Marijuana... and Top Surgery

Oh yes, marijuana. Weed, grass, tea, ganja, mamaganja, cannabis.

On the cusp of her national legalization, and my gender-confirming surgery, I am lucky to have her help. . .

Its been almost three weeks post-op for me. I'm feeling great.

Here's how weed entered the picture:

One of my main concerns before I went ahead and got Top Surgery (ie. double mastectomy with chest masculinization) was allopathic pain meds. Many people struggle with pain meds, such as Percocet, Codine, Hydrocodine, Oxycontin etc. I have never dealt with the addictive lure of these medicines, but I was aware that they slowed recovery and prolonged healing time. And, being the New-Age magician that I am, I am wary of foreign invaders meant to "numb my pain" but not really help me heal all too well.

The goodie bag I got from The Growing Kitchen in Boulder, Co.!! 

Fortunately, I had the grand synchronicity that my surgery was in Colorado. And in Colorado, weed is legal. (Note: I chose the surgeon because they are phenomenal, not because "Colo" has the green.) Regardless, I am not a frequent smoker and was far more interested in medical marijuana, which falls under the category of "alternative medicine". I am a big fan of alternative medicine, which is really ANCIENT legacies of wisdom concerning optimal health, from before the Industrial Revolution and Modern Science. Herbal remedies and other ancient medicine practices have stood the test of time, even if the West won't quite acknowledge it yet. Cannabis, which is both a term for the plant itself as well as the elegant healing compounds inside, is a powerhouse healing plant. These compounds are powerful in their healing ability. They're called cannabinoids, and are also known as CBD's. They cure cancer. Among other things.

I figured it couldn't hurt to supplement my healing regimen for top surgery with some ancient plant medicine. This mage is down with the herbal remedies!

Me being cute, 1 week post op. 

I was forwarded to a local, organic cannabis company in Boulder, Co from my friend Sharon Letts whom I'll refer to as "the Florence Nightingale of weed". There I met Brooke Wise, the owner and guru of The Growing Kitchen. Brooke was incredibly welcoming and smart as a whip. She gave us the grand tour of the facility where they bake and create all the delicious goods, tinctures, capsules, salves and candies made with that special (not secret) green ingredient. The tour was excellent and the atmosphere was clean and professional. Brooke is ahead of the whole legal-weed business, and I have no doubt TGK will flourish and change the world's view of green medicine and business.

Basically, Brooke is awesome. She gave me a goodie bag of her products for being a brave young lad who got his boobs plopped off in an act of solidarity with his authentic self. (Not her words, mine.) In it were a variety of treats for "ingesting" or eating cannabis. I received Peace Pain Pills, which were the most important in the goodie bag for my first bout of recovery time. Other items included calming lozenges, two edibles, and a mouth spray infused with weed.

Let me tell you all: I was off the Percocet they prescribed me in 2 days.

And I felt minimal pain after that, because I was taking capsules of high concentrate weed for pain management. IMPORTANT: I did not mix Percocet with the weed pain pills. There are always possible contraindications, so best not to mix while recovering. Once I felt the pain was manageable, I switched to the weed pills and never went back to those powerful allopathic opiates.

I absolutely recommend medical marijuana in recovery from any surgery. Top surgery was no exception. It stimulated my bowels (surgical anesthesia causes constipation), lowered my pain, helped me sleep, and the dry-mouth made me drink tons of water. Drinking lots of water after surgery is an excellent idea while your body detoxifies. Two green thumbs up.        

I was thoroughly impressed with the quality and the effectiveness of TGK's products. They not only work to relieve pain but also improve my mood while I recover. And they are delicious!
To keep up with this revolutionary healing company, check out their website at: 

http://www.thegrowingkitchen.org/        

So, would I recommend taking in some form of weed while recovering from top surgery or any kind of surgery? Yes! If you have access to it, consider it. I will admit I was glad to have Percocet the first two nights, but after that I was glad to be off of it. Transitioning into taking the weed pills was a smooth and painless feat. And I feel like I recovered faster for it-- I was enthusiastic and ready to go on substantial walks by day 4 of post op. Fabulous!



Any Q's? Ask them here or email me at mavarex2@gmail.com




**All bodies are different and I have no doctoral licensure to give out medical advice. This is just what worked for me and its possible it could work for you too. As an side, it is not possible to overdose on cannabis.


