High Guys,

How is everyone?
After a recent car accident I have undergone a spinal fusion accross vertabrae T8,t9,t10 and t11 7 days ago... currently prescribed:
20mg Morphine sulphate slow release twice a day, 10mg morphine sulphate fast release every 6 hours as required, Diclophenac 50mg 3 times a day, paracetamol 1000mg every 6 hours as required, piriton every 6 hours as required and zopiclone 2.75mg as required.s
I'm finding this just keeps the pain down to a dull ache, its managable but every time i take my meds it knocks me out and i fall asleep.

After quitting for a month before the accident up until now (6 weeks total.) I have decided toexperiment with the ol' 'erb for pain relief, possible reduction of my psoriasis which has flared up, the itchies due to the morphine,appetite stimulation and its sleep inducing qualities at night.

Ive never used it medically so Im experimenting with dosages to find both a theraputic "daytime" dose so i dont get stoned and get nothing done but still have that pain relief and something a little heavier for night time to get me off to sleep.

Ill be ingesting the cannabis by the traditional method of rolling a joint and smoking it.

Well thats the sciency bit out of the way; now time for what i scored:
Click to view attachment
excuse the image quality I dont have a better camera to hand. This is pot of gold apparently at 30 quid for an 8th including delivery, but this stuff is high grade!!!

My first experiment was with an ammount equivalent to the size of a small pea alongside my medication to see howthe two would get on in an "L-plate". The effectwasI didnt get that stoned but the pain relief was... well strange it didnt ache, it felt some how different probably 50% of the of the original sensation. Anyone else experiance this?
Im going to try a larger "good spliff worth" dose once ive completed this post excuseme if im rambling!

Im hoping to cut down mymid day tabs and rely less on the quick relase morphine tomorrow and slowly phasing in canna; possibly cutting out the mid day doclophenac; anyone have experiance of this and reccomendations?

lastly but not least any comments on any relavent respect are greatly recieved. this is new to me ive never somuch as broken my toe before soany advice, similar experiance tc are greatly recieved. Plus this gives me something to do.

Also excuse any bad punctuation, spelling or grammar. I'm afraid i was rushing as using the computer is painful.

Sorry to hear of your accident, I can't help on the medical benefits but there are many here who can, at that price though I would suggest getting a grow on as soon as possible(if you are able?)


Never noticed.

Wish you the best of luck with it

growing isnt possible due to living back home with the parents again... the accident has made living on my own very difficult at the moment. I have the option of cheaper stuff but its sacrificing quality... an 8th of this stuff looks like a fat quater and is soo crystally.... yet it doesnt smell that much.. it its only 25/8th. if i can go and fetch it the only other problems are keeping my postsmoking secret from my parents... its bad enough they see me as a hippy... never mind a dope smoking one!

'allo there,

My sympathies to you mate. Pain is never much fun and constant pain is the worse. I find that to use canna theraputically is tough as it is so much fun to go past theraputic doses.


Maryjane is one of the resident experts here on medical canna use and Arnold Layne has vast experience with pain management and canna. My experience is that it tends to distract me from the pain and allows me to be less stressed about it which helps the healing a bit. From what I have read, the more so called indica dominant strains are better for pain relief than sativa dominant strains. If you are dealing with swelling issues, ibuprofen and canna may be the ticket.

Best of luck to you! It sounds like you are in good spirits. That is at least half of the battle!

Hash and morphine mix beautifully for pain management... And recreation when I used to abuse rx..

Hi Nig28,

Sorry to hear about your accident my friend, spinal nerve pain is unbearable & I know how you feel, your expaination is very much an exact description of my lumbar pain of L3, L4, L5 & S1. I am way past 20mg of Morphene now & am on 600mg Pregabalin & 60mg Oxycontene SR & Oxycontin concentrate which is a wonder drug and makes morphene look like Calpol!

Even so though, it does not get me through more than 3 hours of relief at night, I wake up with the dull ache you describe & this morning it is like i've been hit with a javelin in my lumbar region & it is an awful pain, I take my 20mg concentrate hit & it dulls it a little more, however I find that a good strong joint of nice weed gives that bit extra & makes it bearable (POG is one of my fav & most relieving strains so far in my quest for the best!).

