Growing for chronic autoimmune disorders: balanced CBD/THC

[MissusRhapsody]

You'll laugh - but I used to be terrified of cannabis. Still am on some level, to be honest. I have family members who got locked away over cannabis in the US and never got out.  So I'm nervous about it all - but I have rheumatoid arthritis, my husband has M.E. and is developing something that looks very much like Crohns. I take a tonne of medication, but not much of it has been working very well. I was lucky enough for my hubs to get me some cannabis oil to try a few years ago, and I couldn't believe the difference. It isn't a cure, but it was definitely better than all the opiates I was on that were killing me slowly.

 

I've been a good gardener and a passable herbalist for a few decades, so I decided to try my hand at growing flower for us both. Still scared, still not really trusting the whole thing. But I felt I was out of options as we both got more and more ill. When I couldn't get oil anymore, I started growing, and it never ceases to amaze me (after weeks of being in pain) how well cannabis works when everything else we tried did not. I also rather enjoy the process just on a gardening level. 

 

I'm a medicinal patient now, so I have prescriptions now - but it's expensive and when the supplies are running behind due to stock issues, it looks like I'm going to have to grow for us again. I'm getting more of an idea of what to look for in a strain, and I try to find a strain that is balanced - I'm trying to get a good ratio of CBD to THC.

 

I'll lurk about and try not to beg for expertise, but if anyone has any to spare on strains I could try, I appreciate it. Now I have to learn and listen...and get over the sense of nerves.

[KC]

It is a bit nerve racking when you start isn't it, what with it being illegal and all that. Just think, if you don't need to allow anyone into your home and you don't tell anyone, then there is a pretty good chance you won't get busted. 

 

I've seen the price of those prescriptions, it's insane really, you could buy it on the street for that (although it's probably not very good). Sorry i can't really help on what strains to try, but i can make a suggestion. I don't know how you consume your weed, but if you smoke it you might want to consider vaping or edibles. I don't think smoking weed is a very effective way of using it, especially when it comes to medicinal use.

 

I really hope you get over your fear, I think one day you'll be glad you did. Buying weed, prescription or not, no thankyou!!! 

[Personunknown]

might be worth looking at sweet seeds some good cbd/thc strains or cbd seeds plus ofcourse there are other good companies out there , atb with your adventure into self sufficient pain reduction / relief

[MissusRhapsody]

Thank you, KC - to be fair I have gone the scrip route to be 'legit' in the eyes of my care team. I'm blessed by having a team that are supportive and glad the oil is helping (which it indeed does). It keeps the harassment at bay if I end up testing for cannabis at some point, and that peace of mind is gratifying. However, it isn't enough for acute pain - and we can't afford for my husband to also be a patient at those prices. So we gotta do what we can. Whatever I use, I want to be sure of the quality - I know I'm not going to cut corners for profit, so if I need to grow, so be it.

 

Thank you, Personunknown (I don't know how to link to names yet!) - I have grown a sweet seed plant or two, and the couple I used I was impressed with, but I seemed to need so much of it. I think I may need to research, mix and match. 

 

[MissusRhapsody]

So I don't wanna go into a whole lot of detail about my life on a public forum, but I figure a diary is fair enough to maybe give someone a hint of what I've tried and whether it will work for them.

 

I have rheumatoid arthritis, chronic anaemia, and there's a few hints here and there I may have MS as well - I need a MRI scan, but I've been having muscle spasms and other issues, so it tracks. I started medicating (after a lifetime of utter terror re: cannabis) about three years ago, after reading about another RA patient's own diary. She's in remission, and she swears the oil she makes has contributed to that. 

 

I figured it was worth a shot, so I managed to secure oil from Europe and give it a try. I have to have blood tests done on the regular, and it was noted my inflammation levels went to almost normal originally. Then either my illness changed or something else occurred, and it honestly didn't work as well. So I'm not 'cured', which is disappointing. But, the tramadol I usually had to take 4x a day stopped - no longer necessary. Anxiety isn't anywhere near as bad either.

 

I am still very new to all this, and the fact I found how quickly I build up a tolerance has been a struggle - I've gone through nearly every medication they have for my condition - I'm still looking for better results. I've gone from a wheelchair, to crutches, to a cane, to sometimes no cane at all. It's definitely better than I used to be, but there's a lot of damage that has been done to my joints and organs over time. I think I best not expect miracles.

 

But I got to be honest here - I don't like being stoned. I don't like being couch-locked and unable to get anything done, and while the indica dominant strains I get handle when the pain gets too much to bear, I get to Choose One: 'be able to have a coherent thought' or 'be pain free'.

