Three years have passed, but my chest still tightens and my throat begins to throb when I think about the day I was diagnosed with endometriosis. I was rushed into emergency surgery that resulted in the loss of my pregnancy as well as my right ovary. The radiologist found a nine-centimeter mass on my ovary that had to be biopsied in order to determine if it was cancerous or not. The pregnancy itself was located in my left fallopian tube and ran the risk of bursting at any moment. Suddenly, I was in the middle of coping with the news of an incurable autoimmune disease. In addition to losing a pregnancy all within 24 hours. It was devastating both physically and emotionally.
Cannabis Offered Hope When Nothing Else Did
Ironically, at the time I was writing about how cannabis could potentially help female-related health. I went from being the outsider trying to learn from others using cannabis, to first hand experiencing what it’s like to need cannabis for medicinal purposes. It was terrifying, but I was confident that cannabis could help me deal with my endometriosis diagnosis.
Facts About Endometriosis
Endometriosis is an autoimmune disease that affects 1 in 10 women and approximately 176 million women around the world according to endometriosis.org. Endometriosis occurs when endometrial cells found inside the uterus, appear on the outside of uterus, which causes inflammation and scarring. Painful periods, heavy bleeding and infertility are common among with women endo. The biggest problem is that it takes most women an average of ten years to receive the right prognosis. Many of which undergo major surgery before this occurs like with my situation. Surgical intervention is often required before a woman is properly diagnosed because ultrasounds do not provide clear images of the lesions.
There isn’t a cure for endo, unless you want a full hysterectomy. Other than the usual bandaid of Ibuprofen and opiates, women with endo are given very few treatment options. Luckily, we live in the age of cannabis enlightenment. I immediately began taking high THC and CBD edibles to mitigate pain. I mostly stuck to full extract cannabis oil in 50mg capsules because smoking alone wasn’t enough to ease the pain and any coughing jarred my surgical incisions. Besides the capsules, various edibles and 1:1 CBD to THC transdermal patches worked wonders for me during rehabilitation stages.
I healed myself with cannabis alone post-surgery aside from the prescribed opiates that were given during my hospital stay. Today, I am writing this to let women know you can control your endo pain with cannabis – even in severe cases like mine.
It’s Not Just About Physical Healing with Endometriosis
The problem with opiates in my experience is that they don’t allow you to heal mentally. Unfortunately, this can often lead to self-medication and abuse. Cannabis not only helps to dull the pain, but it also forces me to face my shit. I was dealing with mental and physical trauma. I went from being pregnant to barren and my world felt completely upside down. In the end, the emotional weight of the experience made the physical part (surgery) seem like breeze. Cannabis (and a lot of therapy) kept me sane through that tough transition.
While I am not always pain-free, I have a good quality of life. I can get through my daily list of demands. And while I know cannabis might not be right for every woman with endo, it has allowed me to treat my pain. It has allowed me me to find relief without worrying about potential addiction issues down the road. Beyond the pain relief, since using cannabis post-endo diagnosis, I’ve shrunk my small ovarian cyst below two centimeters. When so much felt unsure, cannabis provided a sense of relief that I worried I would never feel again.
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