Paige Riesenbeck

Professor Bell

Eng.1201.516

3 March 2021

Chronic Pain

Chronic Pain is not a disease you can see but one that you physically feel. This pain is

very hard to manage without help from a doctor and a change in lifestyle. Chronic pain is a

prolonged amount of pain after an injury or underlying disease. Do to the nature of this, it can be

found in many patients, though it can be different for everyone.

I had been a cheerleader for about 8 years. At the age of 13 I had an injury that damaged

the nerves and cartilage in left knee. I had hyperextended my knee and dislocated it all at the

same time. The doctors told me that I would be on crutches for only six weeks and wear a knee

brace for ten weeks. This lead on for almost five months. I was unable to move my knee, with

physical therapy within 4 months I got 90% of my range of motion back. My depression and

anxiety started to get really bad and was causing other issues. The doctors didn’t believe that I

was having so many side effects. Medications were not helping and my pain wasn’t going away.

The pain was keeping me up at night which made me feel even worse. I was taking eight

different medications and many were two to three times a day. I eventually stopped taking all my

medications at once.

When addressing the problems with my doctors they would look at my mom verifying

that I was telling the truth. My doctors diagnosed me with Chronic Regional pain Syndrome and
Ehler-Danlos Syndrome. I could not talk up stairs and I am still unable walk up a lot of stairs

without pain. When the doctors wouldn’t help me to have a better lifestyle we took things into

our own hands. At the age of 16 I started using CBD oil from a gas station to help me get the

swelling down in my knee. After mentioning this to my team of doctors at Children’s Hospital,

they referred me to a medical marijuana specialist. Dr. David Zainey was able to view my years

of medical history and approve my diagnosis.

Dr. Zainey then signed off for me to get a medical card. At this time, I was still only 16

and would have to have my mom as a caregiver. Before starting to take THC I did a lot of

research to make sure I knew what I was taking and how it could affect my body. I was instantly

able to see results and I was able to control my pain. There is no cure or a chronic illness, but this

was able to make my daily pain manageable. I have had my medical card for almost a year now,

I do not had to have a knee brace on all the time and I am able to do more activities. My pain is

still present, but I can now pace myself and be aware of how I will feel after a particular activity.

This injury had changed my life and with medical marijuana I now have a new normal.

As stated in one article there are two different types of chronic pain. Neuropathic pain is

when the nerves themselves are damaged. The other type, nociceptive pain, occurs when an

injury activates your pain receptors in your brain and they cannot turn themselves off. This type

can also be broken down into another two categories, Visceral and somatic. Visceral nociceptive

pain, occurs when there is injury to a major organ while Somatic nociceptive pain occurs in the

joints, (Tennant).

As stated in the article “chronic Pain and Mental Health”, “Chronic pain affects every

aspect of your life, including your mental health. Sometimes patients are so focused on

alleviating their physical aches that they neglect to address the psychological effects of their
chronic pain.”. This article goes into depth about the many mental issues that can be caused by

chronic pain. Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia, and guilt can all be caused by this pain. While it is

not surprising, chronic pain can keep you from a lot of activities. This separation is enough to

create depression from less socialization and the anxiety of what you can do. Chronic pai can

also make sleeping very difficult for some, creating heavy insomnia. Many people believe that

having these disorders can also psychologically increase the pain, (The).

Many people have researched the use of medical marijuana for chronic pain. “interest in

the use of cannabis and cannabinoids to treat chronic noncancer pain is escalating because of

their potential to diminish opioid dose requirements”, (Yvette). There are two components in

medicinal marijuana. CBD helps with pain and inflammation while THC helps with nausea and

increases appetite, (Yvette).

There is also downsides to this idea. According to Sue Berkinshaw, marijuana has the

“highest potential for addiction”, (Birkenshaw). This makes prescribing it even harder. Many

people’s reservations about this is that Marijuana is still a drug. The use of marijuana for

medicinal purposes is still fairly young and therefore, long term effects have not been studied

thoroughly, (Is).

While all of these are valid concerns, some people do not see it as a choice. Some people

are in so much pain that they have seen multiple doctors and been on many types of medicine.

Medical marijuana tends to be a last stitch effort to get control of their symptoms. Therefore, it

should be up to the individual. For some people, the risks are worth it.
 Works Cited

Cirino, Erica. “What Causes Chronic Pain?” Healthline, 2017,

www.healthline.com/health/chronic-pain.

Dr. SkaribasExpert Pain CareDr. Skaribas is recognized as a leader in the field of interventional

pain medicine in Houston. “How Chronic Pain Spreads.” Dr. Skaribas, 29 June 2020,

www.expertpaincare.com/2020/06/29/how-chronic-pain-spreads/.

Jacques, Erica. “8 Ways to Manage Your Chronic Pain.” Verywell Health, 2020,

www.verywellhealth.com/living-with-chronic-pain-2564411.

Mayo Clinic. “Am I Vulnerable to Opioid Addiction?” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for

Medical Education and Research, 16 Feb. 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-

conditions/prescription-drug-abuse/in-depth/how-opioid-addiction-occurs/art-20360372.

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Taking Pills for Chronic Pain?” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical

Education and Research, 9 Jan. 2021, www.mayoclinic.org/chronic-pain-medication-

decisions/art-20360371.

NHS Inform. “Chronic Pain.” Illnesses and Conditions | NHS Inform, 2020,

www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/brain-nerves-and-spinal-cord/chronic-pain.

Tennant, Forest. “Types of Chronic Pain.” Practical Pain Management, 2015,

www.practicalpainmanagement.com/patient/resources/understanding-pain/types-chronic-
 pain.

“The Psychological Impact of Chronic Pain.” Florida Medical Clinic, 21 Feb. 2020,

www.floridamedicalclinic.com/blog/psychological-impact-chronic-pain/.

Science X Staff. “CDC: 20.4 Percent of U.S. Adults Had Chronic Pain in 2019.” Medical Xpress

- Medical Research Advances and Health News, Medical Xpress, 4 Nov. 2020,

medicalxpress.com/news/2020-11-cdc-percent-adults-chronic-pain.html.

Yvette C. Terrie, BS Pharm. “Medical Cannabis for Chronic Pain.” U.S. Pharmacist – The

Leading Journal in Pharmacy, 19 Mar. 2020, www.uspharmacist.com/article/medical-

cannabis-for-chronic-pain.

Birkenshaw Sue, “The Hidden Dangers of Medical Merijuana”, Narcanon, 20 Aug. 2014, The

Hidden Dangers of Medical Marijuana (narconon.org).

“Is Marijuana Safe and Effective as Medicine”, NIH, July 2020, Is marijuana safe and effective

as medicine? | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).