Rhona's story: From chronic pain to finding strength for gardening and living

How long have you been battling your current health issues, and what exactly are you diagnosed with?

It all started back in 2001, when I was involved in a serious road accident. My car was sitting stationary when it was hit by another vehicle travelling at about 60 miles an hour. The impact of the crash compressed my spine, which did my neck and my back in.

That's what got the ball rolling. I was mostly able to deal with the pain and stiffness issues up until around 2009. I was working full-time as a cleaner at that point, and it was quite a physically demanding job. I started noticing that I was struggling to keep my grip on the broom or cleaning cloth and started to notice severe, chronic aches and pains. I was diagnosed (at this point) with carpal tunnel. The almost never-ending pain and my obvious lack of strength only got worse over the coming years.

I got to a point quickly where I was always tired, and my overall mood took a dive. I was irritable, quick to snap, and quite depressed.

In 2016, I ended up going to the hospital to see what could be done, ended up going through all the tests and everything. It wasn't a quick process, getting my fibromyalgia diagnosis, not quick at all. I actually had no idea what fibromyalgia was when I was told that's what it was.

But since then, I've been managing as best as I possibly can. It hasn't been easy.

What sort of treatments have you tried prior to medical cannabis, and were they effective for you?

I think I've been through the whole list of the ones that make your brain think you're not in pain, and let me tell you, it has not been fun. You name it, I have probably been prescribed it at some point. I was also prescribed sleeping tablets, which I hated.

I had some really serious complications with two of them, which resulted in me almost dying. The combination of the two almost caused me to have a heart attack, and I was then made to feel like I had done something wrong, even though I had been advised by the doctors to take them together.

I've also had allergic reactions, and my liver has been damaged as a result of taking painkillers. It's been an incredibly difficult journey trying to find something that can actually help me without causing more harm. I don't want to take them, but I didn't have much of a choice at the time. 

Now I do.

And, what differences have you noticed since starting medical cannabis treatments?

To be completely honest with you, I was sceptical at best about medical cannabis before I started taking it. I had tried cannabis in the past recreationally, and hadn't associated it with any level of pain relief whatsoever.

But, wow!

As soon as I started with my prescribed medical cannabis flower through the Omura vaporiser, there was pain relief. I'm not saying that the pain was totally gone, but I was able to straight away able stop using the morphine patches that were my main form of pain relief.

I was also able to cut out the sleeping tablets, which was massive for me. I hated the groggy, out-of-it, almost hung-over feeling that I had each morning after taking a sleeping tablet. I would wake up with a headache most days. 

How has this had an impact on your day-to-day life?

The very next day, I was able to get back out into the garden. I have always loved gardening, but for the few years leading up to starting with medical cannabis, I couldn't do it. The pain was too much, and my grip strength was almost non-existent. Same thing with cooking. I hadn't cooked in a good few years, my husband and I would just eat out. The fun of cooking was gone, replaced by pain and frustration. Not able to hold a potato to peel it, not able to stand for more than a couple of minutes, you know?

Now I'm back in the kitchen and the garden and loving it! I even mowed the whole lawn a few days ago, and felt great. I haven't been able to do that for years. It would quite literally take me four days to mow the entire lawn myself, and my body would hate me afterwards. The difference has truly been life-changing.

It will be two weeks this Sunday that I haven't had to take any of the pharmaceuticals, and I feel so much better. Before, I would have this nagging feeling, that's kind of hard to describe fully. It was this constant self-talk. "You have to do this, you have to do that", which really brought my mood down, it was very depressing, not to mention the brain fog that went along with it.

The depression caused me to have just no motivation to do anything. All I wanted to do was sit in the corner and let the day pass me by, but that's all gone now!

It sounds like joining Releaf was a real turning point for you, would that be a good way to put it?

Definitely.

The thing I have been finding so great with the medical cannabis flower I have been prescribed through Releaf is the consistent quality. The doctor handling my case really took the time to talk me through everything, and has helped me find the right dosage for both my daytime and nighttime options.

Being able to get rid of the morphine patches for pain relief, and sleeping tablets has been great, but when you add to that how much better the medical cannabis has been at dealing with the pain, how easy I am finding it to get to sleep, and the effect it has had on my mood, that's when you really start to understand how much of a turning point it's been for me.

I didn't go into this wanting to be 'stoned', and while it did take a little trial and error to find the right balance for my body, I can honestly say that I am feeling more clear-headed than ever plus, I am actually able to do the things I love and enjoy my life again.

And I have actually already begun to reduce my medical cannabis. The fact is that I am only a few weeks into my journey, but I am already needing less than when I first started. And that's one thing I was never able to say with any other treatment options I have tried over the years.

There are still some tough days, but overall it's been a huge success.

Amazing! And finally, what would you say to someone who's not sure about trying medical cannabis, but is open to the idea?

All I can say is that if you don’t take the plunge, you'll never know what could have been, and you might end up regretting not trying. I’m really glad I gave it a shot. Sure, there have been a few bumps along the way, but that’s part of the journey.

 I have been extremely open with my family and friends about my prescription, and all I have received is support and understanding. So, I’d say just go for it! If you don’t try, you’ll never find out. And if you do try, and it works out, you’ll be grateful. 

For me, the chronic pain I experienced 24/7 is gone, and that’s a huge relief.