The worst feeling though is on a bad night when I wake up feeling like i am being cut in half with a circular saw along with the feeling of the javelin thrusted in! Does this sound familiar? That is when my nerve pain is in dire need of the oxy juice & a fatty!

That weed you have taken a pic of though looks nothing like the POG I have, I do hope the 'odd' look is because of the poor focus & bad pic. What does it smell like? It should smell & taste nice & sweet & have that lovely old school smoke & stone. The buds should also be nice & firm.
The pic looks like it may have been lightly ice bashed for hash & the lump clumps are the bud left after the process? Much too hard to tell without seeing it in person though & I may be far wrong. Did you get it from a reliable source or just scored from your local dealer & it was him that told you it was 'high grade'?
I do not want to put a downer on your experiment but unless you have well grown & good strains & a reasonable quantity of it then it will not be an accurate test for pain relief I'm afraid. You'll need to get a grow on to be able to afford it too, £30 an eighth is expensive & I get through that in a day or two!

I wish you good luck with finding the right meds to relieve your pain

Sorry to hear of your predicament fella. A tough one that, in one of your years
Lots of good advice in the preceeding posts. Like some, I am also on the Morphine, 90mg conroled release, with 50mg top-up fast acting tabs. I'm about to neck one of the latter soon, I think, well - it feels likely anyway. At the moment I also have the option of patching myself with 50mcg of Fentanyl per hour.
Now I'm gonna piss on a few fires and hope you dont mind. I've had chronic spinal pains for 15 year now and have found cannabis to be far from a painkilling miracle. If I had to chose a painkiller and have just the one, it wouldn't be cannabis. In fact, when my pain goes mental and starts presenting all over my body Cannabis is totally unwanted. It makes things worse for me, a whole lot worse in fact. That hissing sound? That's the sound of a few fires going out under the deluge of piss!
BUT
I do find Cannabis a very valuable tool to boost the pain-killing properties of more serious analgesics like Morphine. In fact Cannabis and Heavy analgesics combine very well indeed I find, boosting and deepening the effect of each.
Morphine, by the way, has "itching" as a main side-effect. I have found that a large pot of "Aqeous Cream" (very cheap, get it from any chemist) is an esential, and stops the dry skin/itching in its tracks. You just need to learn to be girlie, and cream up every morning and night But check with your Doc first, as I note you have psoriasis too. I think, but am not sure, maybe the aqeous cream will help that too??

On strains: Hmmm. For me, its all about Sativa/Indica hybrids. The old "Indica for pain" mantra is utterly mythological as far as I am concerned. Indicas do nowt for my pain, they just bore me into a coma. In fact, Indicas can forcefully curve my mind and mood in on the pain, and the result is not nice. Sats however, help lift the mood and mind off the pain, and don't leave me all sleepy and dullminded. However, they can be well too edgy to be of daily use, so hence I come to the lean on the Hybrids. They are so good for daily regular use alongside one's other meds.

PoG was too Indica for me, and I quickly developed a hefty tolerance.
I look for a more sat dominated hit. Or at least, a hit that is more cerebral than stoning. Some Indicas, to confuse us all, can be cerebral. Original Bluberry being an example. Maybe that's why I like the Killer Skunk - its has Blues (an uppy hybrid with a deliciously uplifting hit) and Blueberry as its parental stock. So far, its as good as anything else for me, and then a bit more.

I am currently growing "Smile" as well. That too has Sativa in its parentage, and the description makes me think it may be medicinally valuable for me.

Hope you find a strain to suit. And I would add my voice to others and say that if you can do it in any way, get a grow on. You need reliability with Meds, and to know exactly when a crop is coming and what kind it is. Maybe get together with a friend who has space and opportunity??
Outdoors is good, but unreliable given our UK weather.

