For 30 years I did a lot of sports: swimming, jogging and strength training. I later switched to cycling and inline skating. It was good for my body and my soul. This helped me deal with some difficult life situations better. Until one day in January 2007 I had a stupid fall while riding my inline skates.
The orthopedic surgeon at the hospital advised me to have a hip prosthesis implanted. According to his assessment, my hip joint was severely worn, but nothing was broken. Shortly afterwards, on Valentine's Day, I was given a new hip joint. Then followed months of pain, lots of medication, another stay in the rehabilitation clinic and searching for relief. In April 2008 I had to undergo an additional operation. Another doctor revised the prosthesis. But an unexpected finding led to complications and an unplanned result. After that, I could only walk with crutches for three years and was constantly under physiotherapy treatment.
Inexplicable pain
This was followed by two more stays in the rehabilitation clinic. I began to doubt myself more and more. No one could understand why I was in so much pain. Only later, after an assessment by a neutral expert and another orthopedist, did I find out what had gone wrong during the operation. It was a shock. The consequences are still fatal for me today. A new operation is no longer possible without the risk of major destruction of the hip joint. The experts also came to the conclusion that the first operation was not absolutely necessary because the wear and tear on the hip joint was not yet severe. So the surgeon got a lot of money and I got the crutches.
During these painful years I was treated with many medications, from muscle relaxants and painkillers with additional gastric protection, to morphine, which I couldn't tolerate at all. The pain prevented me from sleeping and I needed regular sleeping pills. All these medications weren't doing my body any good. I vomited often, had stomach cramps, lost a lot of weight, but the pain remained. Then one day I was given a joint and the pain was less for many hours. What a relief! I knew about the recreational effect of this herb from ancient times, but since I didn't have any pain before, I didn't know anything about its pain-relieving effect.
Cannabis oil with a special permit from BAG
I told my family doctor, who then prescribed cannabis oil as medication and also submitted the application to the BAG. This was approved. Only my health insurance company refused to cover the costs for a year. It was only after my orthopedic doctor intervened that I received reimbursement for the costs. However, a higher dose was not approved because of greater pain in winter. However, this is not surprising. The legally available cannabis medications are extremely overpriced compared to the illegal market. This is incomprehensible to us patients.
The oil cannot take away all the pain, but it does relieve it. The acute pain is less severe and it helps me deal with it better. I haven't had a pain-free day since February 2007, but today I feel better and I can smile again. Digestion and sleep have also improved. I no longer take painkillers and I only use sleeping pills in exceptional cases. I don't need anything other than my cannabis oil.
Required cannabis flowers are still prohibited
But there are also days when the effect of the oil is too weak. Then it helps me if I vaporize cannabis flowers. When absorbed through the lungs, it helps with acute pain better and faster. On these days I am committing a criminal offense again, as in Switzerland you can only buy cannabis oil in pharmacies, but not cannabis flowers. I have to get the flowers through illegal channels. So I have the choice between pain or illegality.
In winter I find it difficult to tolerate the weather in Switzerland because of the cold and humidity. That's why I visited the Canary Islands a while ago, hoping that the warmer climate would ease the pain. It has done well. I was able to walk better and covered longer distances than in Switzerland. Both times I visited a cannabis social club in Spain. I was able to get cannabis oil and flowers there at an affordable price. We can only dream of that in Switzerland! I would like a social club concept like this to be allowed in Switzerland too.
The MEDCAN patient meeting means a lot to me
I have been a member of the Association MEDCAN for a few years. There is a patient meeting every month in Zurich and Bern. These meetings and the exchange with the other patients mean a lot to me. It is very valuable for me and I get a lot of useful information. I am very grateful that MEDCAN exists. Thank you to those who founded the Association and to those who help spread the word about the Association . If we stick together, we will one day achieve the legalization of cannabis as a medicine. Only together we are strong.
