Illness linked to cannabis use sending more patients to the hospital, including NC woman
HULU AND THE WRAL APP ON YOUR
TV OR STREAMING DEVICE.
>> THC SOLD AT LOCAL VAPE SHOP
SON. CONVENIENCE STORES IS
GETTING STRONGER. GOVERNMENT
DATA SHOWS THC LEVELS IN
PRODUCTS SEIZED BY FEDERAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT HAS QUADRUPLED
SINCE THE MID 90'S. AND NOW
DOCTORS SAY THIS INCREASE MAY
BE FUELING A RISE IN A LITTLE
KNOWN ILLNESS CALLED CHS WRAL,
HEALTH REPORTER GRACE TABLES IS
WITH US. NOW. GRACES WAS ONCE
CONSIDERED RARE, BUT IT'S
SHOWING UP MORE OFTEN IN
EMERGENCY ROOMS. RIGHT? CHS IS
ALSO KNOWN AS A CANNABINOID
HYPEREMESIS SYNDROME WAS FIRST
MENTIONED IN MEDICAL
LITERATURE. ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO.
BUT SINCE THEN, IT'S CONTINUE
TO PUZZLE CLINICIANS BECAUSE
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE
CONDITION LARGELY REMAINS
MISUNDERSTOOD.
>> ITS ALL LEFT PATIENTS IN
PAIN AND LOOKING FOR ANSWERS.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE FOR
DINNER CREAM OF POTATO SOUP
OR CHILLY?
>> WHY SHOULD THE OCCASION TO
>> AND PART OF A SEEMINGLY
MUNDANE ROUTINE FOR MOST ONE
WHO LOVES YOU BEST KNOW YOU
DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS AN EASY
ANSWER. BUT FOR JILL FULLER,
THIS IS MONUMENTAL FROM WHERE
SHE WAS JUST 3 MONTHS AGO.
I WOULD GET ALL THE WAY DOWN.
BUT ON MY KNEES FOR DAYS AND
APEX BACK THEN WERE SPENT MORE
LIKE THIS AND JUST LAY HERE
AND LET THE HOT HOT WATER GO
ON THE FOR PROBABLY 45 MINUTES.
CROUCHED IN A HOT SHOWER STILL
HAVE SCALDING SPOTS ON MY BACK
WHERE I LAID HERE 15 TIMES A
DAY
>> IT WAS THE ONLY THING THAT
GAVE HER ANY RELIEF THAT WAS
CONSTANT NAUSEA. WHEN I FIRST
SAT DOWN WITH JAIL IN JUNE TO
HEAR HER STORY, THE 57 YEAR-OLD
SAID SHE WAS SHOCKED TO LEARN
SOMETHING SHE HAD BEEN TAKING
EVERY DAY WAS SILENTLY, MAKING
HER SEVERELY ILL. AND I
THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, I WAS DOING
SOMETHING LEGAL BY I DIDN'T
SMOKE POT. I DON'T SMOKE POT.
I WENT TO A STORE AND BOUGHT
THESE. JILL SAYS SHE THOUGHT
SHE WAS MAKING A HEALTHIER
CHOICE SWAPPING HER NIGHTLY
GLASS OF WINE FOR THESE THC
GUMMIES. SHE TOOK THEM EVERY
NIGHT FOR MONTHS. AND IN APRIL
DECIDED TO SWITCH TO THESE THC
CARE MOUSE. WITHIN A FEW DAYS
SHE HAD UNCONTROLLABLE NAUSEA,
ENDING UP IN THE ER. I TOLD
THEM I SAID, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT
FEELING ANY PAIN RELIEF.
MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE I GOT THIS
TOLERANCE. SO THE GUMMY 7
TAKING AND THEY SAID, WAIT A
MINUTE, WHAT? THAT'S WHEN
EVERYTHING CHANGED. THEY SAID
YOU MIGHT HAVE CANNABINOID
HYPEREMESIS SYNDROME. HOW LONG
DO YOU THINK IT WOULD HAVE
TAKEN FOR THEM TO FIGURE OUT
THAT IT WAS CHS? I DON'T THINK
THEY WOULD HAVE FIGURED IT OUT.
