Project CBD received this testimionial from a Canadian medical cannabis patient:

In 2008, I seized up while taking several different medications – in large part due to mineral losses associated with the excess administration of cortisone acetate, an adrenal steroid hormone. This drug was administered as part of an adrenal hormone replacement project in conjunction with several other medications. I’ve spent the last 10 years fighting the life-threatening consequences of that bad reaction.

The seizure left me feeling traumatized psychologically and physically. Muscles around my ears ended up pinching nerves; there was asymmetry of my neck and a slight rotational pressure on my brain stem; and I developed severe refractory lockjaw -– any movement of my jaw, be it from eating, chewing or grinding, resulted in intense pain in my neck. The pain was horrendous, persistent, and fluctuated wildly.

None of the medications I was prescribed did anything to touch the pain.

I tried a variety of non-narcotic pain relievers, including anticonvulsants and antispasmodics. I started with Gabapentin in 2009, and quickly stopped when I developed life-threatening rage, depression and suicidal ideation. Then I took Tylenol and Arthrotec for eight years, but these drugs also failed to keep the pain away and my mental health issues took a serious turn for the worse. Things got so bad that I overdosed on two of the painkillers out of anger and despair over their inefficiency.

The reason that these medications did not work isn’t obvious to me, though I suspect it may have something to do with a dietary deficiency of potassium, which is depleted by chronic use of non-narcotic pain relievers. Still, I think that most non-cannabinoid medications are just toying with the body and actually make things worse by not addressing the underlying problems.

For almost ten years, I had a persistent spasm of the neck (torticollis) that would not go away until I started to use a combination of cannabis products. I think that cannabinoid molecules – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as well as cannabidiol (CBD) – helped immensely by inhibiting nerve responses, which I believe played a role in my torticollis.

To finally get my jaw to release and to relieve pressure on the nerves and muscles in my neck, I used a combination of smokable cannabis and CBD-rich oils. Throughout the day, I took 5mg each of THC and CBD in a 1:1 oil in lots of divided doses, and it finally got me to a place where now I can say I am pain-free. It has allowed me to move forward and function in a way I had not seen for years.

I am not sure if I am 100% cured, but I will say I am 90% on the way to not thinking about it. It has been a very long and difficult journey, but I am hopeful that I can make additional strides towards employment and financial independence.

Cannabinoids saved my sanity and my quality of life.

Thank you for listening to my story and for the work that you do.

Dennis Sloane, age 38, is a graduate of the University of Manitoba.

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