AROUND 1.6 million Australians live with chronic pain and among them is 79-year-old Logan City resident Dee, whose life was changed for the better six months ago when she began medicinal cannabis treatments.
Seven months ago and Dee was taking copious amounts of pain relief medications.
Chronic pain can be treated with morphine but Dee couldn’t use it.
“I’m allergic to morphine so I was reduced to the only thing I could really take which was Panadeine Forte,” she said.
Dee would get around three-hours relief from the tablets
“Some of the time you literally can’t think straight,” Dee said.
“You wriggle and you toss and you turn and you’re all over the place.”
Dee knew a little bit about medicinal cannabis, having worked in palliative care for around 17 years.
She had seen patients taking medicinal cannabis to relieve their pain but back then it was illegal.
Dee was one of the first to put her hand up for medicinal cannabis when the Therapeutic Goods Administration allowed approved doctors to start prescribing it.
She visited Pharmaceutical Rehabilitation Services in Beenleigh where Dr Guy Wright can prescribe the ground-breaking medicine to eligible patients.
“I went along and was very impressed with the care the Doctor took to make sure what I was doing – my dose – was tailored to me,” Dee said.
“I’d never used marijuana in the recreational sense,” Dee said,
“I didn’t know what to expect but after I had my first dose I remember thinking ‘Oh, I feel really serene’ I was calm and serene, I was just me.”
She has a message for anyone suffering from chronic physical or mental health issues.
“Hop in the car, I’ll take you up to PRS now,” she laughed.
“Honestly, I would suggest to anybody – and I do talk about it all the time – I would say don’t hesitate.
“Don’t wait until tomorrow, I’m really thrilled with it.
“I’m grateful – so grateful – that at long last we can do something that’s legal that’s going to work.”
ENDS
