• Members of the previous forum can retrieve their temporary password here, (login and check your PM).

Would you believe a septuagenerian complete noob?

Migrated topic.
I kinda now wish there was a separate forum for Nexians and friends/relatives of Nexians with cancer - there is so much to be discussed on this topic. My husband has not even been typed/staged yet and it's driving us NUTS! He's shown more depression and anxiety than I've ever seen in him in the past quarter century.

Perhaps you know what I mean. Perhaps not, given your unique history.

I'm just glad that you are here and will continue to share your journey with us. I cannot wait until you begin growing mushrooms.

Congrats on becoming a cannabis grower - isn't it wonderful? Darned plant grows like a weed! :). You also may want to look into Phoenix Tears and/or contact their foundation - doing the program may not save your life but it could add real time and real quality I bet.

Red Cat - you may PM anyone now that you have been promoted. Just click on their name then select PM or search for them using the Members link in the upper right hand corner.

Great to have you here and looking forward to seeing more of your posts.

Peace & Love,
Pandora
 
Hi Pandora,

First, forgive me for not picking up on the fact that your husband has cancer. I'm going to PM you my email and suggest that he contact me directly. In the interim, has he surfed the NCI site? There is a wealth of information on staging and everything else you might think of concerning the disease.

In fact, they have detailed information for any cancer in two formats, one for patients and (other) lay people, and the same info for Medical professionals (in language more suitable for professionals) but as a general rule, most forms are staged by the number of lymph nodes involved.

If he has not yet acquired a copy of the Pathology report, have him do so immediately. It should contain all the information needed to determine stage (it will contain any available info on lymph node involvement.)

If he is not working out, he should get involved in an exercise program soonest, (like 6 months ago) because vigorous exercise helps immensely in dealing with the effects of chemo and radiation, and makes a HUGE difference in the quality of life while undergoing treatment.

Hope this isn't too far off topic, but I put this in the public because it's useful for anyone who might have to deal with the subject, and I'll tell you that, from my observations, most of us are going to have to deal with it sooner or later.
 
Red Cat,

That was an amazing read. I know you'll learn so much here and I am looking forward to reading more of your posts.

I wish you all the best in your fight with cancer....sending you light and peace.
 
Hi Tranquil, that's very nice of you to say, and thanks also for the kind wishes.

I've been beating the reaper for a long time, and don't plan on letting my guard down anytime soon.

He'll get me one day, but not before I complete my "Warrior's dance.*" I'm an old paratrooper, death's got his hands full, this time.

*gratitutous Castaneda reference
 
hey RedCat welcome to The Nexus ,

interesting intro , and a very interesting life you have led RedCat , i can relate to a gun being waved at your face , has happened to me a few times however i've never been shot , thankfully so.....

i would ask you you Sir , to look into Ayahuasca , since growing mushrooms can take some time , even syrian rue seeds are easier to order online ......

Jin
 
Hi Jin, thanks for both the welcome and the suggestion. I think I shall do just what you suggest, thanks again!
 
Welcome Red Cat.

You had an AMAZING intro. I think you will be a great addition to this community. I wish you the best of luck with your health issues and you will be in my thoughts with positive energy.

hostilis
 
Welcome Red Cat, and congratulations on your rapid promotion. :thumb_up:

Im sad to hear of your diagnosis, but I admire your acceptance of the dismal prognosis of metastatic oropharyngeal carcinoma.A nasty disease which often leads to mutilating surgery (if picked up early enough and before metastases are evident) and a markedly reduced quality of life thereafter.

I enjoyed your intro and your mention of Pleiku brings back some memories for me too but under much less stressful circumstances than those you experienced.I remember passing through there en route to Cambodia back in the 90s.I thoroughly enjoyed my times out there.

A question for you, if I may.With your background working for the outfit you did, perhaps you can shed some light on the grading of heroin ie nos. 1-4 which I think may have originated in SE Asia around that time that you were there.If not, no worries.

Once more, welcome and enjoy your times here.
 
Hi Hostilis and AfroHorror, Thanks for the warm welcome and the kind words, folks like you make this a very nice place to be!

Corpus Callosum, Thank you for the congrats and the warm welcome, small world, isn't it. When you passed through Pleiku, were you coming from Hanoi? In any event, it's nice to hear that someone here trod the same ground I did 23 years earlier!

My medical oncologist and I discussed the options, and one of them, indeed, would have my jaw split at the chin to allow access to the primary tumor, a(other) tangerine sized mass just under the skin at the rear base of my tongue! We elected to use radiation (in conjunction with three applications of Cisplatin - a very nasty chemo agent) on that, and the three remaining metastatic tumors in lymph nodes in the front of the throat.