WE TOOK THAT SAME QUESTION TO
DOCTOR JOSHUA RING AND
ASSOCIATE MEDICAL DIRECTOR FOR
DUKE REGIONAL HOSPITAL.
PATIENTS CAN SOMETIMES GO
MONTHS OR EVEN YEARS WITHOUT A
FORMAL DIAGNOSIS RING. EXPLAIN.
CHS IS OFTEN INITIALLY
MISDIAGNOSED AND REMAINS
LARGELY MISUNDERSTOOD IN THE
MEDICAL COMMUNITY. I WOULD SAY
ANECDOTALLY THAT WE'RE SEEING
IT AT LEAST ON A WEEKLY BASIS,
IF NOT SOMETIMES DAILY. HE SAID
AN INCREASE IN REPORTS FROM
PATIENTS OF ON BEHAVIORS LIKE
TAKING SEVERAL HOT SHOWERS FOR
PAIN AND NAUSEA. RELIEF ARE
HELPING CLINICIANS SPOT THE
SYNDROME SOONER AS CASES GROW
OUR BODIES HAVE WHAT ARE CALLED
CANNABINOID RECEPTORS THAT HELP
REGULATE THINGS LIKE AT THAT
HEIGHT PAIN AND SLEEP CANNABIS
USE CAN AFFECT THESE RECEPTORS
AND IT'S BELIEVED CHS MAY OCCUR
WHEN THE RECEPTORS ARE
OVERLOADED. WE'VE BEEN SEEING
AND MOSTLY IN OLDER TEENAGE
BOYS AND YOUNG ADULTS. I THINK
THAT IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO
BECOME MORE PREVALENT,
ESPECIALLY WITH LEGALIZATION OF
MARIJUANA. NORTH CAROLINA MIGHT
BE ON ITS WAY TO JOINING THE
LIST OF STATES WHERE
RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA USE FOR
ADULTS IS LEGAL. IN AN
EXCLUSIVE SIT-DOWN WITH WRAL
GOVERNOR JOSH STEIN ANNOUNCED
PLANS FOR A NEW TASK FORCE TO
REVIEW STATE POLICIES REGARDING
CANNABIS PRODUCTS. WE'VE GOT
KIDS ABLE TO BUY INTOXICATING,
CANNABIS, THC. WE'VE GOT A DOLT
BUYING IT WITH HAVING NO IDEA
WHAT'S IN THAT PRODUCT. JILL
SAYS MORE OVERSIGHT IS A MOVE.
SHE STRONGLY SUPPORTS. THEY
HAVE TRIED SEVERAL DIFFERENT
THINGS TO GET ME. WELL, FEARING
WHAT MORE COULD HAPPEN IF
UNREGULATED PRODUCTS REMAIN ON
SHELVES. ANYBODY CAN MAKE
THEMSELVES TERRIBLY SICK LIKE I
DID JUST BY TAKING ONE LITTLE
GUMMY.
WHAT REACTIONS HORRIBLE THEIR
RACE THAT JUST FROM TAKING
THEM.
>> A LITTLE GUMMY SEEMINGLY,
YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, SIMPLE.
BUT HOW SERIOUS COULD THIS
BECOME?
>> CHS IS TYPICALLY NOT LIFE
THREATENING. BUT DR RING SAYS
ONCE SOMEONE COMPLETELY STOPS
USING MARIJUANA PRODUCTS, THEY
TYPICALLY WILL FEEL BETTER
WITHIN A FEW DAYS. HOWEVER,
SOME PATIENTS IN INSTANCES LIKE
WHAT HAPPENED WITH JILL CAN
STILL EXPERIENCE THE EFFECTS
OF CHS FOR WEEKS, EVEN MONTHS
IN. AS YOU MENTIONED, THERE IS
A LOT MORE TO TALK ABOUT WITH
CHS AND I CONTINUE TO DIVE
DEEPER INTO SOME FASCINATING
RESEARCH THAT'S COMING OUT OF
STATES HAVE BEEN ON THE
FOREFRONT OF MARIJUANA
LEGALIZATION. ALL OF THAT RIGHT
NOW IS AVAILABLE ON WRAL DOT
COM. AND YOU CAN ALSO WATCH OUR
FULL IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH
DOCTORING RIGHT NOW ON OUR WRAL