Share Your Story
MinnMed Stories is a place for patients, families and staff to share their experiences. Contact us by sending an email to stories@vireohealth.zendesk.com
Helping Vets Battle Pain without Opioids by Amy W.
Roughly one in 10 veterans in the United States live with severe, chronic pain and I happen to be one of them. In the 14 years that I’ve lived with this issue, I have spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars trying different treatments. Medical cannabis is one of the most effective treatments I found for veterans suffering with chronic pain or other conditions PTSD.
I could have taken opioids — and my diagnosis came when opioids were prescribed like candy — but I refused. Early in my pain journey, I attended the funeral for a beautiful, vibrant woman with chronic pain who died in her sleep from an accidental prescription drug overdose. Her teenage daughter became an orphan.
I know that even if opioids reduce pain, they bring a gamut of side effects. Additionally, many veterans with severe chronic pain also have PTSD. A young man with whom I served in Iraq was prescribed OxyContin, Morphine and other pharmaceutical pain killers to deal with his pain, and we discussed complementary and alternative medicine options to add to the mix in an effort to alleviate his desperate struggle. The fight got to be too much for him and sadly he took his own life in 2015. Pain may not be visible, but it can be fatal. More>>>
My Road to Recovery, by Jody Taylor-Haye
I strongly believe that medical cannabis has given me a new lease on life.
I am a mother of 3 from Lake Elmo and also have 4 nieces. I have been on a long, painful road to recovery. Because of degenerative spinal disc disease, I have been on a variety of opioid and other pain medications for 14 years. As a result, I suffered from severe side effects, including liver damage and severe digestive problems.
Following a debilitating broken back injury in 2014, I developed allergies to several conventional pain medications, causing large hives that made my eyes swell shut. With nothing left to manage my severe pain, I was stuck lying on my couch in misery.
At a friend’s suggestion, I decided to try cannabis-based medicines. Since starting on MinnMed medicines in May 2016, my pain level has reduced from a debilitating “10” on the 1-to-10 pain scale to a manageable “2 or 3.” My list of medicines has gone from 18 to 6, and best of all, I have reduced the number of addictive, dangerous opioids to zero. More>>>
Living with Multiple Sclerosis, by Tracie A
As a retired 52-year-old sergeant of the St. Paul Police Department, I had a career that was very rewarding, yet physically demanding at the same time. With a diagnosis of Scoliosis at the age of 12 and Multiple Sclerosis in 2005, my disabling symptoms eventually forced me into an early retirement.
Since retiring in 2011, I moved into our lake home and started a hobby/semi-business creating handmade leather accessories. My diagnosis has made it very difficult to walk up and down stairs. My husband and I have set up our home so that everything, but the bedrooms, is on the main level. Eventually, we will need to build an elevator, and soon my husband, who works out of town, will need to move to our lake home fulltime because it will not be safe for me to live alone. More>>>
Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), by Jean
I first experienced excruciating pain at the age of 7. As a teenager, my knees were dislocating, I had muscle spasms and sleepless nights. I remained active until I was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). After finally finding my way to medical cannabis, I feel better than I have in decades.
After using MinnMed medications for only a few weeks, my walker and cane are gone. My muscle spasms and pain are manageable. Since starting medical cannabis I’ve been able to greatly decrease my medications including the use of a Dilaudid intrathecal pump. It gives me peace of mind knowing that I do not need all of the medications that have been prescribed to me. Many people who suffer from chronic progressive pain syndrome have “exit plans”. Even my exit plan for medically assisted euthanasia has thankfully been substituted with a new lease on life and hope for an improved quality of life. More>>>