AND! In my next post I will provide a succinct list of steps I took so I could heal from top surgery quickly and efficiently. 

      

Bodies, bODIES

Now I'm a faggot. 

The journey I've taken in the last five years, the words that have exploded from the mouths of young "male" bodies at me, attached to some broken semblance of sick masculinity. Now I am a faggot.

I was once a dyke. Or, more often, a bitch. Now I am a faggot.

In any instance, I am a body. As much as I want to leave this body, here I am. Present and holding space for those-who-deem-me-faggot's sadness.

These are young bodies, deemed exclusively male-sexed by a limited modern scientific standard. Accepted wholly by most. Unaware of divine vessel diversity. These are called Bio males, cis males. Males. Not Fe-males. Not lesser than, lesser though. From the Rib of broken promises. The double edged sword stuck in its own rock. ( and then there's Queer; I mean Here, we are whatever we want to be.)

Let me paint the young bodies for you:
Testosterone-heavy white faces, pink flesh still so smooth from youth, small eyes crippled, small pits, crushed in a state of self confusion and malcontentedness, wrapped in baggy clothes found in the "Young Men's" department. Small but wanting some false big.
They are Off kilter, born into and abandoned emotionally and spiritually by structures inside but beyond their guardians' houses or their neighborhoods' rules. They are called Young Man from a walking age. They become, secretly and loudly, Abandoned Men.

They yell towards me, in my direction. They do not recognize my masculinity. They sense it, take my two spirited balancing energy, Strong Warrior I am, and always next I feel the pain of the imprisonment of their abandonment. They hurt inside, repelled by their own sickness. They once called me Bitch, Dyke, and today, they call me Faggot.

I see that as a parameter of my growth. I went from Sleeping Boy to Genderqueer Invisible to now Young Warrior Man.

Bodies, bodies.

I do not claim or cling to labels, as loud and compulsive as I whisper again and again, them. These clunky rusted words are for you to understand my body's changes, and my positionality within identity politics. I am a man, a male body born into what appears a XX chromosomal body.

I am not female.
Not female to male.

I'm not going TO anything.
Here I am.
Always have been.
My soul and heart and body are Renaissance masculine of center. And I take some minor adjustments, to be  recognized essentially, for my essence.

To fall back into place, my place, my body.
The needle rewrites the frays of my pained and wounded walking.

The sharpness is so I may become soft; the humble instruments are those I dropped so many years ago.

Bodies, bodies. My body. My male always body. My true aeon body. Beyond male body or female body. True body.

My body is a real and true body.
My body is the Neux body.

And one day it will all be seen and recognized and touched for its truth.







LOVE,

Marval The Sea Rex

Tyme time and t-ime again

So, here I be.
Its day four of t therapy.
I say yay for me.

Changes thus far... (all particularly subtle as i am on a low low low dose yo, 25mg/week)

body temperature increased subtly
pee smells a bit different, especially right after shot
I sweat more, possibly
I am so much more thirsty....like I'm in the desert... and this humboldt county
I am noticeably more calm


****ps. for those ftm peeps who suffer from gnarly PMS, like I do/did, starting on a low dose every week was a goddess-send for me, a particularly good choice. My T level went up in a much gentler cycle I believe than if i'd started with 50mg/biweekly. i can't even fathom 100mg biweekly to start off with. Cray.

Spiritually and psychologically I do feel, like I said, calmer, more composed. Even more thoughtful about when to speak or not....and not always feeling the need to speak. It's only been four days but I pay a lot of attention to myself now.
I have moments where the unknown future about what I will look like/how I will be feels slightly scary and my more rational side is like, "what're you doing?"
This question doesn't scare me, as I know full-heartedly I am on the Path that is Mine. But it is good to note. Beginnings are always a tad awkward and the Libra in me wants balance.

Spiritually I feel enlivened, like I am on an adventure. I can't help but think of Link from Zelda, Ocarina of Time. I just left Kokiri village and am off into the big wide world of authentic self. Interacting with others is generally smoother, I am more confident but not egomaniacal. I enjoy my body, moving it. The dysphoria is real when I see the femininity of it, but I know in good time it will all balance out and synchronize.

Thank goddess for HRT and transgender health. I am so blessed.

 Love love love!

MARVAL