Debs' story: After 40 years of nursing, medical cannabis helps manage MS.

Can you tell us about yourself and the conditions you’ve been diagnosed with?

I was a nurse in the army for 22 years, then I worked in child protection and domestic violence for 10. I started training for my third career in psychotherapy when I was 52, and I love what I do. My work has always meant the world to me. 

I was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia about 10 years ago when doctors discovered six lesions on my brain. It was about three years ago when I was diagnosed with MS [Multiple Sclerosis]. Apparently, it’s quite rare to have both conditions. 

I suspected I had MS long before I was diagnosed. I've been a nurse for 40 years, and I know how to recognise the symptoms; I was falling over and in pain all the time. One day, I was speaking with my neurologist, and I asked him straight out if I had MS. We did numerous tests and an MRI showed that I now had 11 lesions on my brain, five more than before. Thank goodness I didn't have any more than that. 

When I was first diagnosed with MS, I was absolutely reeling, because I'd seen terrible cases during my nursing days in the army. Eventually, I gave myself a kick up the backside and thought, “Right, Debs, come on. You've got to deal with this!”

My pain was extreme. I had severe electric shocks going through my arms, legs, hands and fingers, double vision, and numbness in my feet, so I was falling over a lot - walking a bit like a drunken duck. I was literally careening into people. 

The frustrating thing was that I did everything possible to keep as healthy as I could: CrossFit, yoga, going out for walks and a low-carb, low-sugar, low inflammation lifestyle diet plan, but I still wasn’t making any progress.

What kind of treatments have you previously tried to help manage your MS symptoms?

When I was officially diagnosed with MS, the neurologist told me to buy a walking stick, and that was helpful. I was also prescribed many medications, and I’ve tried most of the anti-epileptic drugs, like carbamazepine and gabapentin. The side effects were pretty harsh - dizziness and a fuzzy head. 

As I said, I work from home as a psychotherapist and I specialize in trauma, so not being able to think clearly during a session is a massive problem for me. With those heavy medications, I just felt off a lot of the time. I also put on over a stone and a half in weight, even with all my exercise and weight training twice a week.

Last October, I completely came off gabapentin and all the anti-epileptic pain medications. I followed my neurologist's instructions, but it was still really tough. It's like going cold turkey - horrible symptoms - just awful. Luckily, by then I’d already been introduced to Releaf, which made things much easier. 

And, how did you first discover Releaf?

It was my yoga instructor who first suggested a London-based medical cannabis clinic. The reviews weren't very good, so I then spent hours and hours researching. I researched everything, and Releaf absolutely came out on top.

I made an appointment, had a consultation, and because of my diagnosis with MS, I was easily accepted as a medical cannabis patient. 

Being a nurse, I'm obviously very particular about my healthcare - I have to be able to gel with the doctors and the staff - and my first experiences at Releaf were really positive.

How does your prescribed treatment fit into your everyday life?

My dosing routine was designed in consultation with different doctors at Releaf. I've had follow-up consultations virtually every month, and received a lot of advice from the doctors, but the final decisions about the treatment plan were up to me. 

I started with medical cannabis oil, only a tiny bit, twice a day, and even a small dose made a big difference in my pain symptoms after only a few days. 

I take my cannabis oil in the morning at about 8 a.m., and then nothing else until bedtime, and that gets me through the night. Falling asleep is not a problem for me because I have MS fatigue, but it helps with the pain. I’m aware that it’s more common to take medical cannabis for insomnia, but it also seems to help a lot with chronic fatigue. I used to feel as though I was wading through mud, day after day, but I very rarely experience that feeling now. 

I did try vaping the medical cannabis flower, but now I only use the oil. The difficulty for me is that - because of all my time yomping around in the army - I have arthritis quite badly in my hands and my knees, so I found using the grinder to be tricky. The cannabis oil is so simple, I can draw my dose of exactly 0.2 millilitres and then just put it under my tongue. It really is that easy.

If I wasn't working as a psychotherapist, I would be taking a higher dose, but for now 0.2 millilitres completely takes away the pain and doesn’t affect my thinking. As I said, I need to be completely clear-headed for my job. 

Have you faced any stigma or concerns from others?

My deliveries from Releaf arrive in a brown box, and no one has any idea what’s inside. It’s completely discrete, which is nice, although I don't have any problem telling people about my treatment - even my patients. I know it helps me as well as so many other people, including thousands of children who have epilepsy. I’ve read the research.

The reactions I’ve received are usually really positive. I don’t bring it up very often, but my clients know I have MS, so if I’m asked about my medications I don’t mind saying that I’m using medical cannabis. I generally get very positive feedback - even from people who are much older. People are starting to read more about medical cannabis and have heard how helpful it can be for people with chronic conditions.

What advice would you give to someone with MS who may be sceptical of cannabis-based treatments?

People don't like to take medications, but sometimes we need to, and sometimes we have to. Personally, I much prefer to be taking medical cannabis oil than all those strong, anti-epileptic medications. I understand that some people have to take those drugs, but I was on them for years, and it was too much. 

Medical cannabis made a huge improvement in the quality of my day-to-day life, and I'm much happier now. Even though I have MS, and the symptoms can be nasty, the cannabis oil has made a big difference and I feel proud and relieved that I'm no longer on gabapentin or any of the other anti-epileptic drugs I’ve tried over the years. 

The answers aren’t the same for everyone, but my treatment addresses all my symptoms at once. I will always use medical cannabis for my MS now, I'm just so relieved that I’m more in control. 

That's the key thing: I am more in control of this disease than ever before. 

For more information about medical cannabis treatments for this condition, please see medical cannabis for multiple sclerosis.