illinois cannabis patients

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Comment by Julie Kreiger on September 29, 2010 at 1:15am

Hi my name is Julie and i live in california and THANK GOD FOR MEDICINAL MARIJUANA, i have rsd going on 11 years full body all of my limbs big time on my right side of my body and now to my left. i get severe spasms and thats with 30mg valium 30mg flexiral 90mg baclofen, anytime i move i spasm and they used to last up to 8 hours was the longest where my teeth would be chattering and my body would be spasming and my feet would get fixated into a spot which was hard to move my feet, it was exhausting. now when i spasm i take one hit or two and my spasms stop within minutes.

my mother in law who is very evangelical women who i'm getting closer to didn't understand why i was smoking pot until she saw me spasm and would see me spasm and i took a hit and it was gone, the family couldn't believe it. I'm glad you have it legalized there, it's good to know.
hope for a low pain day, jules

Comment by Bambi Sampson on June 25, 2010 at 5:45pm

Hello!
....I've had more people ask me, "What about some pot to help with your pain?"...& some have offered to bring some to me! ~I thank them for their kindness, say I'm not there yet....then laugh & jokingly ask if they're wanting to be my "modern day pharmacist". How sad that it has to go to the point of people risking arrest...{some even losing there jobs if that were to happen!}...All to help a friend in pain who's other treatments-{from their doctors} haven't been successful in reaching an acceptable pain level.
One of the the first people whom suggested cannabis was a nurse for the doctor at the pain treatment center, in the beginning of my chronic pain journey. "Off the record" she said, while explaining the rules for treatment & legalities signing my contract-agreement. ~"If I was asked to do a random blood/urine test, she over look/ignore if I tested positive for cannabis but of course other recreational drugs that showed up would be a breech of contract." Being my first time there or any pain Dr, I was a little freaked out & confused with the mixed signals. Needless to say, my next appointment it came out she was let go....I wonder if she said this to too many patients along with-out the Dr's knowledge. ~{My treatment & experience there is another huge story in itself!}
My honest feeling is that cannabis should be legalized/treated just as alcohol. Set up laws governing it, make a profit with the monies & I truly believe it wouldn't be as intriguing, causing less demand on the streets. Definitely less worry about the safety of what's being sold!
I've tried so many different meds for my pain & currently take moripnine-{2 different mg to allow for break-through pain, along with a couple other meds.} The problem I have is my allergy to all the meds used to treat my chronic illnesses/pain-even anti-inflammatory for simple relief in swelling & pressure causing additional pain. So what's a "*patient from hell*" to do?{*nickname given to me from earlier Dr's/nurses, because of my allergies/health issues/etc}...Like so many other pain patients have been heard.....Learn to live with it, there's nothing else that can be done, one Dr finally admitted that "he didn't know what else to do, so this is probably the best it'll get...adapt, accept & deal with it!" That's what I have done through-out the years. I wish Illinois would become one of the states to legalize medical cannabis...I'm ready! {Really hope it doesn't give you the munchies -causing more weight gain! LOL! Dealt with that side effect enough from my other meds.} :o)
I've reached my point of frustration...when are these people going to get it together, use the intelligence they've been given, utilize their power of office, their status & respectability, their celebrities, at least show some compassion for people with-out adequate pain control & be brave enough to stand up for them!......I keep yelling back at the TV-whenever medicinal cannabis is in the news or I hear reports about so called "drug busts" in a licensed cannabis pharmacy.~{By the way, how can that happen where it's a legalized state?!}...... It seems like a "back-ass" world sometimes!! LOL!
So I'll keep signing petitions, writing letters to my congressmen. ~But as I'm slowly climbing the pain scale of maintaining higher pain numbers as an average daily level & reaching the limits I can handle. ~Sadly I will inevitably have to accept & revert back to the kind offer of my friendly "modern day pharmacist", spoken of earlier. Hopefully our suffering & fight in this battle of adequate pain control will pave the way as to help others not to have to go through what we have.
Hope you are having a pain free as can be day!....gentle hugs
peace & laughter...{with many, many pain free days!}

Comment by mike graham on June 11, 2010 at 3:12pm

ILLINOIS MEDICAL CANNABIS PATIENTS GROUP
Paragraph.
my name is mike graham, i'm a 47 year old disabled man. i have suffered from a degenerative condition in my spine. i currently have a spinal cord stimulator and a morphine pump installed inside my body. back during my first spinal fusion, i was prescribed very large doses of medication to battle some of the pain i was in. the oral opiates almost killed me, i was bedridden and had lost over seventy pounds. if not for the recommendation of a hospice nurse, i wouldn't be here writing letters on this issue, i would have died. i'll leave that as the reader's digest version.

there are too many people that are suffering needlessly. is cannabis the answer to everything, obviously no, but it works for me, and many others, so why shouldn't a doctor have the ability to alleviate pain and suffering in some, if they can? it doesn't make sense. i was taking more prescribed medications for the side effects i was having than from the opiates i was taking.

in 2009, we made great strides towards making a difference in the lives of many, and that is why i got involved six years ago, to make a difference. many folks have put in countless hours to get where we are, and it will take more to get this job complete. state senator haine led the fight through the SENATE and state representative lou lang has gained the support of fellow state reps across the state. we were proud that 30 SENATORS had the courage, compassion and common sense to allow patients access to something that has been used as medicine in CHINA for over 5000 years. when the "powers that be" down in springfield get all the votes counted, they will bring it before the HOUSE for a vote and then on to the GOVERNOR. we want a system that will be "patient focused" & one that will be used as a model when other states work on their own legislation. we need more patient's to help educate those members of the HOUSE that may "not have had any idea the issue affected so many "(honest answer). we need to make it well known, we want some quality of life back!!!