Fibromyalgia, Me and Medical Marijuana

So with all my cannabis recipes I thought it might be good to tell you all a little about my fight and why I am a medical marijuana patient. Here's my story:

A few years ago I began to notice a big shift in my general well being. First I started having a lot of random days where I would feel like I was coming down with a flu bug but they would pass after  a day or two and never really develop into a full blown flu. Another thing I noticed was the lack of energy I had available on any given day. Somedays I woke up full of energy only to be sapped and exhausted by lunchtime. I began suspecting something was wrong but with no health insurance I was not one to run into the doctor. I lived with these strange symptoms along with daily hip pain for over a year. I tried eating healthier. I tried getting more rest. I got a new bed hoping better sleep would allow my energy level to return to normal. All of these helped a small degree for a time but the lethargy & exhaustion always returned. My hip pain never seemed to lessen and I began to have random roving pain throughout my body.

One day out of the blue my pain levels escalated from bad to worse. One minute I was ok with background pain, the next minute I was in absolute agony. I tried meditation and deep breathing to calm myself down but the crippling pain remained. Then the spasms started. First in my face & hands. These mostly were an irritant but as they moved into my larger muscle groups they became very painful as well. 

That was the tipping point that got me to finally seek some medical help. 

First I saw a rheumatologist who sent me for a bunch of expensive blood work and X-rays. When my test results came in she  gave me a diagnosis of fibromyalgia and sent me home with muscle relaxers, pain pills and Vitamin D. 

I was on this rx plan for a couple of months but it didn't seem to help much at all. The pain pills masked the pain but made me edgy, itchy & irritable. The muscle relaxers helped to tame the muscle spasms but the side effect was low energy and then sleep for about 3 hours every time I had to take a pill. That posed an obvious problem when I had these spasms during the day. 

After awhile I began to question this course of treatment. The treatments were having as bad of an affect on my daily life as the symptoms had.  I wanted to find a way to get my energy back and limit my pain without a lot of side effects. I decided to see a naturopathic doctor. It was at my first visit that my doctor suggested I try a treatment plan that included vitamin supplements and medical marijuana. It was that day that changed my life. 

Now I'm 100% free of the rx meds and their harmful not to mention inconvenient side effects. I am on a daily dose of Rick Simpson Oil which I take before bed. This allows me to sleep more deeply which has improved my energy level throughout the day. I use medicated edibles to keep my pain levels in check along with topical mmj treatments for pain. I've found several good strains of mmj that when smoked or vaped immediately stop my spasms and tremors!  ( Harlequin & UW both the purple and green pheno). And for the pain that even the pain pills couldn't suppress I use my vape pen with Honey Oil Concentrate. 

This amazing natural medication has given me back my quality of life. Where pain once kept me on the sidelines observing life around me I can now actively participate. I can spend time working in my garden again. I can play with my granddaughter again. I can enjoy walking my dogs again. Wonderful!

But aren't their side effects from using medical marijuana?  Well sure. I suppose there are. For example one side effect would be the cotton mouth  that is experienced when smoking mmj and that is easily solved with a nice glass of water. How about the munchies?  Yep medical marijuana can definitely stimulate the appetite but that's easily solved by medicating inline with  my regular meal time. Last but not least doesn't medical marijuana make you high?  Yes, sometime and in some forms of the medication I do experience a high or a general sense of well being and happiness and that's just fine with me. I'd rather have mood elevation as a side effect than the feelings of pain, sadness & despair that came with the pain pills. I'll take a few minutes of laughter as a side effect of my mmj over the 3-4 hours of uncontrollable sleepiness that came from my rx muscle relaxers. I'll enjoy happy hungries over not bing able to cook or eat due to pain any time. 

So that's my story at least the short version. I still suffer with the multitude of symptoms that come with Fibro but less frequently and a lot less intensity. When my bad flares come, as they do I, can treat myself with the appropriate form of mmj and continue on with my day, my tasks, my hobbies & my life!

Peace & pot!