.  It is available for recreational use in an increasing number of states. If it is legal in your state, just remember to leave the gummies at home when you fly. Cannabis is illegal in federal facilities such as airplanes.

Cannabis or marijuana? Marijuana is simply the Mexican name for cannabis.

My rheumatoid arthritis

I have stopped taking Kevzara. It dipped below a 20% effectiveness. So, I am left with Medrol, Gabapentin, Tramadol and Cannabis.

• When I start a bad flare, I take two extra Medrol tablets. The next day I feel fine.
• I supplement the Tramadol with the Gabapentin.
• The cannabis relieves much of my inflammation. Not the pain as much. My dose tolerance is still too low. I take about 50mg a day. I am building up my dose slowly to avoid being dizzy. It is working. I feel better.