I woke up with the WORST migraine!! I am not sure if it was due to the Red Vein Maeng Da I took before bed last night or my fused neck vertebrae but I am willing to try it one more time to be sure.

     Today I took my regular Dark Kalimantan and Red Sumatran mix to work. When I got home there was more Kratom waiting for me from Quick Kratom- Borneo White Vein and Premium Bali Kratom. They also included a sample of Red Vein Indo. 

     Earlier in the day I spoke with a relative of mine who suffers from chronic pain. I had ordered her some Kratom and had it delivered to her house. She took her first dose this afternoon and ... nothing. She was super disappointed, especially after hearing me rave about how much it has been helping me. I am researching why it isn't helping her and looking into ways to potentiate, 

     I took 2.5 grams of the Borneo White Vein this evening (made tea) and it had almost no effect... I took 2.5 grams more and still no change. .Could I possibly be building up a tolerance in less than a week?!?!

     Today I tried the Green Vein Borneo before I went to work. I only took about 3.5 grams but by the time I clocked in I was beginning to feel that familiar Fibromyalgia-I-got-run-over-by a-truck ache start so I grabbed the Dark Kalimantan from my purse and took another 2.5 grams. I felt some analgesic relief but that wore off soon after. Two hours later I took another 2.5 grams and 2 hours after that I took another 2.5 grams. I felt a little energy but not much pain relief. Finally, I took some of the Red Sumantran for pain. It seems like I need 5 grams at a time for any relief but I have been hesitant to take that much- which is silly because it is just a teaspoon!

      My review of the Green Vein Borneo is as follows:

Energy- 1, Pain relief 1, Calming 1, Mood 1

      Everything I took today has worn off. So, I just took 3.5 grams of Red Vein Maeng Da. I will rate it tomorrow. 

     I will say that this experiment has opened my eyes to the different aspects of pain and fatigue and how they affect me. Sometimes, I think I am in pain - but when the pain has been taken away I realize I still feel some stiffness and discomfort that I associate with pain but it really just pressure. I have more stiffness than I thought I had. Especially in my hips and knees. It is now definitely possible to differentiate between muscle pain and joint pain. The first thing that the Kratom takes away is fatigue- which I sometimes mistake for pain as strange as that sounds- then muscle and connective tissue pain and aches, then joint pain, then deep back pain caused by herniated discs. When all of that is gone only pressure remains. 

     The only Kratom that I have found that takes away my anxiety is Red Sumantran. Otherwise, the little things that have always caused issues (like being triggered by music, etc.) remain. However, the RS makes me feel loopy and I cannot stand that. I got lose inside my own head when I took 5 grams but less didn't seem to help enough. 

     

Day 4

     Yesterday I started to worry because I was basically out of the Dark Kalimantan and the Red Sumatran Ultra Premium  didn't help me nearly as much. It wasn't as good for my pain relief or energy as the DK. I used the RSUP for work but I had to take more. 

     When I got home I checked the mail. THANK GOD two out of the three orders I made over the weekend came in! I ordered more DK from Mood and Mind (I initially ordered from Shire but they don't have the DK available yet and the sample they sent me had the Mood and Mind logo on it so I thought it was probably better and cheaper to go directly to the source. Mood and Mind also sent me a sample of Red Borneo.

     I also decided to give MMM Speciosa a try. I ordered a sample pack (5 strains x 10 grams) and a 10g of Tropical Borneo. Unlike many other companies, MMM Speciosa allows you to choose the strains to sample. I chose Bali Indah, Red Vein Indo, White Vein Indo, Malaysian Maeng Da and Tropical Thai. I was SUPER IMPRESSED to see that they also sent me 3 free sample packs- RedVein Maeng Da, Green Sunda and Green Vein Borneo. They also hand wrote me a note that read, "Let us know what we can do to help you!" They already have my vote for best customer service. 

     I realized that I don't have the particulars on what each strain is supposed to be best for. I will list them here and then I will give you my own reviews over time. 

Dark Kalimantan - I could not find an reviews of this Kratom anywhere but here is MY review: 

(5 highest) 

Energy- 5, Pain relief 4, Calming 3, Mood 4.5

Red Sumatran Ultra Premium- My review: Energy-2, Pain relief- 2, Calming-4, Mood 2

Red Borneo- Relaxation and pain relief.

Bali Indah- Euphoria, muscle relaxation and pain relief. 

 Red Vein Indo - Pan relief, muscle relaxation, sleep

White Vein Indo - ENERGY.

Malaysian Maeng Da-  I can find reviews for Maeng da and Malaysian but not both. Will keep you informed.

Tropical Thai- Supposed to be good for everything and last all day

RedVein Maeng Da- Supposed to be very high in pain relief and relaxation.

Green Sunda- Mellow effect

Green Vein Borneo-  Should be weak.. energy then pain then relaxation. 

Day 3 on Kratom

The effects of the Kratom are starting to wear off. I am having to take more and more of it. I am almost out of all of the Kratom I ordered.  I know that I will have to start alternate strains to keep from building up a tolerance. I did order some more of the Dark Kalimantan and also a variety pack to try a few different strains. I will keep you informed on what happens when I run out and if I feel any withdrawl. 

My first day at work on Kratom

Today was a short work day for me (7 hours) so it was the perfect day to try working on Kratom. I am in retail management so I am on my feet all day. I took 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of the Dark Kalimantan in the morning before work and grabbed another iced coffee. I didn't eat as I've read that it decreases the effect of the Kratom.