The standard treatment, when this approach is elected, is to install a "Peg," (a feeding tube) directly into the stomach before the radiation begins in anticipation of the temporary loss of the ability to swallow due to the burning of the radiation. I elected to wait and only have one if that proved necessary. To everyone's (especially mine) surprise, I never needed it and never had any discomfort despite the fact that I now have a ring of scar tissue on the inside of the throat (that drives me nuts because a large glob of phlegm frequently hangs there...)

I regret that I never heard that grading system for heroin. All I knew was how to test it, and read the results. It was either Heroin, or not. The test results could also tell the relative purity as a rough approximation. Remember, I started my own investigation into the field only after I had gotten out of the business. Sorry.

Thanks again to all of you for your warm welcomes! I'm very happy to be accepted here.
 
Welcome Red Cat! I was hooked reading your intro, easily one of the best in the nexus!

I find it fascinating and unusual (in a surprising, good way) that someone your age is willing to explore this path. As many of us here know, it can be very rewarding.

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that the experiences these compounds help catalyze deserve to be experienced at least once by everyone willing to go through them, and given the certainty of your limited time (well, I guess all of us are on a clock..), I can only offer you my deepest sympathies and sincerely wish that you find what you're looking for.

It would be an honor to meet up, if by chance you are in Europe from April onwards, let me know!
 
Yes, a warm welcome to the Nexus Red Cat. There are quite a few of us here in our 50s, and at least one in their 60s, so it's great to have someone leading the way for the septs. A very civilised and generally adult place to be among like-minded friends.

Like everyone else, I found your intro compelling. I smiled at your reaction to imminent death...when it seemed like I was just about to die, I remember an overwhelming feeling (for the reasons you mentioned) of "oh, thank god for that..."...which was not quite what I was expecting! :?:

How lovely to be experiencing psychedelics for the first time, I hope it greatly enhances the time you have left here.
 
HI Nexalizer, thank you for the very warm welcome and the kind words! I wish I could be in Europe after April (or anytime, for that matter!)

Some of the best days of my life were when I was a Paratrooper in Wiesbaden ('63-'65) and if I allow myself, I can get really nostalgic about the places I visited and lived in, and the people I met while I was there. But, Alas, 'tis not in the cards I fear, so allow me to say that I'd be honored to host you, should you find yourself in the US in the next couple of years. Send me a PM if your circumstances send you in the direction of Florida's Emerald Coast (with it's sugar-white beaches!)

And I am quite looking forward to my first (and subsequent) trip. I've been preparing my mind for the event for over 35 years!

And @Limeni, thank you equally for the warm welcome and the kind words. You, and the others have made me feel very warm and happy, not to mention welcome!

As you may have noticed, I'm not able to spend a lot of time on line usually, but the time I spend here is not only very happy time, surrounded by warm, friendly souls, but is also filled with useful information! In other words, Priceless!

Thank you all very much from the bottom of my heart!

Bart
 
Kudos for living life authentically Red Cat. I'm glad to have encountered your tale and salute your courage! I believe you've ended up on a path that will lead you to that which you seek.
 
Hi Khronos, Thank you very much for the kind words! It's my pleasure to be here. And I think you are right about this being the place "at the head of the path" to my destination.

I'm stoked, just being here!
 
Red Cat!

Man you really had a wild ride.. better than living an uneventful life I suppose. I have heard several people I knows who have almost died say it was the best thing that happened to them. Nothing like coming face to face with your mortality to wake you up and live life fully I guess. I have to ask, how the hell did you et out of there alive?!

I'm truly sorry about your diagnosis and am humbled by your attitude and solace towards the situation, we can all learn from it.

As you will come to know by browsing the nexus, your desire to take "the" trip is quite readily accessible. If you can bake a cake, you can extract. And I assure you the reward pales that of a cake. I once viewed dmt as an unobtainable rare mystery that only the shaman deep in the jungles of the amazon had privy to, but once you realize it's truly EVERYWHERE the mystery quickly unfolds.

I truly hope you find your way and that your time left with us in the here and now is blessed and filled with more unforgettable experiences!

Much respect my friend! :thumb_up:

*O*
 
Hi there, *oneironaut*!

Nice to be here (actually, it's nice anywhere, but I digress...)

But to your question as to how did I get out of there alive, I can only say it was incredible luck! As noted, I'm the luckiest guy I've ever known! I think that I commented that the doc on duty when I was brought in, told me that Rigor Mortis should have been LEAVING my body when he saw me; and that they gave me 18 pints of whole blood (you only hold between 8 and 12 pints.)

So I was just lucky.

Thank you, amigo, for your kind words and well wishes!

Here's something worth reflecting on.

All of us have, or will have, "stuff" to get through if we live long enough. I have, but I also have lived long enough. If you haven't yet, you will.

Don't let it get to you. Live your life as you would otherwise, and deal with whatever it is that you have to deal with. It will pass.

And that, my friend, is the secret to a happy life! Relax, don't let it make you think that you are all alone, or that no one else can imagine your problems. They probably can't, but then you probably would be equally incapable of imagining their own particular cross.

