When I was 20 years old, I found out I was carrying the hepatitis C virus. At the time, the doctor told me we would wait and see if it cleared up on its own. I remained healthy for many years.
Until 2013, when the virus began attacking and damaging my liver. A four-year battle ensued. The first course of medication was unsuccessful. Fortunately, the second therapy worked, and after some time, the virus was no longer detectable in my body. However, I experienced side effects throughout the entire treatment – including nausea and loss of appetite. To combat these, I regularly consumed cannabis, which helped a great deal.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire
Shortly after the hepatitis C virus was no longer detectable in my body and I seemed to have won the battle, a malignant tumor was discovered in my liver. Because the organ had already been attacked by the hepatitis virus, the doctors saw a liver transplant as my only chance of survival. After intensive medical examinations at the University Hospital Zurich, I was placed on the transplant list. A difficult time followed for me, marked by a rollercoaster of emotions.
Anxious months of waiting
Because I wasn't sure if a suitable donor organ would ever be found for me, and there was no other medical option, I tried treating the tumor with cannabis. However, my liver was already so severely damaged that it could no longer tolerate full-plant THC extracts. So I had to abandon the attempt. At the time, it would have been very important for me to have competent advice and support from a doctor during this self-treatment. Unfortunately, there are still no appropriately trained physicians in Switzerland.
Things are getting worse
In 2019, my health deteriorated. I had fluid retention in my abdomen, lungs, and legs. I had to be hospitalized once because of this, during which about 5 liters of fluid were drained from my body. I also had to have my gallbladder removed. My digestive system was no longer functioning properly, and I was increasingly unable to tolerate certain foods. Meanwhile, more small tumors had formed in my liver. Fortunately, they were successfully destroyed through minimally invasive procedures. Nevertheless, my health was reassessed, and I moved further up the organ transplant waiting list. As during my hepatitis C treatment, cannabis use was very helpful during this phase of my illness: it reduced my anxiety, made me more psychologically stable, and also regulated my appetite.
The long-awaited news
On February 28, 2020, a suitable donor organ was finally found for me. The six-hour operation was successful. After just three days, I was able to leave the intensive care unit and move to a regular ward. However, I was in severe pain, which even high doses of painkillers couldn't alleviate sufficiently. My mental health was also poor—partly due to the emerging discussions surrounding Covid-19. During this time, I persuaded the doctors to allow me to take CBD drops, which they eventually agreed to after some back and forth. I also asked a colleague to bring me some cannabis containing THC to the hospital: I smoked it on the hospital roof starting on the third day after the operation. This had positive effects: The pain largely disappeared, the psychological stress subsided, and I was able to reduce my pain medication more quickly than usual. On March 16, 2020, I was discharged from the hospital. The first few weeks at home were difficult, as I now belonged to a high-risk group and therefore had to minimize contact with other people. Within a short time, I was able to reduce the immunosuppressants, which were supposed to prevent my immune system from rejecting my "new" liver, by three-quarters – which I attribute to taking CBD oil and CBD flower
My wishes
Thanks to my donor liver, I feel almost as physically fit as I did before the hepatitis C virus outbreak. I can eat a normal, balanced diet again and exercise regularly. Since the transplant, I've also been attending Medcan patient meetings more often and would like to become more involved in the Association as much as I can.
Regarding cannabis legislation, I have a suggestion: I would legalize home cultivation for people like myself. And I would support the establishment of cannabis social clubs, tasked with offering not only a wide variety of cannabis strains but also extensive knowledge about their effects. Of course, such a club would also need a mass spectrometer to identify the strains and offer "clean" medicine. My hope is that one day the expertise of these clubs will have grown to such an extent that they could advise medical professionals.
