Elixir of Hope: Cannabis Oil

Wendy Holdren Register-Herald Reporter
Jenny Harnish Videographer
http://www.register-herald.com/news/e...

Every step throughout her day, from brushing her teeth to cooking dinner, Francie Floyd is protected by a 110-pound black GSD.

Heads turned as Floyd strolled the Mall with Matt, on her left, and her dog, Segen, on her right.

The brown-eyed, nearly 4-year-old canine, Segen, is a service dog. His black harness with white lettering reads, “Service Dog — Seizure Alert.”

Since Floyd was an infant, she’s been having seizures. A high-grade fever when she was less than two months old triggered the first. Medication controlled the seizures during her early childhood. But, as she grew older, her body grew increasingly tolerant.

“I call it the floppy fish dance,” she said with a smile as she described her most violent seizures. “You have to put humor into it. If you’re not laughing, you’re taking life too seriously. It can be soul-crushing, so I call myself a fish dancer.”

The Reynoldsville native has tried to take a light-hearted approach to her condition – left temporal lobe epilepsy – although she has between five and 10 seizures each week. Some seizures cause her to lose track of time, from a few minutes to several hours. Others, known as grand mal seizures, cause her muscles to convulse so violently she dislocates her shoulders.

“It feels like I got hit by a Mack truck,” she said, describing how she feels after a seizure. Headaches, muscle sensitivity, and light sensitivity also follow.

Floyd, who just turned 40, keeps a pill box on her dining room table, a handful of meds for morning and another handful for night. She’s prescribed three anticonvulsants, Topamax, Keppra and Vimpat, which come with a host of side effects – loss of bone density, aphasia (loss of ability to express speech), lack of energy, hair loss, dry mouth & loss of appetite.

She’s thankful for her four-legged friend, Segen, whose name means “blessing” in German. Segen can alert Floyd up to 30 minutes before a seizure strikes. Researchers can’t pinpoint exactly how dogs detect oncoming seizures, but some suggest the dogs notice subtle changes in their human’s behavior or scent.

Segen nudges Floyd’s forearm and yowls in increasing volume to let her know she needs to get somewhere safe, somewhere she can’t fall and injure herself. Floyd tries to stay close to home, never more than a few miles away for grocery shopping or pharmacy visits, so — if necessary — she can retreat to her bed until her seizure has passed.

“I’m covered in scars,” she shared as she rolled up her black, long sleeved shirt to show an inch-long, white scar on her forearm. “I’ve taken quite a few hits to the head, too.”

Floyd has worked with a number of neurologists, all of whom have prescribed a cocktail of anticonvulsants, swapping one combination for another as her body grew tolerant.

“It’s been hell,” she admitted, pulling back her long, auburn hair. “Right now, I’m dealing with so many side effects from the meds I’m on and they aren’t helping me.”

For Floyd, aphasia is the worst. At times, when she tries to articulate what she’s thinking, specific words or phrases fail her. She admits the drugs can make her feel “stupid.” She makes light of the effect, calling it a game of “Words with Friends” when her loved ones have to fill in the blank for her.

A few years ago, a neurologist suggested cannabidiol (CBD) oil, an extract of the marijuana plant that is not psychoactive, unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that creates a “high.”

“She told me I could get off all these drugs that were not helping me.”

Floyd, a university graduate, began researching. She read about a young girl named Charlotte Figi who suffered from seizures.

“What I found was unreal,” Floyd said. “It gave me so much hope.”

Charlotte’s Web - Cannabis Oil www.cwhemp.com
Charlotte’s story gave Floyd hope. The oil, she thought, could prevent her seizures or at least lessen their frequency.

“I wouldn’t be in this nightmare situation,” Floyd said, tears welling in her green eyes. “I’m sick of being overmedicated. I’m sick of having seizures. I’m sick of the list of things these medications do to you.”

Because of the particulars of her situation, Floyd doesn’t feel like she can just pack up to move to a state that permits medical marijuana.

“I own my house in the free and clear,” Floyd explains. “I have wonderful friends and family here, who all support and love me. If crap hits the fan, I know they have my back. If I move, that means I’m alone. How am I going to do that?”

“I would ask them to take one week of my medications and just try to function... Try to learn what it’s like to be on an anticonvulsant cocktail of three that I’m on every single day of my life. Then try to function like a normal human being.” She’s written letters, made phone calls, met with senators and delegates. She plans to continue.