 

I have a medicinal prescription, and while I had a full spectrum CBD and full spectrum THC, I thought the latter was were it was at. Turns out, it did nothing for me - well, it kept me completely awake at night, but that's it. It was the full spectrum CBD which somehow gave me a 'blurry' headspace for about ten minutes, and then I found myself going for a walk - which I haven't been able to do in almost a year. I was baffled - I've had zero luck with any CBD oil I've ever tried, or even when I grew it and vaped the buds. Something about the oils does what I need it to. I've gone from severe spasms once every three days to once a fortnight, to...none so far. Sleep is still a struggle, but I'm seeing progress.

 

However, as good as the CBD works, I still don't have an acute pain option. I've tacked on some medicinal buds to my scrip for if I have to have it, but at the price I can't afford much of it. Reluctantly, I've decided to keep growing a plant or two, one for me, one for my husband who has his own health issues no one can get to the bottom of. I've given him my ABV and he's seen some good results with that.

 

Got to read through one of Oldtimer1's threads and very interested in the idea of going toward a more Sativa-dominant strain to allow for better inflammation reduction. When I had some available, I found myself with energy for the first time. I never associated cannabis with that kind of thing (I am a complete newb at all this). That I suddenly wanted to bake cakes and organise shelves was a bit of a surprise!   But I am definitely seeking a strain that will allow me to do more living, not just surviving, if you get me. There's something to be said for how a lot of the gratitude I do have for this plant is that being this ill is a huge drain mentally. I was isolated before the Covid - it honestly hasn't changed much for me or my family. But I can deal with the isolation a lot better with cannabis. I'm not as irritable, I can still delegate and keep the household functioning at a time when a lot of people are struggling. There's no person I'd rather be stuck in a house with than my husband - and the fact we are able to stay level headed and copacetic is due in no small part to this flower.  

 

For now, I have a NL strain and a Tangerine Dream running - the former is for acute pain when nothing else works/insomnia. The latter is what I hope will get me moving better in spring and summer. While the Covid is doing the rounds, I don't miss social situations much, but I do miss not being able to ramble in the countryside. I can't get my wheelchair through the mud. 

 

For me personally it seems like the more 'citrusy' strains works best for what I want. Limonene terpenes have that effect? I have no idea. But if I want my body to be able to carry through with being able to move better, it seems to work for me.

 

I think I'll try and update this diary every month with what's worked and what hasn't. Hopefully I won't ramble on too much.

 

Edited February 13, 2021 by MissusRhapsody

[grower951]

I think personally it’s the cases of doing some research and trying lots of different strains until you find the one that fits the bill, it’s out there somewhere  best of luck 

[Larry Badgeley]

@MissusRhapsody. Thank you for sharing your experiences, painful though it is. I really hope you find what you are looking for. I can't offer much advice on Medical as I am a recreational user, but if more people had your beliefs, then the better the world would be.

[KC]

If you want to tag someone just type @ then start typing their name and a list will come up e.g @MissusRhapsody

[Clumsy]

Hi @MissusRhapsody

 

Hope you're having a good day,

 

Similar condition here, Chronic Inflammatory Arthritis, been labeled a few things since diagnosed 25 years ago, including RA.

 

Have had the fortune to try a lot of prescribed meds, two that worked very well, my current one and one I was on 13ish years ago, both biologics. Some pretty rough times in between.

 

Horses for courses but Sat leaning and citrus definitely helps me, although I'm currently enjoying Sweet Seeds Cream Mandarine which leans the other way. 

Have Sweet Seeds Red Hot Cookies on the go which is a Tangie cross I believe, then probably Mandarina x Gorilla Bubble or OJ x Pineapple Skunk both of which I got from the subbies section here.

 

Seem to find better relief from extracts and edibles but also love vaping

 

Anyway, welcome, happy to discuss any aspect of it, just @ me

 

All the best to you and your husband

 

 

[hash72]

i'll never know if cannabis helps my arthritis, was diagnosed with it in my knees but i never mentioned my shoulders and neck or my hands because it comes for a short while then goes away for months, i just never think about it till the odd week i suffer from it, mum was unable walk was in a wheelchair by the time she was my age but i can still jog a little and walk a lot. i would need go back 45 years or so then 2 of me to come forward one using cannabis the other not then i would know for sure just how much cannabis medicates me, i know for sure it is pure meddy for adhd and all its symptoms

[MissusRhapsody]

@hash72 for that, it's simple enough to tell in my case - I need regular blood tests for my inflammation levels, which tend to go up high when RA active, and lower when it's not. So in the past 12 or so years I've been diagnosed and on medication, I can see where my inflammation levels were before I started using cannabis, and where they are now. There was one period when I first started using oil when my inflammation levels read as normal, which has never happened for me before. Now, they're slightly raised but nowhere near as bad as it was. I can definitely move better, and while I do need my chair half the time, I don't really gauge it on whether I can walk, but on how much pain and swelling I experience. I will always need the biologics I'm on - my illness is too active to risk not having it. Maybe if they'd taken me seriously when I first started feeling ill in my 20s, it may have been caught in time. Still, the cannabis helps a hell of a lot.

