Monday, November 2, 2009

Angel Raich brain surgery update 11/1/09

Angel Raich brain surgery update 11/1/09

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I visited Angel Raich at home Sunday 11/1, and she gave me permission
to say a few things. She had her brain surgery Wednesday 10/28. She
was not allowed to use her vaporizer in the hospital so they
discharged her home Saturday morning, where she has her mother, and
other friends to care for her. She's awake, alert, and moves all four
extremities, and other than pain and regaining her appetite after 4
days without cannabinoids, she looks good. Apparently the neurosureon
was able take most of the tumor, and the rest he got with a cyber-knife.
Both the neurosurgeon John Adler, and the anesthesiologist pushed to
let her be allowed to vaporize in hospital. I explained the precedent
of Alta Bates Hospital allowing her to vaporize in her hospital room
some years ago. Unfortunately, Stanford hospital found the volcano to
not meet hospital standards.*
This was unfortunate, and very painful for Angel, but she is amazing:
happy to be alive, having her memory intact, and wonders what's next
for her.You can see her history and brain scan on her site, at
http://www.angeljustice.org


Frank Lucido MD

Frank H. Lucido MD
Family Practice since 1979
Medical Cannabis Consultation
Expert Witness
2300 Durant Avenue
Berkeley Ca 94704
510.848.0958 (by appointment only)
www.DrFrankLucido.com
(formerly MedicalBoardWatch.com)
www.AIMLegal.org
www.DrFrankLucido.blogspot.com


*electical appliance around Oxygen was cited. I think that an institution like Stanford University is ripe to develop more appropriate policies than early discharge after neurosurgery.
Hmmm....And it looks like there should be a race to be the first vaporizer to meet hospital standards...
Your heard it here first.

1 comments:

rsteeb said...

I would not use my old-style Volcano around oxygen, as its bimetallic thermostat makes sparks on closing and opening. I presume the new digital models are all solid-state controlled, and could possibly pass hospital-grade certification.

I brought a filled Volcano balloon in to a hospital patient one time, having filled it up in the parking structure via 12 volt inverter.

Thankfully Angel is back home now, where such considerations are now academic!

-Richard Steeb, San Jose

Dr Frank Lucido's Blog: PotShots from the Bully Pulpit: Everyone’s Entitled to My Opinion


Medical Cannabis has been legal under state law in California since passage of the California Compassionate Use Act of 1996 ("Prop 215" or California Health & Safety Code 11362.5) under a certain conditions.
Unfortunately, it is still illegal even for legitimate patients, under Federal law (Gonzales v Raich Supreme Court case).

Physicians making appropriate recommendations, are also protected under State law, when acting appropriately.
Furthermore, physicians are also protected Federally by Conant v McCaffrey (Federal District Court) and Conant v Walters (Federal Appellate Court) as long as they do not aid and abet a patient in breaking Federal Law. On further appeal by the Federal government, the Supreme Court declined to take the case. Therefore, physicians are the ONLY ones protected all the way to the Supreme Court, as long as they do not "aid and abet" a patient in breaking Federal law.

The purpose of this blog is to discuss for patients, physicians, caregivers and other patients advocates, who, in my experience, is most protected, and under what circumstances, and to discuss to what extent the inability of the State of California to regulate cannabis (due to Federal threats and interference) has led to the "wild west" atmosphere that the newspapers love to write about (you know: "Man bites dog" will always sell more papers than "Dog bites man".)

This is my effort to "clean up Dodge". I know I am not alone in this. There are good physicians, good caregivers, and lots of sick patients. I aim to let people know how to spot the good, and avoid the others.