Hey all

[LeafyOYT]

Hi my name is kept secret for particular reasons....

now I live in Australia, and I have been diagnosed with crohn's disease.

on the 19th I had a colonoscapy, I was given double the dosage for the sedative....

I woke up fully concious in the operation, and tried to get off the table because I was in so much pain... it felt like I needed to run to the dunny badly! LOL

they then gave me another dose of the sedative and knocked me out cold.


so triple the dose all up!


Now Ive lived with this for a long time, I knew it was an inflammatory bowel disease, and I also knew my grandfather had his intestine removed and was given shit bags at an early age.

(yes this post may offend some, but since we are all sufferers lets just say it as it is)

I looked into all the medications available, and they all had horrible side effects ranging from morbid obesity, organ damage, to sterility, and some of them arent even guaranteed to work.

This was a real worry to me, as I was a morbidly obese kid when I was young... and I sure as hell was not going back to that.


Originally I was in the ADF Australian defense force, and this educated me on my decsion.


I wanted to get a medication called Sativex, but as I am residing in Australia, this is not available through the TGA.

NOW alot of doctors will argue this is unhealthy, now after comparing the benefits with the side effects, Sativex was the better one.


Now I am not calling for the legalisation of THC for recreational purposes.... DO NOT GET ME CONFUSED HERE.

Now since I have not been able to get access to Sativex I have had to break the law... this makes me very uncomfortable.

Now here is my experience.

I have a dosage (smoked) since I cannot affored a medical grade vapouriser.

now within 3 days of having used it, the diorreah has stopped... I still goto the bathroom frequently but not as frequent.

the acid like diorreah has since stopped, and its solid, the fowl smelling gas as well.

I now have no problems eating, I still get some cramps, but not very noticeable compared when not using THC.


I have had an energy lift, I can work, and eat properly.

I do not advise this for everyone, especially if you have a family history of mental illness.

I do not suggest this to anyone under the age of 18.


If there is anyone else who does choose this as a medicine and has benefited I would like to hear their story.

Medically it activates CB1 and CB2 which heal and stop the inflammation of the intestine, and digestive system, which stops it from attacking the food like a virus.

I do not get nauseated, and I have not had a psychotic breakdown like most people assume with THC. I have been doing this now for more than a year, and I do book keeping for a job.

In fact I have been doing much better at my job and meeting goals.


The feeling in my intestines (I can actually feel the difference) its almost like a clear feeling, its strange, im not bloated or anything!



Only downside is raiding the fridge at 3am in the morning for mangoes.....:ybatty:


If I have upset any moderators by this post, im sorry, but currently this is the best treatment I could find for myself... and I cant argue with the results im getting.


Since this is my first post, and hopefully not my last I hope to keep you all updated on my condition.:yrolleyes:



Currently I went without it for 2 months, and I was nearly hospitalised..... to my understanding its proof without it, im in a worse condition.

I understand that smoking can make my situation worse caused by free radicals, and that oral consumption or vapourisation is a much better option, but I do not want to orally ingest it as it coverts to a highly psychoactive version.

Inhalation via a Volcano Vapouriser is the reccomended treatment with THC.

If you ask me questions regarding this I will happily answer them, but only regarding medical information, on how it works, I do not advocate illegal activities, and do not support using this board for illegal activities.

Just to make it clear.

 

[LeafyOYT]

OK I accidentally left out ONE THING...............


with THC.... NO COLOSTOMY BAGS EVER......... OR SURGERY.


this was the key decision for me to take THC.


Hey people dont be afraid to reply, 14 views and no comment? im open to all comments negative and positive.!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Leafy2]

My Trip To Hospital.

here are the photos I took on my trip to hospital.

even though I wasnt allowed to I still did....


the mod who banned my account for declaring me a 'spam bot' that wasnt very nice.:depressed:


Im human. here are my photos.

 

[jed]

hi and welcome

the spam-bot thing was probably an accident, there were a few real members that had their accounts deleted in a recent purging of the thousands of spammers that do try get on here.

i've had my account deleted in the same way before, but just made another (like you) and everythings been fine since

there was a thread recently about this, i'll try find it and link it for you.

 

[Nancy Lee]

Hi Leafy!

Glad you got your pics up.

As I said in a PM to you....the deletion of your account was accidental
and I apologize.

Glad you re-registered.

 

[Leafy2]

of course I would re-register.

I want to help others with my condition.... nothing on earth is going to stop me.

