Laying in a hospital bed at the beginning of 2023, he wore saran wrap covered in cannabis oil around his tumor-filled abdomen. Cancer recurrence bit Mike Robinson in a bad way — until he fought back with his favorite plant. Despite his initial care plan pairing him with a reluctant-to-treat but keen-to-dose oncologist, Robinson had access to various cannabinoids and good researchers. Despite an unlimited supply of cannabinoids, though, Robinson couldn’t properly fight against non-Hodkins lymphoma, a type of cancer, until a good doctor stepped on the scene.
High Times Magazine named Robinson, an activist and former compassion provider, one of the top 100 most influential people in cannabis in 2021. At the beginning of 2023, though, news spread among cannabis professionals like wildfire. He was in the hospital, and it wasn’t due to a seizure — Robinson’s cancer came back. Before anyone could connect with Robinson, though, tumors reverted to masses of dead tissue that exited his body posthaste. But his self-treatment options did not exclusively include heavy doses of whole-plant cannabis oil and emulsions. Cannabinoids were one tool Robinson used to fight the latest bout of cancer, which also required a list of good alkaloids and doctors willing to assist with treatment rather than offer a sales pitch.
Reading you charts
Casey Renteria of Fat Nugs Magazine talked to Mike Robinson and documented the ins and outs of his cancer battle (2 & 3). After his interview, though, further events occurred. Or rather, Robinson became privy to more information relating to his unconscious experiences in the surgery ward — where he only signed off to be cut open once. We touched base with him to help fill in some events that had unfolded since his last press interview.
“A stroke occurred during the surgery on January 2nd, and it took a lot to detect this. It wasn’t openly disclosed because it wasn’t openly known. So it wasn’t hidden from me. It was more of a scene where the patient has a stroke on the operating table.”— Mike Robinson
Following typical procedures, they tried to scope him while assessing the situation but failed to regard Robinson’s prior injuries that occurred while racing 27 years ago.
“I was split open about two inches wide from my umbilical area all the way down into my belly button and waist. It’s really just welded plasti shut.”
Robinson’s doctor made no effort to revise the laparoscope’s trajectory to avoid an obvious seam. Robinson’s body instead rejected the inadaptive surgical handiwork. He did not learn of an error, however, until digging through records available to patients in the US Healthcare System.
“I try just to send this message heavily; that’s why you need to read My Chart.”
Chemotherapy? What is my blood count?
Robinson had surgery in January of 2023, performed by a doctor he referred to as inadequate and unfit for their role due to a limited amount of experience. It wasn’t until Robinson gathered information from his Chart that he found evidence of surgical trauma. From this information, his primary doctor agreed and referred Robinson to a highly skilled oncologist and Director of the department.
Robinson alleged to Uprooted Concepts during our phone call that his primary care doctor admitted that the young surgical oncologist pushed him through diagnostics to encourage chemotherapy. After discharging Robinson, though, the young oncologist gave him positive news.
"As I was discharged, the surgical oncologist came in and declared me cancer-free. They had a really scary look on their face and told my [lady] that they couldn’t find cancer anywhere and that I’ll never have to go back to the cancer treatment center."
The contrast between the surgeon’s efforts during surgery to get Robinson on chemotherapy and the positive reports after they discharged him sent mixed messages. In reality, blood tests confirmed that Robinson’s cancer stage was no longer significant enough to administer surgical intervention or $300,000 worth of chemotherapy.
A surgery double order
Robinson showed signs of pain during his surgery, so the doctors conducted a routine CT scan. But the previous injury from racing left his abdomen scarred, preventing a routine scan. Instead, the doctor placed the laparoscope used during the CT into Robinson’s side, which the skilled oncologist confirmed.
‘Is that why my stomach is shaved?’ And he’s straight to the bone truth. ‘Yes. Mr. Robinson. Your stomach was shaved because you had a surgical trauma, and they immediately shaved your gut feeling that they will have to slice it open due to the trauma.’
Mike asserted that there should have been a period to stop and say, okay, is this necessary? What are you exploring?
"But when someone is lying in a hospital bed or in such a panic, it’s very easy to come in standing over them. And this is when I feel that those in Western medicine need to back up a little bit and think about what they do, you know, as far as practitioners, as doctors."
This time in particular, though, an event progressed rapidly that demanded action while the patient was unresponsive. Doctors working as trained professionals reacted to the patient’s evolving status and ultimately faced a difficult task. The surgery had to go on — so were they culpable for a resulting mistake? Should Robinson blame surgeons for human error? Or should he simply point his canna-oil-covered finger at the lack of transparency regarding a potential gastrointestinal trauma left undiscussed post-surgery?
Silent aftermath
Robinson works in the cannabis industry, but his ability to conduct normal tasks, such as speaking at symposiums or reviewing papers, dropped. Taking care of his daughter, a special needs youth moving into adulthood, took a new toll on Robinson. It didn’t add up — until he learned that a stroke occurred during surgery.
"Now the CT scans on the brain show a lower right cerebral stroke along with the other infarct on the left side that covers the two strokes from the wreck. So it’s like one scar from the infarct — a little anoxia — like a white spot."
Doctors saw on the CT from the crash Robinson endured while racing twenty-five years ago. But Robinson noticed a potentially fresh abnormality recorded on his Chart alongside a note that a doctor previously read the report. Robinson discovered that the CT scan on his brain occurred during back-to-back surgical interventions, although he only signed off once.
Responsibilities and self-medicating
Since aligning with a good doctor and self-administering plant compounds, including macro cannabinoid doses, Robinson underwent new tests. According to the latest results, he close to remission and continuing on a path of recovery from his latest recurrence of Stage IV non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
Author's note: MYChart is a record database for healthcare systems available in the US with similar systems set up in Canada, Mexico, and the UK.