Pain Management thread

[mr.brunch]

And speaking of pain . . . I had a laser burn of my eyes yesterday - a laser iridotomy for narrow angles. I had never heard about this but my optometrist sent me to a specialist mumbling something about cataracts and since I didn’t need that, they found this, which can be a precursor for glaucoma. Whatever. It was free except for the $155 for some before/after pressure test - which isn’t mandatory – and it just confirms that it worked. Yeah, I know, it’s a $ grab and since they get paid for the laser procedure by the cheap-ass gov’t, they scratch for pennies elsewhere. Anyways, the laser burn was essentially pain free but my neuropathic pain (my fake leg pain) from my stenosis drove me nuts all day. I had to skip my daily stoned dog walk in the morning and since it was my eyes, I refrained from smoking any cannabis because we all know what happens to your eyes under the influence.

Not a fun day . . . until . . . I stumbled in the door mid-afternoon and after a quick hit from my hash pipe followed by a small bowl of some leaf . . . the world became a much better place.

If you don’t mind me asking, which vertebrae is the stenosis with you and where does it hurt for you?
Only because I know I have moderate L4//L5 stenosis from a scan last year, but I’m getting a lot of hip pain and groin pain (along with the lower back/legs/and coccyx area) so im trying to play medical detective since the docs have gone silent and the pain doesn’t seem to match the problem area

Cheers

 

[tobedetermined]

Sure. My first 2 bouts were L4-L5. The pain was lower back and lower legs and feet. After 5 minute or less on my feet, I got severe pins & needles. So severe that it was debilitating – I couldn’t walk or stand for very long. Lower leg cramping as well. And I could not get my lower legs warm enough. I could pile on blankets and still feel cold but my legs would be sweating. My first op removed a chunk of L4(?) and the 2nd op Dremeled the same area.

This time around it is L2-L3. The pain has moved higher. I still have back pain but this is coupled with severe cramping in my upper legs – my thighs scream at me if I stand too long. When I go for my stoned dog walk, my legs scream for the first half. Then if I sit for 2 minutes in the park (bending the spine of course) the second half is relatively pain free. So drugs + exercise + safe bending seems to help temporarily. As does a well drugged stance . . . sideways on the couch with my back propped up and forcing myself into deep relaxation – which usually ends in a nap.

 

[mr.brunch]

Sure. My first 2 bouts were L4-L5. The pain was lower back and lower legs and feet. After 5 minute or less on my feet, I got severe pins & needles. So severe that it was debilitating – I couldn’t walk or stand for very long. Lower leg cramping as well. And I could not get my lower legs warm enough. I could pile on blankets and still feel cold but my legs would be sweating. My first op removed a chunk of L4(?) and the 2nd op Dremeled the same area.

This time around it is L2-L3. The pain has moved higher. I still have back pain but this is coupled with severe cramping in my upper legs – my thighs scream at me if I stand too long. When I go for my stoned dog walk, my legs scream for the first half. Then if I sit for 2 minutes in the park (bending the spine of course) the second half is relatively pain free. So drugs + exercise + safe bending seems to help temporarily. As does a well drugged stance . . . sideways on the couch with my back propped up and forcing myself into deep relation – which usually ends in a nap.

Thanks mate.
looking at the online nerve pain maps it seems to be L1/L2 and the S region for me - nobody mentioned that so maybe it needs another scan.

 

[Cuddles]

A list of canna med recipes below.

Cool website btw and big thanks to those members who have already posted links to it on this thread. (that´s how I discovered it )

RECIPES & TUTORIALS | badkittysmiles

www.badkatscannapharm.com

 

[oldmaninbc]

I was sort referring about diet in general too. The secret to easy and healthy BM is simply to eat the right kinda foods (and drinks perhaps) .
The `secret´ is basically just to consume foods which contain water and fibre and ideally consumed at the right time of day. In other words - lots of fresh foods and veggies
Other gut friendly foods are oats, ripe bananas, cooked potatoes for instance. I´ve also noticed that bread, pasta or too much rice will have the oppostite effect - which really sucks imo

A mag deficiency will still need to be supplemented but perhaps it´s possible to reduce the amount so the laxative effect of the magnesium is not required anymore

I've worked on my diet for a few different reasons, maybe I'm just getting too old to put so much emphasis on my diet. These days if my bloodwork comes back good I accept that as good enough.
I'm nearing the end of my time, what motivates me the most is enjoying food, eating my cannabis cookies and having harmony in my home. I have several chronic health conditions that cannot be changed only managed. Two days a week for the past 15 years I eat meatless. I like fruits and vegetables.

