Maxim's Diary: Starting my treatment

My first medical cannabis consultation

I joined the meeting through the Releaf portal and there were a few security checks to go through first, but then we jumped straight into the actual consultation. Although Dr Alex seemed to know everything about me before we had even spoken, he did give me the opportunity to explain how I was feeling in my own words, which I really appreciated.

I told him about my brachial plexus injury and what kind of pain this causes, I explained where I feel my pain points are, and what sort of time of day the pain is usually triggered. Dr Alex used all this information to build up my patient profile so that he could fully understand my needs, and what I’ve tried in the past. 

We spoke about how I have used cannabis before to manage my pain prior to coming to Releaf, and how I had struggled with this in certain respects, such as not knowing what I’m actually taking, or being able to dose it accurately enough so I can still go about with my day-to-day activities. 

But, he addressed these concerns pretty swiftly I would say!

He gave me a full rundown of what medical cannabis is in comparison to the cannabis you can buy on the black market, and how carefully calculated dosages, and the right concentrations could make the world of difference. 

He also explained how medical cannabis patients can travel with their medication, whether that's just on a local train or going abroad on an aeroplane, which would of course not be an option if I was still sourcing it illegally.  

He then suggested a few different treatment approach options that we could try, and I chose medical cannabis flower and cannabis oil.

Dosing routines and administration methods

Dr Alex explained, just like how I take a pregabalin before bed, I can take a few drops of medical cannabis oil, and hold it under my tongue so it absorbs sublingually for pain relief throughout the night. 

For daytime and intermittent pain, I was prescribed medical cannabis flower, which I can now dose perfectly using the vaporiser that comes in the Welcome Box I received (I’ll get back to this momentarily!).

If you’ve read my last entry you’ll know I’ve tried to self-medicate using edibles before, but there's no quick relief, and I’ve also tried smoking cannabis, but that can be tricky to dose - and, in all honesty, I don’t actually enjoy smoking.

But, for me, having two options, one that gives rapid relief, and the other that has a long release, it feels ideal, and to make it better - they can both be accurately dosed. 

After the consultation

Looking back, I feel like my first medical cannabis consultation went brilliantly! 

After I got off the phone, I could access a copy of the prescription that had been written out for me, and at that moment it fully hit me: this really is a prescribed medicine. 

Of course, realistically I knew there would be a prescription, I just didn’t know what it would look like or be like, but seeing the cannabis strain name, and the quantity prescribed in grams, just felt slightly surreal on an official medical document. 

But, it was definitely a good surreal. 

The Welcome Box

A few days after my initial consultation, I received my Welcome Box, which is a treatment starter kit Releaf send out to their patients when they subscribe to Releaf+. 

The Welcome Box came by special delivery, which made me feel pretty special because I never get anything sent special delivery! But I wasn’t actually in when it arrived, (just my luck!) and I had to go and collect it from my local delivery office. 

Anyway, when I got the box, the first thing I noticed was how sleek it was. It was wrapped really nicely and the branding was sophisticated and professional, which I found welcoming, and almost comforting because you could tell how much work had gone into producing it.  

When I opened it, I almost expected it to glow, or have lights shining out from it, like the comedic trope when you discover something majestic in the movies. 

Of course, this didn’t happen - but, nonetheless, I was still very impressed. 

When I did lift the lid, actually the first thing I saw was my own face staring back at me - which did catch me off guard! The picture I’d submitted for the identity check was also used for my medical cannabis ID card - I didn’t quite realise this was the case, so it did catch me by surprise, but I am glad I’ve got the card (more on this later). 

The box also came with a welcome booklet that explains how to use all the equipment that’s included. There was a storage jar, which is very discreet, and it closes really tightly, which can help with masking the smell. There was also a puck, or grinder, that feels sturdy and heavy - I understand it's made from aluminium, which means it will be long-lasting, and the design is really sleek. 

An OMURA vaporiser was also in the box, along with a whole stack of flower stick cartons - so I won’t be running out any time soon! The vaporiser itself just looks like a typical vaporiser, and I think the flower stick idea is genius. 

You can pre-fill flower sticks with the required dosage at home, and put them in the carton to carry them around in your pocket discreetly, instead of carrying a big tub full of cannabis, and then all you need to do is load one into the OMURA and vape. 

This is all explained in the information booklet, and there is a lot of information in there - but it's all digestible, and relevant. By the time I’d worked my way through the box and opened everything up and set it out on the table, I knew what it all was, and it made me feel ready, or prepared for when my prescription arrived. 

It made me feel a bit like a kid at Christmas, when you finally get something you’ve been waiting what feels like forever for! 

