Today I evaluated a 54 year man who was suffering from chronic pelvic pain that he started having after receiving radiation treatment for his prostate cancer that developed 10 years prior.   He stated that because he had developed bleeding as a result of taking too many NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like motrin he can no longer tolerate them.  The other pain pills that he was prescribed cause chronic nausea and constipation.   As a result he had been medicating with cannabis for the past 7 years with excellent results and wanted to become a legal patient.

Prostate Cancer is the second most common cancer detected in American men.  Approximately 218,000 new cases are diagnosed each year resulting in 27,000 deaths.    There are many different treatments for prostate cancer (drugs/radiation/and/or surgery)  This patient had his prostate surgically removed and then underwent three rounds of radiation.  Per the patient he was “over-radiated” which led to increased fibrosis and scarring which the urologist feels is the reason he has significant pelvic pain.  Fibrosis is fairly common following radiation and is the root cause of a lot of post radiation pain.

Fortunately cannabis works very well to treat post-radiation pain and has very few unwanted side effects.   This patient medicated twice daily (once in the afternoon and then prior to bed) with a hybrid indica dominant strain and reported significant reduction in pain and more importantly about 4 more hours of sleep vs not using the cannabis.   Although cannabis will not affect the overall course of his disease it will certainly improve the quality of his life.

Screening for prostate cancer usually involves digital palpation (finger in the rectum) and/or a screening blood test called a PSA (prostatic-specific antigen).  I encourage you to speak with your doctor to see if you should undergo screening.  It will depend on your risk factors, symptoms and age.

If you are suffering from post-radiation pain and would like to see if you can benefit from using cannabis feel free to come in and make an appointment by calling 877-721-0047 or pre-qualify for free online at www.mcsocal.com

Look forward to meeting you!

Dr. Breen