I had my first migraine at 12 years old, in conjunction with my very first period. So not only was I bleeding, I couldn’t even tell my mom what was going on because the sound of any voices sounded like a full band was playing Back In Black on my eardrums. And every month since then, for the last 13 years of my life I have had a migraine. That is 156 migraines in my lifetime, and that is just so far. For those of you who don’t know what a migraine is, I’ll do my best to explain it. Take the worst headache you have ever had. I’m talking the one where you were popping tylenol like they were candy every two hours and praying to whatever god you believe in that he would just take the pain away. Now multiply that pain by about 100 and you MIGHT have the severe pain of a migraine. If you were to ask a nurse how to tell if you have a migraine, she will ask you if this is “The worst pain you have ever experienced.” If the answer is yes, you are probably having a migraine. After that,  factor in the extreme sensitivity to sound. To imagine this, think back to the very first concert you ever went to. Imagine you were sitting in the very first row, next to the speakers as the band starts to play. Now imagine that sound times 50 and that is what it feels like whenever there is even a slight noise. And when I say slight, I mean it. The sound of fingers hitting a key on the computer keyboard sounds like a bomb exploding inside your head. Then there is the astounding sensitivity to light. When I feel a migraine coming on, I pull all the stuff out of my closet and shut myself in it, because even the most innocuous light seems like you are looking at the face of the sun. For example, I can’t even have my cell phone with me because the light is that blinding. Unbearable pain, Check. Complete aversion to light and sound, check and check. If I’m lucky, I don’t have to deal with the nausea. But every now and again it hits like a ton of bricks. Nausea is an interesting harbinger of misery. And if you do get sick, your generally stuck wherever you get sick at because standing up/running is simply not an option. If the pain and sensitivity don’t get you, the vertigo and dizziness will. More often than not, my migraines last upwards of 3 days. So that is three days out of the month that I can’t do anything but pray that the pain is taken away. And I’ve tried every medication under the planet, both legal and illegal. And nothing helps. I’ve cut out every trigger I have, but to no avail. That is until about 6 months ago. I was over at a friend’s house about a week before my monthly nightmare normally began, and they offered me some weed. I’d had problems with drugs in the past, so I was wary of using again, so I turned it down and explained why. I was of the (albeit misguided) opinion that the use of marijuana led to the use of other more harmful drugs. They explained to me that research had proven that if used responsibly, marijuana would not increase the likelihood I would use other drugs. After they showed me that research, I used it. I have to be honest, I almost choked to death at first. I’d smoked cigarettes in the past, so I figured it was the same concept and would have basically the same effect. It didn’t, and it got easier over time. As my monthly nightmare approached, I began to make the necessary preparations. But it never came. I quickly went over everything I had done differently, and all I could come up with was the marijuana. But I was skeptical. I went online and began to research everything, and found out that marijuana was being used to treat a variety of chronic conditions, migraines included. So I called my doctor and told her what was going on. As soon as I told her what I was doing differently, she immediately began to chastise me, saying that I should have consulted her first. She refused to give me a medical marijuana card and hung up the phone. I was upset, to say the least. Should I have handled it better? Probably. But all too often, people are guided by misinformation and misguided opinions. All they see when they see people who use weed are what many call stoners, or people who can’t function supposedly because they use marijuana. I hate to break it to them, but its not the weed that is making them lazy. It is the person making themselves lazy. I go to school, do my homework, clean my house, maintain relationships, and keep healthy in every other aspect of my life. And I also use marijuana. There has been innumerable studies done on the use of marijuana as an alternative to legally prescribed narcotics, and the marijuana far surpasses even the most potent pain medications on the market, without the horrible side effects. I could stop using weed today if I wanted to, but when I was using morphine to numb the pain I was in, I had to go to rehab to kick the addiction. Not to mention the toll the morphine took on my body. I gained weight, fell back into depression, and even had to have surgery because of the ulcers the morphine caused. I can’t begin to tell you the benefits I’ve experienced since I started using marijuana. I’ve stopped taking any and all prescribed medication I was on for numerous different things, including pain management, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and back spasms. I’ve lost 40 pounds since I stopped taking the medications, and I’ve never felt better. I can’t say for certain that all that is because of the marijuana, but I can say with relative certainty that it was the catalyst that got the ball rolling. My name is Liz, and I use marijuana.

Liz has offered her story to antisoccermom.com and we invite you to do the same. How has marijuana changed your life? Please contact AntiSoccermom on facebook or at mom@antisoccermom.com if you would like to share your story. Thank you Liz!

© 2009, AntiSoccermom. All rights reserved to the original author unless stated otherwise.

Are men stupid?

I know that isn’t a terribly nice or ladylike thing to ask but I believe it has some merit, despite it’s negative connotation. If you have ever watched television, the answer to that question is unfortunately a resounding, Yes! I came to this particular realization after a stomach bug had me 18 hours a day in front of a television. It started with Malcolm in the middle, a clever little show that showcases the uglier side of life, marriage, children, and all of the other messy things that go along with it. Hal, the lead male role in the show is played by Bryan Cranston, an exceptionally well trained and competent actor. In the show, he plays a dimwitted moron whose only attainable goals in life are to figure skate and be a good father to his four young boys. I noticed that no matter what happened in an episode the character Hal always needed to be saved from some demise of his own making, the one to save him time and time again from his stupid, self-imposed drama?

His wife, Lois.

That isn’t the only example, you can see it in almost every sitcom on television today. King of Queens is one particular show that follows this distinct pattern all the way down to the bumbling moron husband frought with childish issues and an attitude of helplessness. The male role always in need of being rescued by his well-off put-together business-woman-wife. A wife that makes more money than him, is of higher intellect, and is WAY out of his league in the hottness department. Everybody loves Raymond is the same, the smart and attractive wife counts herself lucky if her husband actually manages to put on pants by himself. How about According to Jim, the sitcom of backstabbing family members and a man too dumb to care for himself, all the while his wife is a charming, petite, ex model, who can cook, clean and change the flat tire without ever dropping the baby on her hip. I understand that sitcoms are television and that it’s all in jest, but realistically I seem to be finding a common thread among so many different mediums. Where has the alpha male gone, the sexy husband with the ability to cook a meal as well as tack up dry wall, and god willing, change a diaper from time to time? Why is television promoting the ignorance and laziness of men, while portraying them as idiots in need of constant assistance? So tell me, is this where we are going as a society? Have we become so comfortable in our roles of life as to allow the dumbing down of an entire section of people?
Is the dumbing down of the male role model something that was intentional on the parts of media moguls, or is it simply art imitating life? (art imitating life imitating art?)

© 2009, AntiSoccermom. All rights reserved to the original author unless stated otherwise.