Finding Hope in a Strange and Unexpected Place
Overview
My personal health journey led me to the health field, first as an X-ray technologist, then as a nurse and a nurse anesthetist, next as a health coach, and more recently as a cannabis coach and educator. I have used my life experiences to help people live more joyful, hopeful and healthful lives. I accomplish this through building relationships, listening and ultimately allowing my clients the focus and clarity to come up with healthy habits and hemp based wellness regimens that are in alignment with their desired results.
How it all began
My experiences with deformities in my spine led me down a long road of painful treatments including epidural injections and nerve burning procedures. In addition, I trialed various prescription medications. Many had unwanted side effects such as hand tremors, brain fog, headaches, decreased libido and weight gain. Ultimately I endured a spinal fusion with hardware in 2003. Although the surgery was successful in fixating the fractured regions of my vertebrae, I was left with nerve damage, as well as muscle and bone scarring. That scarring and inflammation led me back down the road of painful procedures, constant muscle spasms, more pharmaceuticals and a feeling of hopelessness. My doctor added antidepressant medications, but they made my hands tremor so much I was uncomfortable starting IVs on my patients. I remember wanting so badly to have a career in anesthesia, so I tried to stay focused on my gratitude. Sadly I was dying a slow, painful death on the inside. My patients and coworkers got the best of me. I kept a good smile, always pushing through the daily pains, until I would literally unravel emotionally on the ride home. It was more often than not I would pop a second round of over-the-counter pain relievers on the way home and just cry. By the time I reached my house I had nothing left to give the ones I loved most, my family. I have tears just thinking of the inner trauma I endured. Even worse was the horrific dysfunction it created within my family at that time.
What my pain ultimately led to
My energy was low, my mood was all over the place, and I would constantly snap at my kids and my husband. In addition, my community grew smaller and smaller. I rarely went out with colleagues, and often retreated to be alone, swirling in my disgust and sadness over my life. I assumed I would live with this pain forever. If I had one word for my existence at that time it would have been "hopeless." No surprise, my husband and I were struggling with constant fights and a complete lack of connection. The scariest part was how it began to affect our youngest daughter. She started having panic attacks and night terrors. It was a very scary time.
I had resolved myself to that fact that my life would be one of pain and sadness, but I could not bear the thought of seeing my daughter struggle too. I snapped out of my funk long enough to find a support group that was touting the benefits of CBD for kids with stress, anxiety and sensory symptoms. I was clinging to hope that this would help because my husband and I already had less than pleasant experiences with our older children with pharmaceuticals. Much to our surprise, it worked!
As a nurse I was amazed that a plant could work this well! We started this journey as a family and found this one plant helped with so many different things over the course of the first month. It calmed our daughter's overactive nervous system and it also helped my brain fog (side effect of my nerve pain meds). It allowed my daughter to cope better with stress and it helped my husband's achy joints. As we continued to use CBD I personally began to shift out of my constant sad thoughts and began to feel joy again! I found benefits with improved sleep patterns, fewer episodes of head tension and even improvements in my back pain.
Being so fascinated by this CBD compound and the cannabis plant, I traveled down the most amazing rabbit hole of research. When I finally resurfaced I held the most amazing carrot,,, CBD and plant medicines should be a FIRST choice NOT a last resort for ALL things health and wellness! Balancing our body systems should always be a holistic approach, but here was a plant that could start that balancing act all on its own! What I learned was amazing and has now become my passion.
So where are we now?
As a family, we have traveled this journey since December of 2018. It has led to many connections, certifications and ultimately an opportunity to serve others in a way I could never have imagined. As a Cannabis Nurse, Coach and Educator, I have made it my life's work to champion the health and wellness of others as their hemp wellness advocate. This endeavor has allowed me to help more people than I could as a nurse with 23 years experience. Our reactionary healthcare system just does not provide the framework for true healing to flourish. If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, or the pain has stripped you of the joys in your everyday life, please consider cannabis/hemp wellness as a necessary piece of the puzzle. Do not delay, you have this one life to live, let us start the conversation today. Thank you for reading.