And when you feel that your burden is so heavy that you just can't bear it any longer; look around. There is always someone whose problems make your's seem no worse than a bad haircut.

I had this wisdom indelibly burned into my mind the first night I was in the hospital at Clark AFB in the Philipines, the second stop on my medevac journey back to the US to be re-assembled. That night, they put me in a room with only one other occupant; a young GI who had been shot through the throat and was unable to speak. That meant he could not even speak to the nurse to ask for pain relief...

And pain-relief was definitely needed. He'd had his right arm amputated just above the elbow, and his left just below. His right leg was amputated just below the knee,and the left just above.

As if that weren't enough to ruin a man's day, he'd suffered (accurate, though grossly inadequate description) 3rd degree burns over nearly 30% of his body. I have never seen such suffering in a man's eye's before or since, and my fervent wish is that I go to my grave without ever seeing it again.

I only spent that one night with him, and I don't know his eventual fate, but I suspect that he did not live another 24 hours.

But the message here is that although I was not in great shape (running a fever over 105 F), seeing this guy made me ashamed that I had even considered feeling sorry for myself. No matter how bad you have it, someone else is much worse off; and usually coping very well.

(Well, that last clause doesn't apply to that lad, but you may trust me, it is the usual case. As in my case. I have no problems living a very happy life, fully aware that it's going to be foreshortened considerably in the forseeable future.)

I'll close this out by observing that the "Oh, woe is me" reaction to adversity is the worst thing a person can do. It programs one to be miserable. Far better to just see it as a normal experience, just (another) rock on the path through life and no big thing. When you have a loss, you always have something left. (Unless of course, you lost your life; in which case the issue is moot) Work with what you've got and let the rest go.
 
Welcome to the nexus Red Cat! What a fascinating intro!

You want to take the entheogenic route but want to avoid the "stupid" laws if i read correctly?

Do you know if salvia divinorum is legal where you live? This plant is instant ego bypass and a wonderful entheogen.
 
Hi there, DeMenTed, thanks for the kind words!

You read me exactly correctly, viz the laws respecting our great roar against some drugs, and my intent to take the path regardless.

Unfortunately, Florida is one of the states where possession of Salvia is proscribed. I have been looking for a source of live plants for some time, and don't mind long drives a bit. In fact, I'm driving to Texas (probably in the San Antonio area) in May to make a military parachute jump with a bunch of other old paratroopers. Texas, I note for no particular reason, is not one of the states that outlaws Salvia.
 
Hi Red Cat! Welcome!

I've been meaning to reply to this fascinating thread of yours for a while. Your intro post was quite the story to read, very forthcoming, and it's great to see a septeguenarian boldly exploring altered states of consciousness. Thanks for sharing it all and I wish you the best regarding your health.

I have two things to share:

Regarding your cancer struggle: A university nearby has just started doing studies on dandelion root extracts for treating cancer. The reason they started the study is the doctors happened to notice that terminal patients with a variety of cancers who started drinking dandelion tea extracts consistently experienced remissions of the cancers. Here is a link about the clinical trial they're doing in case you're interested in this information. It certainly wouldn't hurt to drink some strong dandelion tea a few times a day as your own personal experiment over the next year: First cancer clinical trial approved.

Maybe share that with your oncologist and they can get in touch with the Canadian doctor and discuss best-guess dosage and find out how the clinical trial is going so far, before the published results eventually come out?

Regarding the prior poster's suggestion of Salvia divinorum, I second that recommendation for sure. It's an amazing plant. Thankfully, Salvia the plant, and its active ingredient Salvinorin A, is NOT a scheduled substance here in Canada yet, so we can come and go with it, grow it, or sell the live plants freely without risking a criminal record. The products/tinctures/extracts of it technically fall under Health Canada herbal supplement regulations since it's not scheduled. So far, Health Canada does not fine or enforce removal of all the not-yet-approved extracts from head shops, convenience stores, and online vendors. It's simply not a priority for them I suppose.

Everyone I've experienced Salvia divinorum with was very glad to have discovered it, and found it profoundly consciousness altering. I look forward to someday contrasting & comparing that experience with the primary subject of this website.

From personal experience, I can say with certainty that Salvia divinorum is easily grown as a houseplant in indirect light by a window, without a humidity tent, once acclimated to that environment gradually. Don't bother with the expense and hassle of setting up a complicated growing environment. Clone it into 6 plants by taking and rooting cuttings in glasses of water from the growing tips. 6 is a good amount of plants to have around for personal use. I recommend the "Luna" strain as the hardiest for low-maintenance home growing, by far. PM me if you continue to have a vexing issue getting your hands on a live plant through your extended social circle and I'll see what other ideas I can come up with that, who knows, you might not have already thought of or tried.

I love growing a wide variety of medicinal and edible landscaping plants for fun, and it's nice to see someone else interested in cultivating and revering Magic Mint.

Again, welcome!
 
Back
Top Bottom