 

[armedoldhippy]

I'm nearing the end of my time, what motivates me the most is enjoying... AOH - why spend your last few rides doing/eating things we despise, to hang around miserable for a couple more years maybe?

 

[nepalnt21]

my job can get pretty physical at times, and i suspect i get repetitive motion injuries more often than other ppl.

i also tend to pull things, bruise things, etc. and am often finding myself with stiff necks, back pain, joint pain in general (my friggin knees the last couple years, no more skate tricks with height/ impact).

when i reach for weed specifically to treat pain, it's usually that kinda joint pain.

and i know exactly what type of shit to go for:

chem '91

aka the skunkVA cut, the original chemdog.

whether in pure form, or in hybrids... it kills. pain, that is.

i used to find it mediocre because i was looking for the wrong thing. i don't find it to get me VERY high. but i quickly noticed how well it would help me decompress after work, and started using it like that... and then i noticed the magic it did on my muscles/ ligaments when i had joint stiffness.

so far, the chem91 leaning phenos of ONYCD have been the best for me [onycd is chem91 x tres dawg]...

although i LOVE tres dawg and the tres dawg phenos of onycd (and anything chemD related), it is the 91 pheno (it can really be smelled, strange cause i assume it's some cannabinoid and not neccessarily the terps, but idk...) that really hits the pain.

seriously, to the point where if i'm laid out in bed and can't even move my neck (happened just a few months ago, luckily i was already off work), all i have to do is hit two big bowl packs of the chem and it is like night and day. sometimes completely debilitating pain... GONE!

and i'm talkin NO other strains will touch the pain. the chem 91 stuff DESTROYS the pain.

 

[nepalnt21]

also, i have no idea if it's the cbd itself, or just the massage action but i find that cbd lotion really does seem to help certain muscle pains.

cheapest way imo is to buy cbd powder in bulk and just add it to something i was already gonna rub on myself. no jokes, please lol

 

[armedoldhippy]

the chem 91 stuff DESTROYS the pain.

can it be found in a femmed/auto version? asking for a "friend"...

 

[nepalnt21]

can it be found in a femmed/auto version? asking for a "friend"...

idk about autos, but nspecta's got the 91, and most maybe even all the other non- extinct chem cuts... his brand csi humboldt puts out S1s, it's like some gotta save up and wait for them shits, i want so many of his beans it's dizzying.

and skunkVA himself works heavily with the 91 and has a bx he uses, lucky dog seeds... i'll tell you how his "twin peaks" is, hopefully i'll get to it in a year or two. the beans are nice and chilly and safe until then.

if you can find em, jjnyc has tons and tons of chem stuff, pretty sure the onycd i mention is by his company top dawg seeds, i'm too poor to have personal experience with buying and growing his stuff lol one day maybe

*edit*

my high ass forgot you said fems, lol i think nspecta is the man to see on that front... he does a lot of like i said S1s, but also a lot of feminized elite cut x elite cut type crosses, and i mean choices by the metric tuck fun.

i really wanna try chem91 x triangle kush one day if he releases them again and i'm not broke, still haven't tried anything from him

 

[Smokerman]

Not sure exactly why or what happened, but unfortunately I can’t smoke or vape or even take oil anymore. I had to quit last October. It seems that any form of weed causes pain now, a lot of pain. It’s in my legs and back to the point where I can’t walk or stand up straight. Was told by dr I can’t take CBD due to it messes with the blood thinners. So since last October I haven’t touched anything weed related.
Edit; it’s kind of a bummer after 50 years of smoking.

 

[Janborrego]

Not sure exactly why or what happened, but unfortunately I can’t smoke or vape or even take oil anymore. I had to quit last October. It seems that any form of weed causes pain now, a lot of pain. It’s in my legs and back to the point where I can’t walk or stand up straight. Was told by dr I can’t take CBD due to it messes with the blood thinners. So since last October I haven’t touched anything weed related.
Edit; it’s kind of a bummer after 50 years of smoking.