     I worked all day and I was barely in any pain at all. I still had some occasional stiffness (Ankylsong Spondylitis and Ehler's Danlos) anytime I sat down at the computer for 2 minutes to print something out or check an email. The Fibromyalgia pain is virtually non existent on Kratom. Any time I felt like the powder was wearing off I just took another 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 g) and I felt better. I don't think this would be an issue if I was taking 5 grams three times per day. But,  I have been trying to use as little as possible because I only ordered a small amount to begin with and I am trying to make it last.

     My husband took me to dinner and on our way home I realized that I felt fine. FINE. If you have chronic pain then you will know that is simply amazing and almost never happens. I just took another 5 grams and I am heading to bed. 

Dark Kalimantan

     This morning, at about 8:30 a.m.,  I tossed back 1 teaspoon of the Dark Kalimantan with a glass of water. I went by Dunkin' Donuts and grabbed a large Iced Coffee. I checked online to make sure it was okay to drink that much coffee with the Kratom but there didn't seem to be an issue. I was on my way to see a friend who lives about an hour south of me. 

     At about 9:30 I started to experience a mild euphoria and an energy buzz I associate with a familiar feeling from having taken diet pills. (Phentermine) The euphoria was quite lovely but I am still not really a fan of the speedy feeling. However, it was much better than the stoned feeling I got from the Red Sumatran Ultra Premium. 
     We went to lunch at Red Robin and I was barely hungry at all. I cut my burger into quarters and I only managed to get one down, plus a few fries and Jalapeno coins, before I packed them away in a to-go box. After lunch I felt like the pain relief was wearing off a bit so I took 1/4 teaspoon of the Dark Kalimantan. The rest of the afternoon was pretty chill but I did notice that I wasn't really very interested in smoking my cigarettes. I smoke by habit but I realized I was forcing myself so I stopped.
     On my way home, about 4 hours later, I experienced a little more euphoria (triggered by driving?) but also noticed twinges of pain returning so I took another 1/4 teaspoon when I got home around 5. I took another teaspoon before bed. I slept like a baby. I didn't wake up once. Good stuff.

     As I write this I am trying Kratom for the first time. I read about it recently in a Facebook post. Kratom, or Mitragyna speciosa, is a tropical tree in the coffee family, native to Southeast Asia. It has been used for hundreds of years in treating a variety of medical issues to uplift mood and treat health conditions ranging from fatigue to anxiety, chronic pain, opiate addiction and is even used recreationally. It has many different strains that are indicated for different uses - some give more energy, some are better for pain management, etc. There was an article in Forbes magazine about it which led to the author writing a blog which you can read here: http://www.daviddisalvo.org/the-daily-brain/2013/4/5/results-of-my-kratom-experiment.html. His experiment was done strictly for using Kratom as a pick me up, like vitamin B. My experiment is for something much more serious.

     I have been in chronic pain for over 20 years. As a child I was ill all of the time. No wonder, since I have several diagnosis that affect my immune system. I am not going to write a book on my journey through the world of health but I will list my diagnoses and concurrent pain symptoms (simplified) and how the Kratom treats, or fails to treat, them. 

Trigeminal Neuralgia (horrible stabbing facial pain)
Fibromyalgia (All over aches and pains- skin, muscle and joint)
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (Pain, in hands)
Cluster Migraines (Nausea and vomiting with horrible headache)
PCOS (painful periods)
Hasimoto's (Hypothyroid Autoimmune) (achiness)
Ankylosing Spondylitis (Severe back and joint pain)
Bulging Discs (Severe back pain)
Ehlers-Danlos Sydrome (Severe joint pain)
Heel spurs and Platars Fasciitis (Feels like I'm walking on glass sometimes)

I currently have no insurance or doctor. I am on no medications. I take no drugs.  I have fatigue and pain at all times. I have been prescribed pain medications from Ibuprofen 800 to Oxycontin and Methedone (yes, for pain not addiction.) I have also been prescribed anti anxiety medications such as Xanax and Klonopin. I digess.

After extensive internet research I ordered 2 ounces of Red Sumatran Ultra Premium Kratom for Mood & Mind-  a well respected internet source. It seems the internet is the only good place to get it. Some head shops sell it for inflated prices and the quality seems to be lacking. Plus, that just makes it look like a drug for getting high and not what it actually is- a medication. It took 4 days to arrive. They also sent me a free 5 gram sample of Dark Kalimantan. Both of these strains are touted as being better for pain relief than some of the others, which are better for energy or mood.

     At first I took 2.5 grams. I made a cup of my favorite tea and added lemon and honey. I read that the lemon can potentiate the alkalinity of the Kratom powder. It took about 20 minutes for me to first start feeling the effects, which were a light speedy buzz of energy. Since I have been in a lot of pain lately,  because of a flare in my back, I wanted to get some of this miracle pain killing effect. I waited the whole hour but the pain wasn't going anywhere. I took 2.5 grams more and it took about 45 minutes before I felt my pain decrease. I would say that my pain went from a 6 to a 1-2. I am trying the other strain tomorrow. I will keep you informed 

UPDATE: Last evening after I finished this post I went with my husband to run errands. I realized about halfway through our trip that I was stoned. I was very stuck in my own head and had to apologize to my husband for being so quiet.