[MissusRhapsody]

Felt like now would be a good time for an update, since I'm up at 6:30 am, but I have my prescription flower, and it helps a lot with pain. But I caught myself trying to push myself harder so I could vape afterwards, as if the pushing to pain meant I could have my pain medication - you know, as a treat.

 

You lads may be uncomfortable reading this, but women are accustomed to pain. We're taught to ignore it. Monthly cramps that have us doubled over in bed with tears running down our faces from the time we turn 12 - and we're told to just keep functioning as if everything is fine. Women turn pain medication down. We boast about how we gritted our teeth and refused the pain medication when we birthed our children, and we practice our reserved smiles when we're insulted. It's not worth arguing about - every woman reading this is nodding her head. I grew up working construction, welding, running heavy equipment and playing American football - so I got a real big dose of toxic masculinity as well. I have always ignored pain, even when I probably shouldn't, just to keep up in an industry where women barely feature; anything else was a sign of weakness.

 

Eventually, if you ignore your body's signals for long enough, your body will force you to stop. It is then when you have no choice but to pay attention, and that moment kicked me in the teeth when I dropped some paperwork on a floor at a job, and burst into tears because I couldn't figure out how I was going to bend over and pick them up. All anyone else probably saw was a soppy bird crying over something dumb. But I'd been ignoring the feeling of ground broken glass in my spine, hips, knees and shoulders for over a decade of rough manual work, always pushing my body harder and further.

 

And so, when pain happens to me, I have this un-natural yet nonetheless automatic reaction to refuse it. It's 'no big deal' I say chirpily to my husband as I am forced to hobble on screaming joints to get a glass of water. "I'm fine" even when I have to ask someone else to cook dinner because my hands are too swollen to use. No time to be in pain; I have shit to do! 

 

The idea of medicating because I'm in pain, and not because I have done something worthy enough to deserve medication - is still difficult. I have an indica flower now on prescription and I feel a twinge of guilt every single time I measure out my dose for the day and fill up the vape. Everything in my very fundy-upbringing says this is the Devil's Work and I shouldn't be partaking. Moreover (GASP), you're starting to enjoy it, woman. Heathen, philistine! You'll be snorting it next! I go through the Nine Rings of Dante's Inferno from the time I open my small jar to the last puff of vapour. Guilt, pleasure, relief, rinse repeat.

 

I've had to come to terms with the deep-seated, subconscious training that I can only give myself relief when I have suffered enough - and how utterly messed up an idea that is for a person to have. It's cruel, and un-natural. Maybe being in the current panini (I guess we don't say the p-word anymore) has forced us all to have to take a deep, hard look at ourselves, since we only have us for company; and we may not like what we see there, but we have fair opportunity now to do something about it. And so, this is mine. I don't need to suffer to deserve relief. I can have it now, and I don't have to push myself to pain in order to avail myself of it. 

 

Now, when I vape, I'm able to stretch more, or do the first bit of gentle exercise - ever, ever so slowly - that I've been able to do in over two years. I still need my wheelchair and always will. I'm very unsteady on my feet and I won't be dancing anytime soon. Mostly, I move because I enjoy it, and my over-trained, manual-labour body needs the attention. But I can see the benefit of maybe not falling and needing a trip to A&E because I broke a hip.

 

Best of all, I can feel myself relax and ease up with my new medication. I'm starting to grasp that, after decades, I can allow myself not to be in pain anymore. I don't need to wear hurt like pips on a uniform. 

 

No one does.

[MissusRhapsody]

I haven't been more grateful to a flower in all my life.

 

I mean, I'm a herbalist and a gardener - I love a lot of plants most people hate. Dandelions and nettle have a special place in my heart, and in my medicine cabinet. I'm gathering nettle tops now in the spring, teaching our youngest child his weed's secrets and showing how to wash, rinse and boil bits of tree and bramble buds to make tea, how to cut a birch stem to collect the sap, how to put a little out for the bees. I have a working relationship with a lot of plants, from the most humble to the most prestigious. So it baffles me I was so afraid of this plant, when I have an affinity with so many others.

 

That's the pseudo-spiritual stuff out the way. Hello, everyone, I am quite baked at the moment so you'll have to read this with a bit of amusement and forgiveness. I was waiting to update this diary when I'm not so stoned. Unfortunately, that isn't possible because, after over a year of forcing my body to ignore my illness and keep going just a little further, I'm in the Many Generational Representatives of all Flares. I've never had inflammation levels so high - high enough my excellent care team got in touch as soon as my blood results were in and tried to figure out what's going on. After much discussion together - and honestly, it was a really good talk, I'm pleased with my team - the decision is to put me on steroids for a while until my immune system stops trying to immolate me from within.