My medical cannabis card

Although I was initially startled by my own image, my Releaf medical cannabis card looks very professional (not like anything you’d see in the film Superbad!), and I’ve put it in my wallet now, so I’ll have it wherever I go.

I do actually have another cannabis card from some time ago, but that one looks like it was printed off in someone’s garage - and it isn’t associated with a real clinic like Releaf - so I’m pretty glad I’ve got an upgrade. 

I did test my medical cannabis card when it arrived just in case and, of course, it worked. 

I scanned the QR code and, sure enough, almost instantly I got a text through notifying me the card had been scanned, and asking if I wanted to grant permission to access my prescription. This really did give me peace of mind because now It's always on my person, and, if I ever have to provide proof of my prescription, I can, and I can do it easily too. 

I was really impressed by that. 

Receiving my medication

Two days after I’d received my Welcome Box, my medication arrived. 

By this point, I was eager to use my new kit to be quite honest, but I was also excited to see what medicinal cannabis actually looks like and smells like, how it would be packaged, and that sort of thing. 

Just like the welcome box, the medication Releaf sent was also packaged really nicely for shipping. The bottle of cannabis oil I had been prescribed had been well wrapped in bubble wrap, so there was no chance of the bottle breaking during transit, and the medical flower came in a tub that had its own barcode so you could scan it and access more information. 

The prescription tells you what dosages have been recommended, and also gives you a maximum daily limit that you shouldn’t exceed, and truthfully I’m grateful for the guidance. 

This time last month I didn’t even know I could legally access cannabis like this, or that medical cannabis clinics even existed in the UK - and now I’m having it delivered to my front door directly from a real pharmacy - it really did take a moment to sink in. But, it felt amazing. 

Taking medical cannabis for the first time

For me, my pain bothers me most in the evening. Although I really did want to use the vaporiser when my medication first arrived, I decided to save my first impressions for when I knew it would make the most difference, and so I tried the cannabis oil first. 

It said to take 1mg of the oil before bed, but I wasn’t exactly sure how much 1mg actually was, so I played it safe and put three drops underneath my tongue. I went to sleep like any other night, really, but how I felt in the morning was a remarkable difference to how I usually feel. 

Normally throughout the night my pregabalin wears off, and I usually wake up before my alarm because I’m in pain, or, if it doesn’t wake me up when my alarm goes off, pregabalin is the first thing I usually reach for. 

But, this time, pain wasn’t the first thing on my mind. 

I didn’t think about it instantly as soon as I woke up, like every other morning, and I was able to lie in bed for a few minutes without having to reach for a painkiller. 

That might not sound like much to some, but that has never happened to me since I got this diagnosis - ever. 

I did take a pregabalin after I’d got up, but that's because I’ve been told to continue with my other prescribed medications as normal, and I’m supposed to take three a day. 

But it’s safe to say that the cannabis treatments are already having positive effects. 

I tried the vaporiser the next day and I was so impressed. Because of how accurately the flower sticks allow you to dose, I was able to get benefits but still go about my everyday life and do the things I normally would, which is something I struggled with when I was self-medicating. 

I’ve also noticed that this type of medical cannabis hasn’t just helped my pain, it’s also helped with my ADHD. I realised that after I had vaped I was thinking in what I like to call ‘a straight line’ as opposed to in all different directions like a spiderweb, which is how I feel a lot of the time. 

I’ve now used the vaporiser and flower sticks a couple of times, and they seem to work very well. I definitely received pain relief from it and I haven’t had any adverse effects or reactions, and I’m not getting a sore throat from it like when I was smoking cannabis. 

I’m sure that taking medical cannabis will eventually transition into feeling like everyday life, but at the moment I’m still in that excited, discovery phase I think - and I’m really enjoying it. 

My hopes for the future

I did speak to Dr Alex about his experience with other patients taking prescribed medications like pregabalin, to see what processes are involved in transferring from using oral painkillers every single day, to using medical cannabis, and then eventually replacing them completely with medical cannabis. 

He said, in his experience, he has only met one or two patients who weren’t able to make a complete switch and explained that for some,  after taking a set tablet every day for a certain amount of years, it becomes ingrained in their mind that they need that medication to function, and they really rely on it. 

In my case, I don’t want to take pregabalin for the rest of my life, but I was hesitant to believe that medical cannabis could be implemented into my everyday life, simply because of the side effects I have experienced because of the issues I had with dosing. 

But, with the device and the oil, I’m actually feeling hopeful, and I hope in the future I will be able to transition out of taking pregabalin, once my medical cannabis treatment plan is properly settled. 

That's it for now, but I’ll check in again in a few weeks time. 

Until then, 

Maxim.