Grateful for medical cannabis

I've really pushed the last couple weeks, with a new job and all. (Oh, didn't I tell you? I've started working at a medical cannabis dispensary.) Now it's Sunday and I'm just finishing up a 3-day weekend off. Doesn't seem that I got to enjoy it much, since I've spent most of the time recuperating. Slept most of Friday and today. Yesterday I managed to get out and about, but must have overdid it. I'm paying for that today.

Most of my pain today is in my neck and back. It's been hard to get comfortable. I think I'll have Hubby rub some Biofreeze on my neck and upper back.

I always have a supply of prescription pain meds in the cabinet, but I hate taking any of them. My repertoire begins with Ibuprofen, then goes on to include Vicodin, Codeine, Ativan, and a muscle relaxer. Some make me itchy; they all make me sleepy. The drug hangover the next day is the worst. But sometimes the pain gets to a point where I have to take something just to break the cycle. Going easy on it seems to prolong the flare rather than allowing it to subside.

Medical cannabis keeps the pain at bay without the nasty side effects. Sure, I can get a little ditsy, high, stoned, but at least I'm still awake. So what if I giggle and laugh a little more. Laughter is like a massage for all my internal organs, especially my heart. Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all laughed more?

With cannabis I don't find myself scratching my head, my nose, my ears, my face, like I do with opiates. I can wake up feeling refreshed, which anyone with fibro knows is unusual. How many nights I longed for one, just one, really good night's sleep. I had come to accept feeling groggy in the morning as normal. Funny how your view of normal changes when you have a chronic condition.

I'm not complaining. You live with the cards you're dealt. I have fibro, but it's not who I am; it's not my identity. And I'm really grateful that Colorado voters approved an amendment to the Constitution allowing for the medical use of marijuana. I'm a novice, still learning and experimenting with various strains. I prefer vaporizing over smoking. I'm fascinated by edibles.

I'm also grateful that I've found a place where I can learn on the job. I'm like a sponge, absorbing new information every day. And the people I work with are so kind, answering any question I have without making me feel like an idiot. I guess I've learned a lot over the last few weeks, because I'm surpirsed and some of the things I hear coming out of my mouth when I'm talking with patients; things I didn't realize I knew because I didn't know them a couple of months ago.

The Biofreeze seems to be doing its job. The cannabis cookies are starting to kick in. I think I'll take a couple hits off the SSV Silver Surfer Vaporizer. Maybe I'll get a good night's sleep and feel better in the morning. As Scarlet said at the end of Gone with the Wind, "After all... tomorrow is another day."