 

[Leafy2]

4 days no eating

Since ive been 'out' of my med's

I havent eaten for 4 days now....


i feel weak as a kitten, and I can barely move or walk around.......

as we all say

"why me"


since I havent been eating I only had spasams last night and today so far,

had an energy drink yesterday to give me a kick, plus the taurine makes me feel a bit better, plus the sugar kick.


my results are taking their sweet bloody time on getting back to me.

 

[jed]

hey leafy,

did you find out about this whilst you were in the ADF? were they able to give you medical advice?

and have you actually tried any of the meds prescribed by the doctors?

 

[danman]

That's my feeling as well Jed.

I have a feeling he's a selective Internet believer. He believes negative things about one subject but decides not to believe negatives about another and vice versa about positives.

 

[Kev]

One's personal beliefs should be inviolate. Why? Freedom of thought is far more vital than freedom of speech, yet we all espouse freedom of speech. Whether we agree or not is not important. Belief can move mountains, explaining why medicos can't explain the placebo effect. From where one draws their own successful way of coping with this disease should not come into question. If this is working for Leafy, god bless. However, Leafy, those of us on here from the early days have seen countless cases of folks posing as an honest to goodness Crohnie ONLY to try to 'sell' us their miracle cure. this has resulted in a good deal of skepticism, and a lot of in house 'buyer beware' mentality. And, we have a lot of young, impressionable members on here who aren't legally of age. Actively encouraging young folks to break the law in order to maybe obtain relief... well, I'm sure you can see that this would really impact the site. Young people have parents, and the parents of young folks with this sort of illness are overly protective to say the least. I found a drug that comes without side effects, has no long term health implications, doesn't break laws, and has been scientifically and independantly tested to show that it works. But I don't try to force a method that worked on me down the throats of others. I've told this forum my experience, and anyone who wants more info on it can PM me. As for internet sources lauding the effectiveness pro or con of THC or any other method of treatment, I for one would not place much stock one way or the other unless it appeared in something from the CCFA, or JAMA, or some major Crohns or medical associated site. Anyone can put up a website and in it post whatever they like. Good and bad. The internet in and of itself is not the best source of info, because it contains both information and mis-information.

 

[Agent X20]

Very balanced view and well put, Kev!

 

[big.RHONDA]

