A nana from Derry who suffered for years with chronic pain has described how medical cannabis has given her a new lease of life.
Louise McConnell has spent most of her life trying to find ways to cope with chronic pain after she was born with Spina Bifida and later diagnosed with osteoarthritis when she was 21.
The 55-year-old said that she was forced to give up a job in London due to her conditions and would spend days in bed, finding it very difficult to leave the house or carry out daily tasks.
Read more: Billy Caldwell showing 'miracle' advances as medicinal cannabis keeps seizures under control
Prescribed an array of different opiate medications in order to help her with her pain, she was taking over 40 tablets a day and says that this left her in a "dull" state of mind where she felt like she was "wasting away" as the strong drugs would normally leave her bed-ridden.
In recent years, after Louise developed two slipped discs, she found herself unable to walk and having to use a wheelchair, and began rapidly losing weight while taking her painkillers.
She said: "When I was using opiate painkillers I felt like I was wasting away, my mind was so dull and they just left me feeling helpless in bed while not actually doing anything to stop my pain.
"I had no quality of life and found it hard to care about myself and it got to the point where I was taking over 40 tablets a day just to get by.
"When I was at my worst I found that I wasn't able to exercise or get outside and my weight dropped down to just five stone.
"This all changed when I started to use medical cannabis, it has completely turned my life around and I have gone from taking dozens of tablets everyday to just five, alongside my cannabis flower which I vape and have completely stopped using the opiates.
"It has given me my quality of life back, I am using a walker now instead of a wheelchair, it has helped me regain the weight I lost and now I have more energy than ever and feel far happier about myself."
Louise says that she was introduced to medical cannabis by a friend who recommended Integro Medical Clinics, and after a 40-minute video appointment with the specialist medical cannabis doctor in London, her medicines were delivered straight to her front door.
Cannabis medicines were made legal to prescribe in the UK in 2018, and there are now an estimated 18k patients with prescriptions across the country.
Louise said that while she feels that medical cannabis has been a huge positive in her life, she has found that others have not been as accepting of her new medication and she hopes to address the stigmas around using it.
She continued: "There are many people here in Northern Ireland who still view medical cannabis as something bad and can be very judgemental about those who use it. I know that it has had an effect on some of my relationships and I feel this is down to a lack of understanding and education around the subject.
"What I am doing is fully legal and has been prescribed to me by my doctor and I am thankful that they have been so helpful and supportive of me and my medication as they have been able to see first hand the benefits that it has given me. I have even been allowed to vape it on recent hospital stays because the staff were aware of how beneficial it is.
"I don't want to have to risk buying anything illegally and the process with Integro was very easy and straightforward, with me doing it all from home. My prescription is even cheaper than it would be if I was having to buy it on the street.
"Now I recommend it to everyone I know, and many of my friends have stopped using their opiate tablets with the help of cannabis”.
Louise now considers herself a strong advocate of medical cannabis and will be speaking alongside other patients and health professionals at The Integro Clinic Conference in Belfast next month to highlight how the medicine has transformed her life.
If you would like more information about Integro and its treatments, please follow this link.
READ NEXT:
Housing Executive rents set to rise from April, Stormont department announces
Stormont catering contract awarded to firm supplying 'substandard' food to US prisons
Two MLAs hit £7,000 office costs spending limit three months early amid rising energy bills
Northern Ireland teachers strike hears warning of more picket line action in ongoing dispute
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here
