A DAD from Musselburgh who has fibromyalgia has revealed how he found relief through medical cannabis.
Chris Shaw has battled chronic pain, fatigue and sleepless nights due to the condition.
He said that even simple pleasures, like watching his son play football on a Saturday morning, would leave him exhausted for the rest of the day.
However, he said that everything changed when he began using medical cannabis, a legal treatment option in the UK since 2018.
Mr Shaw said: "At the start of 2024, I got a bad viral infection. One of my hands swelled up, I couldn’t lift my arm.
"Then the pain spread to my knees, feet, toes, back and I developed awful fatigue.
"My mind was a bog. I was really struggling to cognitively process things."
After further testing, his GP officially confirmed fibromyalgia.
Mr Shaw said: "In my research, I saw that medical cannabis was being used to treat the pain from fibromyalgia quite successfully."
Inspired by his research, he went on to sign up for Releaf medical cannabis clinic and has been prescribed both medical cannabis flower and oil since October 2024.
Once his prescription began, Mr Shaw said that the change felt immediate.
He said: "One of the big issues before treatment was awful sleep. I’d be up until 1am or 2am and waking up throughout the night from pain.
"But with the vapouriser and flower, I sleep through the night and wake up feeling a lot better in the morning.
"It’s been years since I slept that well.
"It hasn’t had a negative impact on work in any way. I have less stress, I’m less tired both physically and mentally, and I feel better about myself."
Mr Shaw says his quality of life has now transformed.
He said: "Now I can watch my son play football and just go out and spend an active day with my family without pain.
"Actually, my partner and I are going bungee jumping tomorrow.
"Before medical cannabis, I would never have considered doing that."
Looking ahead, Mr Shaw feels more in control of his life than he has in years.
Reflecting on his journey, he added: "I’m really happy with everything that’s come from signing up with Releaf. I’m in a better place now."
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