It’s hard watching a person you love struggle with constant, agonizing pain.
My dad’s parents both had to struggle with rough battles with cancer during the last few years of their lives. For my grandmother, it was leukemia, whereas my grandfather had bone cancer. They both inevitably went through chemotherapy but it only starved off the infections for a few years at most. I have this deep fear the same could happen to my parents. To make it worse, they both already have their own individual health problems to begin with. My dad has chronic kidney stones and is always in debilitating pain. My mom, on the other hand, has Crohn’s disease and is also paralyzed physically by abdominal pain. Many are the times when she has to withstand pain every month depending on the time of her previous flare up. My mom is limited on options, but my dad has been creative. He is a massive proponent of using kratom supplements for pain relief and management. He also believes in using medical marijuana. The THC in the cannabis products packs a heavy punch for his kidney pain, especially if he uses super potent cannabis flower products with a high THC content. When I started experiencing annual concerns with anxiety and insomnia, he had quick advice for me to visit a cannabis dispensary and try it. I had only ever used marijuana sparingly in college and couldn’t even remember how it affected me. I was pleasantly surprised at the amazing beneficial effects that I got from the cannabis plant. It eased my stress and finally helped me get to sleep at night. However, l knew that I needed to stick with indica strains for my medical needs. Sativa strains might be great relief for midday depression and fatigue, but they’re volatile with anxiety and insomnia, as they often make both issues worse.