Hi all, thanks for the responses;
Have continued with my experiments and had a fattie in the garden last night before bed and a moderate one this morning. Im still taking all the tablets and seem to be having a better day than usual. I agree with you Arnold that canna is not a pain reliever, It can also be the opposite for me sometimes, amplifying slight aches, however it has made things more comfortable, it seems to me to create a baseline where usually ignorable pains are noticed yet stronger pain is brought down a notch. I am aware of the pain more but it hurts less, ive even managed laying on my back and sitting up for extended periods today! Usually I can sit and lay on my back for short periods of time before having to lay on my side.

With reference to the quality of supply; its come from a very reliable source who grows the stuff and because its the best available charges for it; its expensive but when you cant get out and the alternative will be lower quality and probably 10 quida gram I really dont mind paying for it. im just glad to have a little relief. from the sounds of it this may not be pot of gold but its always been this way when ive bought it before. I dont usually have to pay for it from this source... I do him favors he does me favors type of thing.. just happened that paying the going rate was the favor he needed this time round but I have the promise of a drop off of more when thats gone

Im going to continue with my experiments trying a heavyer daytime dose (only in the intrests of science!) I have to say its nice to know im not the only one because you do feel useless...I struggle with cooking now where I worked as a chef before. I even find thingsas simple as changing my socks near impossible... and whenit comes to the loo well... Laculose

anyways time to take my medicine

UK420 can help your bowel regularity an'all mate, and all without nasty chems like Aspartame - Click me for regular bowels!

Today I is mostly bakin' bread. Excellent! Malted Granary and Oatmill, and a Malted Granary with some nicely seeded White. Yumptious .....

Bakign bread eh? a touch of half bakery!

having taken my meds this morning and a light spliff, I hada fat one just after lunch and the effect was i fell asleep.... I didnt take my mid day meds until now though but its not too bad.... just staying on top of everything tbh. gotto find a balance between relief and falling asleep!

AS for the natural bowels I have got a friend whos getting me fibogel type stuff but its 100% natural no sugar in there either so i can add honey to the mixto make it anlittle more palletable.

Im going to try and bake a big chocolate cake tomorrow I think, the girlfriend is comming over so she can help me out (god i hate this not being able to cook!!!) EarlierI was slicing an apple fineleywith my usual favorite big veg knife and I couldnt do it, came outall wonky with a fat end and a really thin end!

Well im quite suprised to have made the mainsite so id better make this good.
After consuming a total of three joints today im finding my pain to be far more manageable. But as I said,it hasnt gone away... still having the baseline effect.
I have managed to cut down on the meds already, Ive managed to cut the quick release morphine .Im uncomfortable but I can still sleep and sit etcnwhich is an improvement over the meds alone but with less. I have also found my co-ordination has improved. I noticed this while cooking a korma up for tea (curry and beer anyone? spliffs and spotted dick for afters!) I can now controll a knife some what which if nothing else means i can do something else i used to again.

Tomorrow Im going to try a day without to see what the effects are minus canna. I feel that reporting on this is often not done as many medi users also enjoy the recreational side effects a little too much (I'm guilty of this one too guys!) To spare you all im going to subject myself to this most difficult of tests. I will be taking morning meds as usual (20mg morphine sulphate SR, 50mg diclofenac SR, 1000mg paracetamol, 10mg morphine sulphate QR, and piriton) and going from there. More on this tomorrow.

As another question to pose to you all; has anyone had any problems with hemaroids after major trauma, meds, or laying on ones back for a week or so. appologies for going "there"but i'm a young lad of 18 and to me this is something "old dudes" get - usually from riding tractors or working in diggers. But since my op ive noticed blood when visiting the office. Now it isnt a lot and its nto really uncomfortable but its still a new thing to me. Any info is much appreciaated.

Please do not think Fibogel is natural or safe. It is in fact toxic and nasty. Why? Because its full of Aspartame.
There is nowt wrong with sugar, that's a modern fallacy that is there to make you buy Aspartame. Aspartame, produced by D Rumsfeldt (yup, the ex USA war monger in chief), a false sweetener used to replace sugar, is a known toxin and banned in many countries. Do, please, read the thread about this that I linked to in my earlier post
Piles - probably due to your straining. Sort your bowels out, the piles will pop back into place. I haven't had them since I regularised my bowel, anyhoo. But you should see your GP about this, it always best to do so.

