Medicinal Cannabis: My Consultation

The consultation day had arrived. It was here, the day I hoped would be a life changer for me however, due to the coronavirus, my consultation was to be held via a Zoom meeting, I was a little disappointed as a London day out would have been fabulous however, with cases rising in our area at the time and London being such a huge city, we decided that Zoom was for the best.

I was very apprehensive. I had no idea what I would be asked or what it would entail. I just felt that this was my last chance saloon. If I couldn't get medicinal cannabis, I would have to carry on getting it illegally, and I didn't want to continue to break the law if there was a chance that I could get the cannabis legally via this project.

The time was now!

As always, I was early for my appointment, so I waited on the call until the doctor appeared and let me into the meeting. As I have already written, I had no idea what to expect. Dr. Holden introduced herself, and she then gave me a rough idea of what would happen on this call.

She would first go through the list of illnesses and autoimmune disorders that I had written down. She also informed me that she had my medical records on hand and had already taken an in-depth look at my history.

She wanted to know how everything affected my body and how much pain I was dealing with. She took a deep breath in and said, "I can see that you are in a terrible state. I am so sorry that no one has helped to address your pain issues."

Validated

That sentence floored me. I haven't always been treated with the kindness and empathy that I feel healthcare professionals should give. My own general practitioner has absolutely no idea the impact these illnesses take on my daily life. They often don't even pretend to try and listen.

My rheumatologist treats the symptoms however he isn't the one having to pull himself out of bed in the morning by using the radiator.

Finally, a potential solution for me

I burst into tears. Finally, someone understood my pain, both physical and mental. As the call went on and I explained that sometimes I have symptoms from which I don't know what illness it comes. There are so many autoimmune disorders: Raynaud's, erythromelalgia, arthritis, osteoporosis, and Lupus, that all seem to have similar symptoms.

I explained how unwell I had been with Lupus and the pain that I was dealing with. She kept nodding and then would say something to show she totally understood what I was saying. She was... Validating me. It felt like the first time that someone had listened to me, heard me, and was coming back to me with a solution!

Want to hear more about utilizing cannabis for bladder cancer from the community? Search our forums.