This is a really long post. Grab a cup of coffee before you start. lmao.
I never trusted medication for a long time and became reliant on marijuana and alcohol, and I also smoked. I don't do any of that now, but medically, this has what has happened.
Due to the smoking of marijuana, I have build up pain receptors when I shouldn't have. The consequences are that now I am suffering chronic lower back pain and am awaiting surgery. I can take high codeine medication and it does not really have any effect. I can even take 15 mg of oxyconton a morphine based drug, and it just makes a dent.
Apparently my body will revert back to normal one day though.
I still have the occasional drink, but that gets out of control quickly and it is a really great place to escape, so I have to watch it. My 13 year old even gets upset when I have too many as he thinks I am heading down that road again .
And the smoking, well its been 14 weeks and I am just starting to feel the effects of that. I am coughing up heaps of crap and my medication has had to be changed. Apparently giving up smoking has changed the chemical composition of my body and now I am fighting it.
The good news though is that if I had not given up smoking I would not have been able to have back surgery. Apparetly it is a lengthy operation and you need all your strength in your lungs.
I was once on 200 mg of Zoloft (an anti-depressant), 1000 mg of Sodium Valporate as a mood stabiliser, and a night anti depressant. When I moved to alcohol and marijuana, I ended up on none. I was a great chemist, psychologist, and herbalist. I believed that marijuana cured all and grew my own.
And to be honest, some countries have experimented and cloned different breeds of marijuana (it is only a herb after all). They have cloned it enough to target specific ailments like MS, Depression, Insomnia, and specifically targeting pain. THC alone is an awesome pain reliever. In some parts of the US and maybe other countries, they actually sell THC tablets for pain.
I have seen documentaries on marijuana where cancer and leukaemia sufferers that chemotherapy hasn't worked on use marijuana via vaporisers. They don't get the unwanted chemicals obtained via smoking it and lead the rest of their lives with a smile on their faces.
My MD would love it to be legalised in Australia so that scientists could experiment and achieve the same. I would love some marijuana at the moment as that used to alleviate all my back pain, but it is not legal over here and you can never tell what your going to get from the dealers. I know in California you can go to shops and buy specific types as long as you have a MD's prescription.
The next part of this epic novel is about medication and knowledge.
When I was first diagnosed in 2007, I was placed on uber medication as mentioned above, some people were on more. I was then placed on a PTSD course where I learnt about the the disorder and coping mechanisms. We learnt about CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), medications, self medication, and a lot of other coping strategies. I used to feel zoned out and would go into periods of prolonged depression, so I ignored these and went to marijuana.
Now that I have stabilised (sort of) on my medication, and practice those coping strategies a lot of the symptoms you guys and girls mention in the above posts have become shorter and some non-existent. However; occasionally something will trigger me and I will have 'an episode' which may last a little longer. So to you guys and girls that feel there is no real future, there is.
I steer clear of some movies, like 'The Hurt Locker', and the like. I know it would be good exposure therapy, but I am not ready yet. I can watch 'Band of Brothers' (This movie is a clear example of PTSD). I don't watch a lot of news. Yet sometimes shows like NCIS (one of my favourites) will have an episode where they go to Baghdad or something and all of a sudden I am there.
I regularly go to the PTSD unit here to have my therapy sessions. Sometimes I run into the new PTSD courses which are starting. I see guys there who are medicated up to the eyeballs and have that look on their faces.
Some ask me whether I have done the course and whether it works. I just tell them there is a future.
My last point though is that I believe it does not matter how much therapy you have, or whether you have reduced your medication to nothing, you can still be triggered and have 'episodes'.
If you have managed to read to this point, thank you for reading. Once again, this is just my story and my opinion.
Jimmy
