A Craving for Solutions

Medical Marijuana serves a glory of purposes for many different people. It seems that the list never ends.

Personally, marijuana helps with my loss of appetite. I have a very inconsistent appetite and I mostly eat because I know I should. I have a minimal palette (that I’ve expanded thank you very much) so it does not take much for me to lose my appetite, even after I’ve finally gained one. Trying to eat when you’re not hungry is nauseating. Not eating wouldn’t make me hungry, but would skip straight to feeling weak and light-headed, as anyone would who is running on fumes.

What that left me with is eating very basic foods, which consisted of a lot of carbs and not many nutrients. I had numerous tests done to get handle on the cause, yet, I left doctors puzzled. Fed up with trying to figure out why, I was ready to try any potential solution. Living in Sunny California, I had heard of the lovely benefits of medical marijuana and eventually wandered down to the MMJ Doctor in San Francisco.

I walked into the office, explained my symptoms and the doctor, confidently says, “Okay. Is there anything else you need your card for other than Anorexia?”

What?

Anorexia? I have a great relationship with my body. I don’t have Anorexia. I verbally accepted this as I continued to process what had just happened. Perplexed, I went home and jumped on the Googles to find anorexia defined as:

Hm. That fits. But where is the part about body image? Looking further, I saw the definition for Anorexia Nervosa:

Ah okay there it is. Concluding from these two definitions, Anorexia (alone) seems to fit my condition. Most people don’t hear of Anorexia without the conditions of Anorexia Nervosa, so I was concerned with how I was going to explain this to my family--my Haitian, food-loving family. I mean they have a hard time understanding vegetarianism (it’s an islander thing). Lacking hunger is not really comprehensible to them and if I even mention anorexia, the interrogation would never end (out of love, of course). Again, we’re Haitian, so we come together for family meals at least once a week. My condition created a conversation every time.

With this being said, I was thoroughly relieved to find a solution.

Medical Marijuana played a huge role in creating a consistent appetite for me. I medicate in the morning, which gets my appetite going. I can eat breakfast and from there, it is smooth sailing. Unmedicated, it would take me at least 4 hours to build an appetite, and even then, it would be for no more than a piece of toast.

If I am going to a family event, where I know there is going to be a lot of food, I tend to lean towards the edibles. These give me discretion and, of course, the munchies! I medicate with edibles 1-2 hours before an event and I’m ready to enjoy a large meal with my family.

This past thanksgiving holiday, I munched down like crazy on all the delectable goods. Not to say I didn’t enjoy it before, but I would take a few bites and be full (trust me, I thought it was weird, too). Now, my grandpa did not have to check in with the status of my plate, in fact he was thoroughly impressed. This may not sound like much to some people, but it means a lot to my grandparents for their family to enjoy the food they worked hard to prepare.

I have taken back control of my appetite, have a steady and nutritious diet, and eat to make my Haitians proud! No concerned Grandmas on my watch.