That just sucks

 

[nepalnt21]

Not sure exactly why or what happened, but unfortunately I can’t smoke or vape or even take oil anymore. I had to quit last October. It seems that any form of weed causes pain now, a lot of pain. It’s in my legs and back to the point where I can’t walk or stand up straight. Was told by dr I can’t take CBD due to it messes with the blood thinners. So since last October I haven’t touched anything weed related.
Edit; it’s kind of a bummer after 50 years of smoking.

damn, sorry, i hope it's temporary...

was it progressive? or did it just randomly start?

 

[Smokerman]

damn, sorry, i hope it's temporary...

was it progressive? or did it just randomly start?

It started around July 2023. Tried oil got a bit of pain, would take a break same thing, Tried every variation same outcome, last few times pain was stupid bad. Tried to deny it but the reality was it wasn’t going well.
Started thinking maybe it’s because of all the meds I take, but that theory was shot down by 2 different doctors, plus I’ve been on the same meds for years.
If anyone could enlighten me I would appreciate it.
I really don’t understand why.

 

[mr.brunch]

Could be dropping your blood pressure when you smoke, making the heart work harder? May explain the leg pain

 

[Smokerman]

Could be dropping your blood pressure when you smoke, making the heart work harder? May explain the leg pain

I guess that’s a definite possibility, I take pills for blood pressure anyway. The pain seems to be more in the thighs and lower half of my back.
I try to walk off the leg pain but my back is just fuckin brutal.
I really don’t understand why this happens, but it’s immediately after any type of use.
I’ve always used the highest THC content available 85-90% because it’s legally available here, so maybe if I tried something in the lower range it might make a difference.
Really just grasping at straws here.

 

[tobedetermined]

The pain seems to be more in the thighs and lower half of my back.
I try to walk off the leg pain but my back is just fuckin brutal.

Do you have osteoarthritis? Spinal stenosis comes to mind. I find that cannabis can exaggerate the symptoms if I am anxious or agitated so relaxation is key.

 

[Smokerman]

Do you have osteoarthritis? Spinal stenosis comes to mind. I find that cannabis can exaggerate the symptoms if I am anxious or agitated so relaxation is key.

Interesting because all my radiology tests show severe ddd and scoliosis.
So what do you find helps reduce your anxiety/agitation and have you had to cut back in your weed/oil/edibles/smoking or whichever way you choose.

 

[tobedetermined]

So what do you find helps reduce your anxiety/agitation and have you had to cut back in your weed/oil/edibles/smoking or whichever way you choose.

Relaxation. Call it personal yoga. When the pain is peaking, I sit or recline (even better) and mentally talk myself down. I force myself to breathe slowly and I concentrate on relaxing all extremities. I believe that this is where cannabis helps, by helping me to block the external BS and focus on relaxing. In a surprisingly short period of time, I am relaxed and the pain is dissipated - at least until I get up and move around - since it is a relief but not a fix.

When I know I have to be physical - snow blowing, dog walking etc - I take an over-the-counter muscle relaxant and I smoke some leaf - or better yet - some hash. Just a few tokes to start a nice buzz to keep me relaxed.

 

[oldmaninbc]

Interesting because all my radiology tests show severe ddd and scoliosis.
So what do you find helps reduce your anxiety/agitation and have you had to cut back in your weed/oil/edibles/smoking or whichever way you choose.

I have a significant amount of spinal issues from moderate to severe. I'm 75 and have been dealing with this since about the age of 60. I am on a morphine prescription and have been sine 2010. I also have a cannabis personal production licence sine 2010. If I use too much cannabis it can make my pain feel worse. If I use too much cannabis it does not seem to work as well. I use cannabis more like a prescription. I like to favor a strain that is relaxing in nature. I do use a sativa dominant strain sometimes in the day when I have an outdoor project. It may be mentally stimulating but still has a physically relaxing part to it.

Because of being on morphine I had to attend a 16 hour pain clinic. I was glad that I did go, the man who facilitated the pain clinic was a doctor, professor, researcher at the university and a business man. He was big on meditation & yoga. Being relaxed is essential to pain control.
Just like tobedetermine d mentioned to you, being relaxed and keeping your muscles free from tension is very beneficial for pain control. Picking up on when the pain first starts is key to helping control the severity of the pain. Being aware of your body is important to this. That's where meditation helps, it trains you to become aware.