Chronic illness and MJ

[Cannabis Rehab Guest]

Hi.

This is my first time here. I'm in my mid-twenties, and was diagnosed with a pretty severe manifestation of a chronic illness this past year. My smoking does not change any blood values (I have it tested every 2 weeks), but I've never discussed my usage with my doctors. Once, a med student asked if I used anything, and I admitted to weekly use. Nothing came of this.

I'm a daily smoker- usually every couple hours or so. I've been smoking daily for 7 years. I used to smoke for entertainment and relaxation, only at night, but now I feel like it's become a part of my therapy as well as a habit. I have to take chemo once a week, and a joint is the only thing that makes the crushing nausea ease. I also have inflammatory pain throughout the day, for which I can't take painkillers (I have a blood disorder).

I want to be able to smoke to treat my illness when necessary, but not because I'm housebound and bored. I need some kind of structure. I will be attending a chronic pain management session next week, so hopefully they can give me a few tips on relaxation.

Is anyone else in a similar situation?

[Cannabis Rehab Admin]

Hi Unregistered Guest and welcome to the forum.

To be honest I have never been in such an extreme situation when it comes to physical pain, my self medicating was due to mental issues rather than physical. In fairness and I know this probably isn’t what a lot of people would expect from someone who runs a rehab group that encourages people to detox marijuana, but in fairness if anyone has a good reason to use marijuana then you are probably it, let’s remember the use of the drug by people who use it that are in intense physical pain is pretty different to those who use it recreationally, the medical marijuana thing is a completely different issue and to be honest I am not entirely sure where I stand on it, perhaps it depends on what you are taking it for, how much you are taking and for how long, how you are reacting to it and various other factors that may come into play. Anyway whether you want to detox or get your marijuana use more under control is up to you, only you can decide if you feel it is the best option for you. In terms of tips for relaxation then the two things that spring to mind are meditation and self hypnosis, actually meditation is a bit like self hypnosis, but both can be extremely effective at both relaxation and managing pain, some people have found self hypnosis so effective they have even been able to have surgery without an anaesthetic or any drugs at all, how cool is that? Effective pain management without the use of drugs what so ever, it does however take a bit of practice to master and not everybody may find that they are that good at it. Anyway I am sure you have a number of options to consider but I just thought I would mention those two things.

Take care, thanks for posting and please keep us posted on how it goes.

All the best