I had a 4mm ruptured Annie in Feb., and still have a 2mm one that has shown signs of filling. Eventually they will operate when I am “healed” enough, which can be a year or two away. At first I was on prescription pain killers due to the nasty headaches, but then eventually moved to Tylenol. Not permitted Advil or the like due to blood thinning etc. I was taking over 200 Tylenol a month, which is EXCESSIVE!! I no longer wanted to damage my liver so I started taking edible weed (I live in Canada where it’s legal in Oct. but got my GP to prescribe it). I tried edible weed with just CBD no THC, but I find the only thing that works is the edible weed, and lotion for my neck with THC. I usually take it at night to help me sleep, but this humidity this summer has made my headaches come more often, and much more painful. I don’t want to be stoned all the time, but I seem to get no relief otherwise. I don’t want this stuff to change me, but I don’t know how else to treat my headaches anymore. Thoughts?
Hi, Trace. I also heard it’s a thing now and ive heard a lot of people are using this CBD oil. My friends recommend me to try CBD oil. I tried searching what this CBD oil is capable of and I’m very fascinated to know its medical properties and how it can help many people from certain kind of disease like arthritis, compromised immune systems, muscle spasm, seizures, epilepsy, anxiety, and hair loss like this article on http://www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com/lemon-alien-dawg/. Any personal experience or testimonial would be highly appreciated. Thanks
Hey Jethro,
I’m in Australia and although our govt has made all of these speeches about allowing access to medical cannabis, the reality is far from it. Every other treatment needs to be exhausted before any government approval to cannabis is even considered and even then to get the approval you need to be at death’s door.
They would much rather dose out every pharma concoction known to man before they give access to cannabis, which to say is disappointing would be an understatement. I have a nasty growing within my brain, which has been operated on 6 times (so far) and have been given high dose opiates of every colour and creed. The medications do control the pain BUT the side effects are nothing short of horrible, I am so numbed out of my skull on these meds I often cannot think straight, let alone function and my insides are so bound up… …you don’t want to know.
Because our govt will not approve it for medical use we have very limited access to ‘true’ CBD oil, although there is oil around, the constituents within the oil cannot be assured. On a personal level my cannabis use has allowed me to reduce my intake of the pharmas massively, in saying that though, I have not been able to eliminate them completely and find the best benefit for me has been as a combination therapy. Cannabis has not been ‘the magic bullet’ that some may profess it to be BUT it has become an important part of my management tools.
I would STRONGLY recommend consultation with your medical team in regard to the use of cannabis as it can interfere with other medications and any adverse effects need to be discussed with a professional.
Merl from the Moderator Support Team
Hi Trace!
Seenie here, also from ModSupport. I’m in Ontario too. Wow, you and your liver must be so much happier being able to use a cannabis product than Tylenol! But the issue of being stoned all the time … I know, it’s a tough one. But how is being mildly buzzed out on a legally-prescribed and doctor-monitored cannabis product different from being adrift on a narcotic, or for that matter, being on the sofa, dysfunctional, weeping and clutching your head?
Chronic diseases and pain change us, that’s just the way it is. For me, what’s important is that my therapy keeps me as “normal” (which, in my case, isn’t very normal at all, LOL) and as functional as possible for as much of the time as possible. Taking 200 Ty a month may be keep the pain under control and you “normal” for a while, but if you end up with liver failure, it’s game over as far as functional and normal is concerned.
Fortunately, in our province, we have access to legally-prescribed and medically-supervised use of cannabis products. A lot of the rest of the world can’t have what is legally available to us. And for the rest of the world, we (that’s BAF, the parent organization who sponsors, and Ben’s Friends, who operates bafsupport.org) can’t encourage or condone doing something illegal. Wherever you live, though, staying functional as you cope with chronic pain is a highly personal decision, and you do what you have to do while staying safe, on the right side of the law, functional and as “normal” as possible.
We at Moderator Support (Merl, Azurelle and TJ, who is our technical, medical and spiritual leader 
) and I monitor and help out on all forty-some Ben’s Friends communities. There are several common themes which run through all of those communities. Of those, loneliness and pain control are probably the most common. You’re not alone, and we’re glad that you are here.
All the best to you (and you too, Jethro!)
Seenie
TJ here. And I’m sorry to be shutting this thread down. I have no problem if someone wants to use pot (legally of course) but let me be clear about one thing despite your friends and the internet, whether it is CMD oil or MMJ itself, or edibles: for “annie” patients, cannabis products pose a significant and serious risk.
CAUTION: POT CAN KILL ANEURYSM PATIENTS Read on:
MULTIPLE studies including this one: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27056985 have demonstrated a clear connection between pot use and cerebrovascular risk . Once more the evidence shows with Annie Patients CB use (and even CBD oil is associated with delayed cerebral ischemia and as a result possibly poor outcome in patients with aSAH (aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage) In short its not good for you if the annie has burst and it increases the chance that one that hasn’t, will. We aren’t talking chronic pain from inflammation here folks where cannabinoids may or may not make a difference) we are talking about a relationship that is known to kill. Perhaps the incidence of adverse events is low (more studies need to be done) by ANYTHING that increases risk is not worth it.
TJ