 

It's not a fun choice - prednisone has a hell of a reputation. Makes you think you can fight a bear in the woods even if you've been stuck in a bed for weeks and your muscles have atrophied. Moon face, mood swings from hell, bone corrosion - the side effects are almost, but not quite, as bad as the illness. I know people get hung up on side-effects, but for me if the choice is between looking unrecognisable for a year and still being alive, to dying slowly and painfully, I'm always going to go for the fight - I'm a tough broad, and I don't fear death...but the slow fade-out? No thanks. I'll suck the marrow out of life until you take the bone away.

 

I'm under no delusions. Steroids are the chemo nuke-it-from-orbit option for immune systems. In a pandemic that attacks the immune system as badly as my own illness, there are intense protocols even around how to give me this medication safely (It's going to have to be tablets that can be delivered to me - even going in for an injection without being vaccinated yet is too risky). I've been shielded for a year and was really hopeful a vaccine and my own masks could get me out into the world again. But...that's not going to be the way this goes for me for a while. I'm trying not to be bitter about it, because I know there will be a lot more folk like me watching everyone else dancing in the sunlight with their mates - and we don't dare. There's a lot more I could say about this...but it's so infuriating, and humanity disappoints me too much. So never mind.

 

So instead, I can say this: I've been flared this badly before, and it was agony. The last time I had a biologic fail, I had to wait a month or so to be cleared for the medication to go up the next tier. It was a month of not even the tramadol working, my hands so swollen I couldn't hold my fork to eat. Pain woke me up in the night and kept me awake. All I could do was watch the clock tick the minutes into hours and weep, because I had taken all the opiates I was allowed.

 

Not this time; this time even in the worst flare I've had for years, I only realised it because I could see how my ankles look like socks stuffed with grapefruit. My medication pushes my pain so far back, the first two weeks of medication gave me a near mental breakdown. I'd never not been in pain like this before, and it was like I missed it. To have something that dominated my life for over a decade just...disappear...utterly warped my sense of self for a fortnight. If I hadn't fully discussed and briefed my family in having medication and had a cannabis-friendly therapist I could touch base with, I think I would have quit cannabis entirely. If I have one beef with the prescribing of cannabis so far, it's this - patients need to be fully supported through the process on a mental as well as physical level. Not all patients are users of long standing. I was not prepared for the mind bending experience of no longer being in pain - and when my brain was no longer clouded by agony, I could see just exactly how ravaged my body has been.

 

Symptoms I didn't even notice were there were suddenly shoved into sharp relief. Things I've ignored because I have spent so much time staggering doggedly from one day to the next were now in focus. My posture, my balance, my skin changes, everything I was in too much pain to notice is now right in front of my face, crying out to be acknowledged. And so I find when I take cannabis, I can be a much better nurse to myself - it was because I wasn't in pain that I could see something has been very wrong, and this isn't just a typical flare. When I got the letter from my team about the appointment, I already knew why, and knew what to advocate for if I needed to, because I was no longer able to deny how badly my body is functioning.

 

Maybe doctors are just happy to work on something non-pandemic related, but I've never had a care team so forward thinking and willing to try things out before. In the past, the NHS being over-cautious has been a source of huge frustration for me. I would never have been offered steroids before - this time, there was no hesitation, even though the virus makes even taking this medication exceptionally risky. It's a sledgehammer, brute force medication, but obviously wait-and-see isn't an option, and they're being remarkably quick about trying to give me a chance.

 

I'd like to think they've decided that pre-existing conditions doesn't mean 'not valuable'. That even in a pandemic with an illness that has no cure, and can only be slowed (not even stopped), they've decided I am not someone who doesn't get to have a chance to survive and thrive. I'm grateful for it, and I'm thankful that when I mention cannabis is my pain-treatment right now, they ask how it's working for me, and tailor my care with the cannabis in mind. I've not been lectured about it once - all I've received is professional curiosity. Right now, any extra edge in a physician's toolbox to treat a patient seems to be fair game. It's the first time in years I've spoken to a health care professional like a colleague, from one form of doctor/medicine person to another. 

 

I guess we're all trying to find a way to keep living. This is mine; a fist full of poison, and a balloon full of herbal vapour. Both have their place, and both are welcome in my arsenal.

 

I don't go down without a fight.

[Degsy]

Thanks for sharing that @MissusRhapsody

I've found all your posts very interesting and actually learned quite a lot of things

[j.o.i.n.t]

On 13/02/2021 at 6:59 AM, MissusRhapsody said:

Hopefully I won't ramble on too much.

 

Oh please do. Thank you for sharing your experience!.