Hi leafy.
I too, have found relief with cannabis.
I was diagnosed 5 years ago, at the age of 14, but I have experienced crohn's symptoms [for me this means diarrhea, occasional constipation, anal fissures, cramping, mouth sores...] as long as I can remember. When first diagnosed, I was prescribed an average dose of Imuran. After a couple weeks, I started to get more and more tired, depressed, and generally unwell. Not just with my stomach problems, but my general health was sufferring as well. My doctor told me this was a side effect of the meds, and since my stomach wasn't getting better, Imuran was increased and I was put on prednisone for 8 weeks, then 8 weeks to wean off.
The prednisone gave me uncontrollable munchies. I gained 30lbs. At age 15, I was 5'2" and I weighed 125lbs at this point. My stomach still showed very little (if any) signs of relief. After about 8 months of intense Imuran therapy, with very minimal results, I was opposed to continue taking it. We settled on a low dose just for maintenance, but after 3 months I still felt absolutely no change in symptoms so we decided to quit the Imuran.
For the next year and a half, I basically just toughed it out, my symptoms actually seemed a little better once I quit all the medications, and as I started to lose the weight I gained, I became less and less depressed.
In April 2007 I woke up in the night and tried to go to the bathroom but couldn't. I collapsed on the floor in pain and I couldn't move, so my mom took me to the hospital. They gave me morphine, and combined with my shock, that put me into a coma for a few hours.
It turned out I had a hole in my intestine that created a 4" abscess/infection pocket beside my right ovary.
They started another round of prednisone, and I was given a pick line so I could have my fluids & nutrients fed to me intravenously. No food. I remember easter morning was the first day I was allowed any substance. Green Jello and apple juice and I almost leaped through the roof!
After 2 weeks, I was released and allowed to go to Disneyland. But on my last night at my aunt's in LA, the same thing happened and I was crippled in my bed with pain, and we weren't sure if I could get on the airplane the next day.
The next morning I was a little better, and made it home safe and without a problem. I felt alright for the next few days, but on the third day, my mom called me at my friend's house to tell me that my doctor called with the test results. There was a new abscess.. and she was on her way to pick me up and bring me back to the hospital. I knew what was coming...
So I ate a huge feast (they conveniently had all my favorites) sausage, pear, ichiban noodles, chocolate... everything I could cram in before another fast. Boy did I feel it later, but later, I didn't care because I had one of those buttons that releases pain medication on demand. I rarely used it though cause I figured I would get out sooner if I didn't. So another 2&1/2 weeks without food, but I never had to get an operation, and they never had to drain the abscess. And after a month of watching nothing but the food channel, I became a really good cook!!:ylol2:
When a friend of mine learned that I had Crohn's disease, he asked me if I had tried smoking pot. Well, I had, but I had no idea it could be used medicinally at that point. So I started researching its benefits, and I decided I might as owell give it a try.
I've been using for about a year now, and honestly I have not found relief like it.(yes, unfortunately illegally, but I am in the process of applying for a medicinal license, first I need to finish the process of finding a doctor)
But, like with any medication, I didn't start smoking regularly for my pain until I researched it thoroughly.
I have always reacted significantly strongly to medications, so I am especially wary about what I put into my body. This may seem hypocritical, to avoid clinical medications including antibiotics and vaccines... and then use an illegal drug. I go by what my body tells me, and cannabis doesn't effect me negatively, other than making me tired [and a little slow, when I'm stoned.] The way I see it, I would feel better if I ate a cucumber than a bag of dill-pickle chips.:ybatty:
I am very small, and borderline underweight. When my stomach is upset, I feel hungry, but a combination of nausea and knowing that the food will hurt me usually makes it very difficult to eat. Pot not only brings my appetite back, but it relieves my pain, and when I get too stressed it calms me down.
Marijuana is definitely not for everyone but it works for me. In fact, some people do not even have CB2 receptors (the cannabinoid receptors that make you high.)
THC gets you high, but (E)-BCP does not. People without CB2 (cannabinoid) receptors do not respond well/at all to THC, however they do benefit from (E)-BCP.[see quote below..]
Thats why anybody considering cannabis for relief has to research what they're getting into. With THC, there is a very fine line between happily stoned and too much to handle. You need to know your limits because they are different for everybody. Just last night, I made my first batch of pot milk, using measurements less than those I found on a medicinal users forum. I drank a cup of it and within 5 minutes I was knocked out cold for the rest of the night.
There are, also, alternative solutions to smoking it or eating it. Have you ever heard of an alcohol/cannabis tincture? You can also make a compress out of the scrap matter filtered out when cooking. I have heard of people making olive oil & dabbing it under their tongue for relief. I haven't tried these yet.. next time I make some butter I will try the compress though. I prefer eating it, because it goes right to the source and it's easier on the body, but I smoke it for simple convenience. And with eating it, you must be even more careful with the dosage... if you tried a smaller dose you might find the psychoactive properties less intense.

and just to make clear i'm not trying to sell any miracle cure, but it is my belief that it is ignorance that leads to bad decisions, and education will allow this plant to be more available to those who do find relief with it. :hippy:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/06/080624-marijuana.html


"The most active cannabinoid—delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC—is known to have anti-inflammatory properties. But it is also responsible for the plant's psychotropic effects. Now researchers say that another cannabinoid, called beta-caryophyllene, or (E)-BCP, helps combat inflammation without affecting the brain.
(E)-BCP is already part of many people's daily diets, the researchers note. Foods that are particularly high in the compound include black pepper, oregano, basil, lime, cinnamon, carrots, and celery.
Essential oils from cannabis plants—whose leaves and flowers are used to make the marijuana drug—contain up to 35 percent (E)-BCP.
But even after decades of cannabis research, scientists hadn't previously known that the compound had anti-inflammatory properties.
"This is because the focus was on the classical cannabinoids [rather than (E)-BCP]," said lead study author Jürg Gertsch of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. ..."

 

[Guest]

hi Rhonda & welcome to the forum & thank you for your open & honest post.

i just wanted to ask out of curiosity - do you think MJ is actually positively affecting your Crohn's Disease, or do you think it is simply masking the symptoms, reducing pain enough for you to feel better & increasing your appetite?

 

[big.RHONDA]

I haven't had a GI doc since before I turned 18 (going on 2 years now..) so I really don't know yet what the condition of my stomach is.
I went for a referral a week ago from a family doc to a GI so I just have to wait until I hear from someone. Right now I am in quite a bit of pain so I'm eating low-residue and all I know is that the pot makes the pain go away.

 

[Stleger88]

Welcome to the forum