Four women, for whom pain is a daily battle, reveal their very best tips and tricks for living life to the fullest
LOUISE PYNE
If you suffer from chronic illness, you’ll be no stranger to the devastating impact that it can have on daily life. According to The British Pain Society, chronic pain (suffering that lasts three months or longer) affects a staggering 48 percent of the UK population. That noted, long-term illness doesn’t always have to rule your life. Taking your health into your own hands can have a remarkable effect on how you feel both physically and emotionally. Here, four women share their uplifting stories, and the measures they’ve sought out in the hope of alleviating their debilitating conditions.
“Medical cannabis has given me the chance to live my life to the fullest”
53-year old former gymnast Carol Munro from Edinburgh suffered a 15-year battle against chronic back pain until she discovered CBD oil…
“I first started suffering with back pain when I was 11 years old. It was caused by a bulging disk in my back. The pain gradually got worse through my teens and early twenties and when paired with flare ups of fibromyalgia, it became unbearable. As a result, I was on an extremely high dose of morphine for the best part of 15 years.
“I was always either in pain or would have to walk about the house to stretch out my back and legs. I used to cry with pain just getting a haircut, my scalp used to sting with every cut of the blades from the scissors I became so depressed and completely lost my purpose in life.
“To top things off, a few years ago, I noticed the pain medication I was taking was wearing off and losing its effect, so I knew that it was time to try something else. I had physio for many years and taken probably every opioid under the sun so thought my options were running out until I saw someone on television talking about medical cannabis and I was intrigued. I went to my GP who referred me to a clinic called Sapphire Medical (sapphireclinics.com) and said he would 100 percent support me in my decision to come off the opioids for good.
“I was sceptical of the new treatment at first as all I had ever known about cannabis was the associated stigma of illicit use, but my life has changed so much for the better.
I am now on just 5 mg of morphine, (compared to my previous dose of 150 mg), and finally feel I have my life back. While the pain flares up from time-to-time, I don’t suffer with the side effects high doses of pain killers can bring. Accessing this fantastic medical cannabis treatment has given me the chance to live
