Submitted by Michelle N. from London, England

I am 50, from London, England. I have been dealing with autoimmune conditions and menopause symptoms for 10 years.

My challenges

Muscle weakness, bodily inflammation/ joint pain/ pelvic pain, chronic fatigue, insomnia, and lowered tolerance to stress. I was feeling despair because I was unable to function and didn't know why or how long it would last.

I first started to experience symptoms in 2014/15

I did a lot of research to understand what was happening to my body, as doctors didn't seem to know. I realised that I was experiencing a combination of burnout, trauma, and autoimmune symptoms. I followed the Autoimmune Paleo diet, changed my exercise routine, deepened my spiritual practice and continued with weekly therapy. At the time, I was trying to write my doctoral thesis and was worried that smoking Cannabis at night before bed would make my brain fog worse, so I actually stopped my Cannabis use. I experienced a resurgence of my symptoms in 2020, with the addition of hot flashes and rage! That's when I registered that I was also in perimenopause and the autoimmune symptoms were overlapping with perimenopause symptoms. This time I made the same lifestyle adjustments, as well as using medical Cannabis. The addition of Cannabis made a significant difference - allowing me to have a full night's sleep, which eases all of my symptoms.

I was curious to know about the benefits beyond helping me to sleep

At first, it was just observing the difference between when I consumed Cannabis to when I didn't. It was trial and error. Then I started reading about medical Cannabis. That's when I learned about the ECS from Bonni Goldstein's book Cannabis is Medicine. I had already heard about other medicinal uses - for glaucoma, Parkinson's, Cancer etc, so I was curious to know about the benefits beyond helping me to sleep.

I'm used to the stigma

Before becoming a patient, I was an illegal Cannabis user from my teens. If anything, being a medical Cannabis patient removes a lot of that stigma and legitimises my usage. I would have expected my mum to be the most judgmental but a few years earlier, my uncle was prescribed Cannabis oil on the NHS for his diabetes and it really improved his quality of life. My mum was a nurse, so she couldn't argue with the results! Now she's using Cannabis for relief from her arthritis. It's the only thing that works for her. She's 81.

I currently vaporise Cannabis flower

Most varieties contain high THC, I make sure that I don't go higher than 20% THC and always get a 1:1 THC:CBD flower as well - this is usually 7%-10%. The CBD helps more with inflammation. I tend to have a few puffs after work at about 6pm. I like to vaporise before I make dinner to open my appetite (not eating enough impacts my gut health, then sleep, then mood and pain levels). I save the high THC until bedtime because it helps me to sleep. I have also infused my own oil to take orally and for topical use. Before I made my own oil I used (and continue to use) intimacy oils and vaginal suppositories (pessaries) containing CBD from Foria and Hello Again. I can't take gummies and they contain sugar which exacerbates my symptoms.

My life felt bleak

Before incorporating Cannabis for my condition, I would take my kids to school and then get back into bed until school pick-up. I went from running regularly, training for two half marathons in one year, to being unable to do restorative yoga. I couldn't think properly or sit long enough to write the thesis that I had already spent nearly 10 years working towards. Because I was exhausted and in pain all the time, I couldn't play with my children, didn't feel like socialising, and was becoming more and more isolated. It was hard to explain to people why I couldn't hang out with them, as my condition was completely invisible to them. I lost a lot of friends. I felt despair and hopelessness at the thought that this was how my life would be from now on. It was a very dark place where I started to wonder what the point was.

After incorporating Cannabis to address my health issues

I could sleep first and foremost - the difference between hope and despair is a good night's sleep! Bit by bit, by listening to my body rather than trying to override its signals, I have managed to expand my capacity. Movement is a pleasure rather than punishing. I'm more responsive to my body's needs now, sensitive to small shifts and how to address them.

I am now using what I've learned to help other women

To educate them on using Cannabis to manage menopause. I am so convinced of the health benefits that I've founded Our Mothers' Gardens to produce Cannabis based products to treat the impacts of menopause. I'd love the opportunity to talk more about this!

This is Michelle’s personal story and not meant to be medical advice. It is for informational purposes.

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