A Patient Story
At HelloMD we have the good fortune to talk to patients every day and we are often inspired by the stories we hear. If there is one thing we have learned, it’s that when patients find success with medicinal cannabis, they want to share their story!
This past week, I had the honor to speak with Mary. Mary was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2001 and has suffered greatly from the symptoms common with this condition. At the peak of her illness she was able to count 43 prescription medications doctors had given her, many highly addictive. FORTY THREE!
Prescription Zombie
Mary confided in me that she had become a prescription zombie. She considered her life on permanent hold and she was unable even to drive her kids to school for fear that she would not get them there or home safely. One day she woke up in the ER because she had had an opioid blackout.
Mary decided she had had enough and wanted to regain her health. She made the choice to stop drinking Diet Coke and then Mary made the choice to eat a healthier diet, so she stopped eating processed foods and began eating organic.
Cannabis is a More Natural Solution
After these changes, she told me, “Why, if I am putting all of these good things into my body, am I taking so many pills every day? They were making me feel worse, so I thought maybe I should try a more natural medication.” Mary found cannabis, and for her, it worked.
She worked with her doctors and slowly weaned herself off of the prescription meds she was on. This process took over four months (she emphasized the importance of working with doctors when getting off of addictive opioids). While weaning herself, she started to use cannabis to ease the withdrawal symptoms.
Mary found that not only was cannabis helping with her symptoms but that cannabis gave her her feeling of touch back. Until then she had not even realized that she had lost the feeling of being touched. Her libido returned and according to her “My life was back on track again.”
Since then Mary has become an avid home grower. She has also become very proficient at DIY recipes and making cannabis products at home, which she feels are of the best quality and completely organic.
DIY Coconut Milk
Here she shares her favorite recipe for marijuana infused coconut milk. She swears by its medicinal properties and enjoys her medicated coconut milk regularly to reduce her fibromyalgia symptoms.
What’s Needed:
3 cup large mouth ball jar
2 cans organic coconut milk – or equivalent
Cooking thermometer
Hand mixer that fits into the jar
1 half gram of finely ground Keif
How To
Open one can of coconut milk and pour it into the jar. Microwave the jar on high power for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes or until temperature is at least 160°F.
Add the cannabis concentrate (Mary uses kief), and blend well with the hand blender. Place the jar back into the microwave for 20 minutes at 20% power.
Take the jar out and mix well with your hand mixer. Make sure to scrape all the concentrate from the side of the jar and then place the jar back into the microwave for 15 minutes at 10% power.
Now add the second can of coconut milk to the jar and blend well. Place the jar back into the microwave for five more minutes at 10% power. Blend well again.
Take the jar out of the microwave and let it cool for approximately 30 minutes before placing jar lid on. Once cooled, shake the jar to blend the settled water before placing the jar into the refrigerator.
That’s it! This medicated coconut milk lasts 10 days in refrigerator. In terms of dosing, you will need to know the milligrams of THC within your chief, how much chief you have used and then divide with the amount of coconut milk to figure out your dosage. The author recommends a dosage of 1/2 to 1 ounce.
This coconut milk can be added to smoothies, coffee, tea, mashed potatoes, cereal, baked goods and anything that milk is used in. You can also drink it by itself, leaving it on the bottom of your tongue allows it to be utilized faster sublingually.
Do you have questions about about cannabis? Ask a question on HelloMD’s new Answers. A doctor or member of our community will answer.
If you are new to cannabis and want to learn more, take a look at our Cannabis 101 post. HelloMD can help you get your medical marijuana recommendation; it’s 100% online, private and efficient.
