For Kristina of St. Cloud, Minnesota, her diagnoses of PTSD, Fibromyalgia, and a traumatic brain injury (TBI) brought a wave of relief for her and her loved ones. For decades, she did not know what was wrong with her; numerous doctors told her she was perfectly healthy and test results seemed to tell the same story.
Growing up, Kristina experienced bullying and harassment that eventually caused her to block out any memories of her childhood before age 10. When she was in high school, she started seeing a counselor help her work through the feelings she was experiencing. Unfortunately, counseling was unsuccessful in bringing relief and as an alternative treatment, she was introduced to antidepressants.
During the decades before she was diagnosed, she was prescribed more pills than she could count from her psychiatrists and pain specialists, though the pain relief she experienced was not nearly significant enough to outweigh the side effects. In 2004 while taking her three children for a walk, Kristina and her family were struck by a distracted driver. Luckily, there were no fatalities, but Kristina and her youngest son sustained TBIs—both of which were not correctly diagnosed until years later.
Come 2011, Kristina was diagnosed with PTSD and it wasn’t until 2013—nearly 10 years after being struck by a car—that she was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (which they believed was in part due to PTSD) and a TBI. Putting a name to her conditions meant being able to pursue a more targeted treatment regimen, but her health care practitioners continued to prescribe pills—she overdosed several times.
When Kristina inquired about medical cannabis as a treatment option, her neurologist at a major health care system in St. Cloud refused to continue seeing her. This sent her into a dark spiral of depression and she embarked on a year-long journey to find a physician who would certify her for the medical cannabis program. There were times when she believed taking her life was the only way to find relief from her own thoughts and pain.
As she describes it, she lost herself. Kristina was in a constant fog. She was confined within the walls of her home, unable to participate in the world and to be the mother her children needed and she so desperately wanted to be. She could not put on makeup, shower, do the dishes, or even wear shoes because of the pain flares that come with Fibromyalgia. When she was able to muster the strength and will to attend family events, she would be bed-ridden and recuperating for weeks at a time afterward.
Exhausted and in dire need of something that would improve—and quite frankly save—her quality of life, she was able to find a physician who would certify her for the medical cannabis program in December 2016. Once approved in the registry, she made an appointment at LeafLine Labs.
Although her qualifying condition was intractable pain, Kristina shares that she has seen the biggest improvements with symptoms related to PTSD. She is appreciative of how willing the pharmacists at LeafLine Labs are in treating all of her conditions, not just those that qualified her for the program.
Once she began using medical cannabis, it took about 10 weeks for her to be weaned off her pain medications and 5 months until she was off of everything, including the medications she was prescribed to treat PTSD. “It was really hard,†she admits.
She felt like giving up many times due to withdrawals, pain, and a racing heart, but she remained persistent and patient. Kristina’s loving husband, Byron—as well as her family and friends—were and continue to be supportive, compassionate, and understanding of her journey toward an improved quality of life. Today, she isn’t entirely healed and still must deal with symptoms from her conditions, but both she and her husband agree that her progress has been life-changing.
Kristina is now off of all pain killers and prescription pills she was prescribed for PTSD, Fibromyalgia, and her TBI. Not only is she willing, but also able, to leave her house again. She can do the dishes, put on her makeup, and wear shoes—at least for much longer periods than before. When she is able to attend family events, she can recuperate much faster and isn’t confined to her bed for weeks at a time. “I feel like myself once again,†Kristina says.
Before medical cannabis, she says she had no quality of life at all. Now, each day her quality of life is, on a scale from 1 to 10, anywhere from a 9 to 10. As for her pain, which used to be a 9 or 10 on any given day, it has been reduced to a more manageable range of 1 to 3.
Most importantly, Kristina can once again be a mother to her children. She can take her youngest son, who has been diagnosed on the autism spectrum and who has a fear of dogs, on walks outside. “I found myself. I’m back,†she gushes.
Last year for prom dress shopping, Kristina’s daughter was accompanied by her aunt because Kristina’s conditions prevented her from comfortably leaving the house. This spring, Kristina is overwhelmed with joy that she will be able to take her daughter shopping to find the perfect prom dress; she attributes this monumental mother-daughter-first to medical cannabis from LeafLine Labs. Kristina, her husband, and her support system of friends and family are hopeful and excited to see what progress will be made as she continues to use this safe, natural medicine.