My Story - Caroline Craven, theGirlwithMS

Talkin' about My Medicine!


Folks have asked for years, what medicine are you taking to do so well with your MS these days?
According to Dicitonary.com, there are several definitions of the word, medicine. One that resinated in my mind was this one:

"the art or science of treating disease with drugs or curativesubstances, as distinguished from surgery and obstetrics." dictionary.com

So, what are my medicines?
I'm happy to report that my list NOW only contains the following:
Water
Food
Supplements
Daily life management
and
Medical marijuana
I had been on klonopin for nearly 14 years due to spasms. I quit this summer as my regiment seemed to be working better and there was no need. But, in order to go off it, I went on an insane two week long detox, including Kangen water, and clean eating. I am still 'detoxing' from it but have only taken 1/4 pill on two separate occasions in the past two weeks.
I agree with the dictionary. And, I feel that the right mix of art and science will lead to medicine that will help us all heal.
Over the years, since my initial diagnosis in 2001, my plan is increasingly managed by natural remedies. My medicine has included many, many types of drugs from Neurontin to Copaxone, Provigil to Klonopin. I don't want to be on these drugs. Each one has or had an annoying side-effect of some sort. I want to be as clean as possible. But the pain. Oh, the pain!
At first I had seizures and dry heaving spasms. I couldn't eat. My body became emaciated, bones pulling through my skin as it hung loose. The medical marijuana helped the spasms. It helped the appetite. Slowly, very slowly, I became closer to normal than felt in years. And the pain, oh the pain!
Not much to use these days for pain. NSAIDs, well, I'd prefer not to thank you. My gut integrity is vital to my health and my body does not perform well on non steroidal ani-inflammatory drugs. I am not going to take pain pills every day. I want a clear brain. But the pain. Oh the pain!
One of my personal MS symptoms that got out of control was my instant intense fatigue. I had never experienced anything like it. I wanted to sleep and sleep. rest and rest. This scared me more than anything. Pain, Seizures, I can deal with. But fatigue? Give me my body back!
Interestingly as I started consuming the sativa variety of the medical marijuana, my pain started to subside. wow! not sure why, but it works and I am more functioning than I was before taking it. AND then I found out that if I consume the right kind, it helped with my fatigue. Really? Yea, really! There are different strands of MM that help with the variety of MS symptoms. I find it a bit of a "All-treating" medicine at times.

Combine the MM with my continual awareness and use of nutritional intake using food energies (cooling, warming, etc), a constant flow of clean water, clean eating, and supplements. I use a multivitamin that contains high doses of VD as well as nutrients such as bacopa, turmeric, pineapple and more.
vitamin mix to great results.

But no matter what I rub on my legs or digest in my stomach, it's the day to day life management skills that help more than anything. These are skills that include setting boundaries, learning to say "no, thank you", finding out how to maximize results with least efforts and lightening up on our own expectations.

We have an illness. It's not our fault and we didn't ask for it. That doesn't mean that we need to punish ourselves. This is the time to be kind. To forgive ourselves for getting this illness and time to move on.
That's a bit of my medicine!
Support, social media, friends, family, community, faith...not in that order but it all helps. That means it's all part of my medicine.
What's in your medicine?

No comments:

Post a Comment