I cant stand the taste of aspartamine or sacharin thus why I havnt gone with fibogel and im getting this natural one... theres no sugar in it at all and apparently its organic too! comes today so i shall let you know the results. I will mention the piles when i go back for my post op check up.

Its the morning without canna and I have to say it leaves me feeling groggy in the mornings but in some aspects the pain is better but if i do certain things its much worse. i've still managed to keep the quick release morphine down. Ive also decided that today is the day for my first shower!!! (not since birth... im not that dirty!)

bit of halfbakery today for me...well full bakery as this is my day off. The girlfriend is comming round in an hour so if i struggle with things she is here to help me.

I made a big mistake last night though... I watched a surf movie... now im dieing to go for a surf but im banned for a minimum of 6 months allong with motorcycles, skating, running, work and sex for 3 if I "take it easy on her" these words comming froma very reserved indian doctor had me in stitches at the time...

Anyways; I'll be on later to update you all .. time to watch last nights shameless!

peace

after my day without canna Ive come to the conclusion that other than the baseline effect (amplifying small pains and dulling big ones) it is not that effective for me as a pain med. The REALLY beneficial effects however where its appetite stimulating properties and its effect as a hypnotic. Unfortunatly the high doses required to get these effects brought about lethargy as a side effect.... But when at an increased dose the pain baseline was far more rigid. There was almost zero breakthrough pain compared with just the medication, a huge improvement. I experianced a hightened sensation of the low level ache though so getting comfy was a little more difficult.

baked the chocolate cake and have eaten a quater for breakfast.... Anyone for a slice and a cuppa?
Today is haircut day a ssince the accident my usually curly hair has gone almost straight and now i look a bit of a mess.... will report on whats found up there (alien intelligence is a distinct possibility!) later.

Join the club.
But I am glad it had some positives. I find it helps by lifting the mind off the pain, especially if I'm smoking a "high" hitting weed as opposed to some dull body-hitting brain stunning hashplant.
Hope you get a grip on the pain levels man, I know how importnat that it.
Haircuts? Bah, shave it! Nowt like a shining shaved bonce to catch a good suntan

'I made a big mistake last night though... I watched a surf movie... now im dieing to go for a surf but im banned for a minimum of 6 months allong with motorcycles, skating, running, work and sex for 3 if I "take it easy on her" these words coming from a very reserved indian doctor had me in stitches at the time...'



If you have S****** her enough, then 3 months with palm wont be to bad ( so I've heard )

P.S I use canna to improve my appetite. Has it improved yours?

Regards

picks

really sorry to hear about your accident and subsequent problems mate. i can't imagine what you must be going through?!
the only real bit of advice(?)i can offer you is to try and keep your opiate usage to a minimum. i know that that is easier said than done, and there is alot to be said for opiate use. but pls, take my word for it, there is a hell of a lot of negative aspects that go hand in hand with it's use!!

i am a recovering opiate user of 12yrs, and have been completley free of them now since november of last yr. it all started for me by taking(abusing)my ex girlfriends mums pain relielf. 50mg a day morphine sulphate(napps), and another that i can't remember the name of, pink tab began with 's' 50mg quick release? that eventualy turned to 500mg a day. i won't bore you with the rest, i don't think it's relevant.
my reasons for using them were different to yours but, i guess the message is still the same? you can become dependent on them before you know it, your tolarence will quickly build and comming off of them was/is the hardest thing i have ever done, and continue to do!
i don't know if all this is relevant to you mate but, i'd hate to think of someone going through what i've been through. without a doubt the worst experience of my life!!!
i do hope that you find some help/relief through using canna. just think of all the fun you will have experimenting!!

good luck mate!!

