Affliction / Illness: Severe pain and nerve damage from six back surgeries
After six back surgeries and numerous cocktails of prescription drugs, my quality of life
had diminished to the point of depression. I rarely slept well. Eating and moving around
were often onerous tasks. Quite simply, my life was a living hell.
I am currently prescribed the strongest form of Vicodin (Norco), of which I take 10 mg
four to six times a day for pain. I top this off with Valium four times a day.
Most people are lucky enough to have never experienced the pain I must endure daily.
The fact that very few people understand what I’m going through can be very frustrating.
Luckily, I have been able to find some relief with medical marijuana. It has helped ease
my pain, reduced the number of pills I take, and given me hope and a feeling of normality
when I needed it most.
I do not use marijuana because I want to; I use it because I have to. Please keep this in
mind when opponents claim that patients like me just want to get high – trust me, I'd love
nothing more than to not need marijuana at all, but I do.
