HI! My name is Darlene and I am a medical marijuana user !
One of the main drivers behind this blog is to share my personal experience of using marijuana and CBD OIL to manage my chronic pain. I AM A SPINAL FUSION SURVIVOR (2018) with moderate-severe degenerative disk disease,fibromyalgia, cluster migraines, and postmenopausal osteoporosis with high risk for fractures.
My experience this past three years includes educating my family doctor and specialists on medical MJ, understanding the state’s applications and qualifying for my Medical Marijuana Card, researching online resources for tips/pros/ cons, visiting multiple medical dispensaries, seeking guidance from helpful “budtenders” and logging my pain response to the variety of products available— traditional joint roll, vape pens, edibles, topicals and CBD oils
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My comments on this topic are my own informed opinions and are not intended to offer medical or clinical advice. The choice of which pain management options are best for a specific symptom or condition is an individual one, done in concert with trained clinicians. I am however on a mission to share my experiences and resources that aided my choice to stop prescription pain meds including addictive opioids.
In the News!
Patients 65 and over report pain level melts to a manageable 4, from an 8 after six months of treatment with marijuana!¹
The medical marijuana (MJ) trend is exploding among boomers 65 and over. Recent news report an increase of over 300% are medicating with this amazing plant. The use of medical MJ for healthy living is a subject I am most passionate about. Here is one of several “experts” I came across with a powerful message on lessons learned from ACTUALLY listening to his patients! How novel!
“Physician David Casarett was tired of hearing hype and half-truths around medical marijuana, so he put on his skeptic’s hat and investigated on his own. He comes back with a fascinating report on what we know and what we don’t…”
Dr. Casarett actually put himself in the shoes of his patients so he could experience a medical marijuana dispensary. The key takeaway from his talk is to educate providers to:
- Find ways to give patients more control, how to use available meds more effectively and to be flexible in helping patients manage their symptoms,
- Research illness, replicate how patients learn and share from each other.
- Swallow the doctor pride and put patients first! Visit medical marijuana dispensaries and see how they operate to improve the patient experience. Ask patients: what are your goals of treatment for your condition(s); what are your fears?
This is a huge wake up call to the medical establishment and our governments to up their game on all the pharmaceuticals out there AND do the legwork to investigate the facts vs myths of medical marijuana and CBD as alternatives to prescription drugs. My mother once said: getting old is not for sissies! It’s not IF but WHEN we Boomers will face an illness or disease where we face losing control of our health, our lives, our independence. You and I should be center stage in the management of our health and how we choose to function ( AND THRIVE) while managing the pain and limits on our mobility associated with our condition(s)!
For me, there is a long list of positives and very few negatives associated with using CBD and Medical MJ in treating my conditions. I am in control. I dose primarily with CBD during the day and use edibles and vape pens with both CBD and THC for nite and when pain levels become more intense. and…. yes, for all of you dog lovers I have used doggy CBD for my Shih Tzu who had a serious fear of thunder! Stay tuned, more discussions to come. Comments welcome!
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