thanks for the replies.
I have now managed to cut down my meds to twice daily. It gets sore towards the end but its nothing on what the pain was for a start. Ive been using canna for its appetite stimulating effects more than anything well...the recreational effects arnt bad either.... makes life a little more interesting!!! imean there is only so much daytime tv you can watch.
I can see how the dependancy happens. I found myself thinking i must take my meds even when i wasnt in pain, thus why i've cut them back. hoping to get off them completly by the end of the week!
Also today i rode a scooter down the road... its not a real bike per se but ive never had so much fun!! suffering for it now though

ive managed to walk two miles today... had a stop at 3/4 of a mile and 2 and a half miles but i did it all the same. This was also 12 hours after taking my morning meds, ive completly cut out the mid day ones. Turns out it helps with moving pains and i hadnt really noticed. Well i noticed it at the start but didnt find it that major of an effect. It also allows me to sit some where in relative comfort. Im still avioding pain killers if possible but im kinda getting used to it i think. I dont like the opiate based pain killers, they make me v. irritable something I am anything but usually. Im justthinking now ive maybe over done it a bit but I had to get out of the house!

have noticed on reading above that iforgot to say what it was.. im refering to marijuana.. sorry guys

keep it up mate...small steps etc etc.....
don't loose sight of things, and stay away from those bloody horrid opiates!!!!!
sounds like your doing really well!!
what strain/s have you found so far that work best for reducing your pain??

Sorry for the lack of updates ive been back into hospital again after falling over the bloody cat in the middle of the night going to the loo... unfortunately im back to the old levels of med i was at when i first came out and my canna supply is running out. Cant find any here.... its been dry for weeks bar some jamaican press which doesnt do much for me at all. I have a joint of the jamaican stuff and about a 16th of some good quality dealer weed which doesthe job niceley. Im smoking 3 fatties a day now though so that will only see me through today and some of tomorrow I think.

On the pluss side though i spoke to my consultant about using canna alongside the meds and he was v. supportive of the idea saying that he had a few other patients who found they could cut their medication down a lot too. I had quite a discussion about it with him even bringing up sativex... unfortunately he said that he couldnt prescribe it due to the cost. (worth a try eh) he said something about privately paying for it but said it was expensive. ..... well im just curious, how much does it cost?

Hi ya dude ... sounds like you have been through the wars ....me to ..I suffer real bad with back problems to ...3 lots of failed surgery and a very bad reaction with 2 myelograms (reaction to the mercury based dye the used to use in the 70s) has left me with Arachnoiditis and adhesions inside my spinal
column..... had my first op at your age about 40 years ago....so my heart go's out to ya ....

having MRI scans next week to see how far they have grown ... and joining a new pain management clinic in the south west .... I got a good positive reaction to my canna use from the consultant (as I did in Ireland) and will be asking about sativex on my next visit

so dude .. you take care now ..... and I know how desperate and lonely the pain can be at times but it will get better for you ..as your so young still ..it did for me after my first ..its only in later life that it has become a problem for me ....

And there's no reason that you won't make a good recovery ...

good luck for now dude ......

and remember there are a good few on here that are able to help you with words of wisdom and comfert

riptd

Sorry to hear of your set-back chum
I'm sure you'll recover though - you've youth on your side and that's a healing advantage beyond compare
Oh, to be young again!

Im having a good day today... Picked up my wages (Always a good thing but sick pay doesnt go very far) and one of the guys i work with sold me a teenth of his stash so ive got a little more to keep me going. The docs have actually upped my script to 60mg of morphine sulphate SR twice daily ontop of the diclophenac but i asked for it in 10mg tabs so i can experiment a little with the dosage. taking six tablets is a bitt of a pain but it gives me a little more controll over how much craps going into my body.

Current issues are sleeping and my guts. im finding i cant get to sleep until 4, 5 or 6am so then im sleeping in till 3. and then because ive only gotten up at 3 i cant get off to sleep earlier. Im also still losing weight; another kilo this week ( 2 pounds in old money!) but its difficult eating. Im finding anything with a strong flavour/smell makes me want to barf before its even passed my lips. Anyone got a recipie for something good for putting on weight thats fairly bland?