I wanted to share my personal use of cannabis along with that of others we have met that have also found success. I am now sixty-seven years old, defined as elderly under the legal government criteria and unfortunately officially Medicare age.
I live with two incurable, painful conditions – one called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and the other sarcoidosis.
At the age of fifty-seven, at my doctor’s advice, I underwent DNA Genelx testing, which revealed that the only medications for pain that my body would tolerate and metabolize would be either ketamine or cannabis, both controversial.
I remember laughing at the doctor back in 2007, when it was suggested I try cannabis. I remember trying cannabis in college, smoking a joint with some friends and finding myself in bed for the rest of the day.
That was not my idea of fun, so this suggestion was not warmly welcomed.
I was also desperate for pain relief, losing my teaching career due to my deteriorating medical condition and confused as to what I might do next to alter the downward spiral my life had taken.
I was tired of living in high pain. My inability to metabolize conventional pain medications was well documented. I was desperate for a treatment which would provide me with the capacity to manage my pain and thus allow for some quality of life.
Help was needed!
At that time, there were no compassion centers so medical cannabis patients either waited to grow, which takes at least a good three months or more, or patients had to reach out to the black market.
We turned to the market and ended up with “who knows what” for product but converted it to the night oil, since smoking with my lungs would be fatal.
I was so scared to take the cannabis oil that first night, and when I did, warned my husband that I had taken it and fully expected a reaction as I had experienced years ago back in college – “feeling out of my body.”
However, instead, now living in a body of pain, my experience was quite different. Instead, I slept all night for the first time in months, if not years.
What I noticed the next day was not the magic of my conditions gone, but instead a new peace and calmness. I now had new hope that I was not destined to a life of intense pain and suffering.
This sense of hope allowed for an emotional acceptance of a future which while not perfect, would help me to feel useful and having meaning. Rest is huge, no matter what you are facing and it helps to give you courage and new strength in finding purpose and meaning back in the life you are given.
I never dreamed:
1.That I would ever use cannabis
2.Certainly never dreamed I would turn into an advocate for its use.
I had no choice but to speak out once I experienced that a body in pain does not react to cannabis in the same manner as that of a pain free recreational user.
I have found that cannabis does not knock your socks off with pain relief as opiates are often capable of, but noticed this new calm and peace in my body.
I was so accustomed to living with pain that I found this gentle, safe relief was priceless and gave me a new lease on life.
Keep in mind, however, that anyone with pain can take too much cannabis and create that sensation of feeling high if they are not careful! It is no different than taking too much of any medication, you can overdo it!
My husband and I have met many other cannabis patients in the state and eventually became caregivers for some, as we became more comfortable with growing.
What continues to be so rewarding is the results of seeing others like me, afraid to try it, and then reporting back with positive results. We know of one woman in her 80’s who now uses it by taking gummy bears that she purchases at the compassion center.
Another one has success with vaporizing product. And then there are others who are successful using the night oil and occasionally using day tincture for break out pain.
One of the most impressive immediate changes we observed was with a new patient we had taken on who was a paraplegic in terrible pain. He chose to utilize cannabis by smoking it for the first time, in our driveway.
He rapidly changed from angry, unable to even understand and in terrible pain to becoming talkative and interacting with us, mentioning that he wasn’t noticing a change.
From that day on, this man called me daily to check in with us, until the day he passed. Cannabis was his lifesaver that provided him dignity and gentle relief.
There are so many different ways to take this medicine from smoking, vaporizing, tinctures, capsules, concentrated oil gummy bears, drinks etc, so you have to be patient to determine what is most effective for you.
Also, we all have different needs in our body so one specific type that works with one, let’s say with MS, will not necessarily be the match for another with the exact same diagnosis.
Here is an article which I wrote some time ago that might help to better explain this: Which Marijuana Strain Works Best for Pain?
New patients must also experiment and use their judgement as to the best CBD and THC levels that provide them with the best relief.
Decisions must be made as to whether you need the regular cannabis plant to control your pain or if you would do better with a higher CBD plant that has some THC in it.
I wrote this article I to address the difference. You might find it useful to read this and understand a bit more about the difference of a higher CBD plant vs a stronger THC product.
I do have to use ketamine for the hospitalizations and surgeries since at this time, even in legal cannabis states, hospitals are not comfortable with the use of cannabis.
I presently have an article on line with National Pain Report about how a hospital should be using ketamine for pain relief: My Story: How Ketamine Can Work For Surgical Pain: this can be an option to consider if you are like me and tototally unable to use any opiates for surgical pain.
As you make the decision to consider trying cannabis, please know that I, too, was scared due to my recollections of the “high sensation” from using cannabis back in college socially.
Remember, if you live in a body with medical issues and in pain, you get relief and calm to the body using this safe product, no matter what form you decide to take it, as as long as you keep your dose as an appropriate amount for you.
I find a night oil we make private and easy to travel with. Oil is not attractive to steal and highly unlikely to be confiscated as the is the raw product.
I can simply put the oil in a medical bottle and travel with it safely along with my medical card. Do I still have pain in my body as a cannabis user?
The answer is yes, but I now live with calm and a level of discomfort that is manageable and allows me to have dignity and purpose and meaning back in life.
My oil allows me to sleep most nights and I am able to live with hope, advocate and think clearer the next day.
I am under no illusions my medical conditions will not continue to present me with at times daunting challenges.
Compared to the pain I was living with previously, this is a huge gift that I am grateful to live in a compassionate state that allows me this choice. Nothing is going to take away what I am facing for the rest of my life, but I am able to function again in society thanks to the use of cannabis, with no side effects to this very reactive body.
