Jackie’s Story: Persistence Through Pain and the Power of Medical Cannabis

What challenges have you faced managing your health conditions?

I was born with a condition known as hammertoes, and I only had surgery about ten years ago to straighten them out. While the surgery did help somewhat, it affected my posture, which I think has added to my ongoing chronic pain issues.

I’ve been battling arthritis for years now, and unfortunately, I have it all over. My hands, back, knees, hips – you name it, pretty much my whole body. Just this past August, I had another operation to remove a part of the bone in my thumb, trying to make it easier to manage the arthritis there. While that also brought a certain amount of relief, it still does get pretty painful from time to time.

Living all these years with this almost never-ending pain has taken a toll on my mental health also. I've struggled with depression and anxiety for a long time. The combination of the pain and my mental health struggles can honestly really get me down at times, and finding the right combination of treatment options has been a bit of a roller coaster, but thankfully, I am feeling much more content now.

Why did you decide to try medical cannabis?

I’ve been on all sorts of medication over the years, lots of pain relief options - some good, some not so much. I'm not going to say that they were totally ineffective, but I’d still feel the pain even with the medication - it didn’t take it away 100%. And then there were the side effects. They made me quite constipated, so then I’d need another tablet to deal with that. It was like one thing after another.

I had no idea that medical cannabis was even a legal treatment option until about 7 months ago, and I hadn't ever really considered it before. But, one day, I saw Releaf medical cannabis on the telly and thought, "Why not give it a go? What have I got to lose?".

I figured if it worked, then great! But if it didn't, I'd just be in the same place I was before. So, I opened up my computer and searched for "medical cannabis UK." Releaf popped up right at the top, and I remembered seeing their advert the day before, so I clicked on through and began the signup process.

How did you find signing up with Releaf, and how has your treatment been going?

Signing up was so easy - I just logged in, gave all the information I needed, and a few days later, I had my first face-to-face online consultation. They asked me about my health history and the medications I’d tried, they went really in-depth. The doctor was great during our first chat, she really listened to me and asked a lot of questions so that she could get a full understanding of my health issues.

I have been a Releaf patient since June 2024, and I will say that it has taken some time (and some trial and error) to get my cannabis treatment to the point it is today - which I would describe as a real success.

At first, I was prescribed two different flower options, but I didn't like how one of them made me feel. I think the best way to put it is that it made me feel a little uneasy, so I stopped taking that one and brought this up to the doctor during my first follow-up appointment. The doctor was very understanding and explained that I should listen to my body and go with what felt right for me.

She also suggested at that point that I try one of the medical cannabis oil options to see if it might work better. I gave the oil a go, but it wasn’t quite right for me either – I didn’t feel the effects I was hoping for. So, after one more discussion with the doctor, we decided that it was best that I stick to the one flower option that I have, at a dose that feels comfortable for me. That was great advice, and I am really happy with the progress I have made since.

Has your medical cannabis treatment positively impacted your daily life now that you've settled into a routine?

Yes, it definitely has.

Originally, the doctor suggested that I take one of the flower options in the morning and another at night, but in all honesty, I don’t really like taking it during the day. For me, using the vape for my flower in the evening works perfectly.

Does it totally take away my pain? No, but it relaxes me to the point where I'm no longer almost obsessing about it. In the evenings, I’ll grab my vape and have just a few pulls, and it relaxes me. My mind kind of comes off the pains that are almost always bothering me, and I find that it’s really working for me. It doesn’t take the pain away completely, but it helps me not to focus on it as much, which has made such a difference.

I have struggled to get a decent night’s sleep for years, but that has also changed now. The impact it has had on my sleep has been very surprising. I love curling up on the couch with a new show to watch. I love that feeling of finally being able to relax away from the pain, and slowly fading off to sleep peacefully is something that had escaped me for a good while. I have always said, "A good night’s sleep is so fundamental to having a good day the next day". Most days, I now wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.

The cannabis has also helped me with the side effects of the painkillers, which I do still take, although less than before. I mentioned before that I suffer from constipation, and I find that ever since I started to vape the medical cannabis flower, it has been nowhere near as bad as before, which has been a nice little bonus.

What advice would you give to someone considering trying medical cannabis for the first time?

If someone asked me, I'd tell them to just give it a go

It might not work immediately, and you might need to experiment to find what's right, but for me, the journey has been worth it. Some people expect quick results, but that's not always the case. For me, it took patience and a bit of courage to try new things and persevere through the first week or so of trial and error, but the end result has been great.

I’d say go for it – it might be the answer you're looking for, but even if it's not, you won't know until you try.