Gastric Bypass
By  Anonymous

I am a 34-year-old mother of three, currently a full-time housewife in Colorado. My husband weighed in at 350 lbs. last May.  He had asthma, upper bronchial disease, high blood pressure and diabetes due to the weight.  We decided that we had to get a gastro-bypass operation for him, or he'd most likely be dead in five years.

With this surgery, you can only eat about three tablespoons of food at a sitting, which makes you lose weight in a drastic way before your body levels out...  We spent a year going to prep classes to be ready for this new diet.

Unfortunately, my husband got to where he could not keep any food down, no matter what it was or in what amount.  In less than a year, he went from 350 lbs to 180 lbs and was suffering from malnutrition and dehydration to the point where he was being hospitalized every few months.

Prior to the operation, he also had a severe drug problem that almost ended our marriage, but it was with chemical drugs, and he was hesitant about buying a bag of weed.  I finally pretty much demanded it.  Now, he's at 195 lbs., looks incredible and can hold down food for the most part. 

He went from being so fat that he was killing himself to becoming so skinny it was killing him.  Marijuana was the balance.

Also, he's always been quite a gruff character, with anger issues, and not very emotionally intimate.  Now, we sit up at night and enjoy each other’s company. 

As for me, I didn't realize how much stress, anxiety and resentment I carried on my shoulders until I sat down and decided to smoke with him for purely recreational reasons.  Suddenly I identified a lot of things in my own life that marijuana helps me with as well.  I had a lot of self-destructive behaviors and emotional problems that I never saw before.  I was turning into an alcoholic, but when I smoke marijuana, I don't even think about wanting to drink alcohol.  I'm more open to my children and enjoy our quality time together.  We work on homework projects together and just have fun as a family now.  Movies, craft projects, jokes...  It's fun to be part of my family.

With the alcohol, stress, anxiety and depression, I didn't enjoy my family.  I just tried to keep the house clean so it wouldn't anger my husband and wanted my children to stay quiet and perfect and not cause havoc.  It still amazes me that I never saw how ugly my way of life was before.  Fortunately, I have the rest of my life to make up for it.

I've also been diagnosed with chronic migraines.  I used to take Verapamil, Maxalt, Vicodin, Tylenol, Demerol, Midrin, Percocet and whatever else my doctor would throw at me. Recently, I got frustrated about having to eat pills like they were "Pez" without the doctor able to tell me WHY...and feeling like a zombie... so I flushed them.  I haven't had migraines that I can't control or get through with a joint since then.  I didn't associate marijuana with relief from the migraines till I looked at your site.

Marijuana saved my husband’s life, saved my marriage, saved my family, and made me a wonderful mommy.  It helps with my migraines, and I put on 20 pounds this year. I've always been very petite : 5ft 3in, weighing between 90 to 100 lbs.  It's just my metabolism.  But everyone around me is constantly complimenting me about reaching 110 on the scale now.

Also, as a footnote, all of these wonderful benefits are achieved with only one or two bowls a day (2 or 3 puffs per bowl), and some days none at all.  I have also tried Marinol through a friend who has a prescription.  It was a bit too intense for me, but I believe in the benefits of it for others. 

We are not drug addicts.  I refuse to submit to the idea that marijuana is a drug.  Cocaine is a drug.  Vicodin is a drug.  Aspirin is a drug.

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