Wrecked and retching: Obscure vomiting illness linked to long
Chalfonte LeNee Queen
For 17 years   Chalfonte LeNee Queen  suffered periodic episodes of violent retching and abdominal pain that would knock  her  off  her  feet for days  sometimes leaving  her  writhing on the floor in pain.
 Queen  lost a modeling job after being mistaken for an alcoholic.  She  racked up tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills  and  her  nausea interrupted  her  sex life. Toward the end of  her  illness  Queen  who stands 5-foot-9  weighed in at a frail 109 pounds.
Throughout the nearly two decades of pain  vomiting and mental fog   she  visited the hospital about three times a year  but doctors never got to the bottom of what was ailing  her . By 2016   she  thought  she  was dying  that  she  "must have some sort of cancer or something they can't detect "  Queen  said.
But  she  didn't have cancer.  She  had an obscure syndrome called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome  a condition only recently acknowledged by the medical community. It affects a small population namely  a subset of marijuana users who smoke multiple times a day for months  years or even decades.
One surefire sign of the illness is when patients find relief in hot showers and baths.  Queen  said  she  would vomit repeatedly unless  she  was in a hot shower so  she 'd stay in there for hours. