After I watched the documentary, my heart and mind opened. The documentary featured the story of a young girl who was having about 300 seizures a week! Yes, 300! She lived in a wheel chair with a protective helmet on. She could not have the life that every 5 year old was having. She could not learn or play in the yard because this disease had ravaged her body and mind. Her parents had tried every prescribed medication out there and nothing was working. They were at the point where doctors were considering starting her on veterinary medicines for seizures. It was then that they learnt of marijuana. They decided to try it, and found the growers in Colorado who developed a strain that would work well for seizures. In no time at all, her seizures were reduced to 1 per week! I cried over and over when I watched that documentary. Even as I write now, I remember her and my heart melts. If you or your loved one has ever suffered seizures, you will understand the trauma.
After I watched the documentary, I began to consider the marijuana alternative. I knew I did not want to buy off the street. When you buy something like weed off the street, you can almost be sure that people mix it up with tobacco and all other things to increase their profit. My next step, was to research how to get medical marijuana in Canada.
At the end of the week, I had come up with a couple of options. I could either apply to the government for a medical marijuana license, or apply to a not for profit dispensary. The latter seemed the quickest option. That way, I wouldn't have to deal with all the red tape. To get marijuana from a dispensary, you had to have one of the listed diseases. The listed ones include: arthritis, cancer, anxiety, Crohn's, glaucoma, epilepsy etc. You also had to get a diagnosis from your doctor. As was expected, my doctor was reluctant to support my decision. I made it clear to him that it is my life and therefore my decision. He could not deny me a diagnosis, so he sent it. All I had to do was fill some forms and fax the diagnosis. In a week, I had my ID card and was ready to buy my first dose.
My first visit to the dispensary was an education. For my condition, I needed a strain that was calming. One that had more sedative effects as opposed to a 'high'. A strain higher in Indica than Sativa. I went through Bubba Kush, OG Kush, Purple Kush etc. I went through the munchies. I went through the raised eyebrows (I still do!). The single most important thing to me, then and now, is that it worked! It works! My seizures stopped. The absences stopped. Just like that! It was unbelievable.
I started to sleep without fear. I was no longer afraid to sleep for fear that I would have a seizure. Or afraid to stay awake for fear that the sleep deprivation would trigger a seizure. I was no longer afraid! It was amazing. Then I got pregnant. Seeing as I had lost a pregnancy earlier in the year, it almost seemed like God had done that to lead me to the place I was. The last quarter of 2013 is one that we will not forget in a hurry. I gained seizure control, I got pregnant, my husband got a better job offer and we made a big move to Vancouver.
In the middle of all of this, I got carried away. You see, my husband had moved to Vancouver and I was supposed to join him about 3 weeks later. He left on a Sunday. The movers came to get our things and I moved in with my friend. My marijuana cookies were finished and I had previously never bothered to learn how to grind the grass and place in the vaporizer. The husband did it all the time for me. When he left, I slacked and stopped taking my marijuana. Believe it or not, 10 weeks pregnant, exactly one week after he left, I had a seizure.
I am going to stop here for now. Mummy duty beckons. I promise, the 3rd part will be the concluding part. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment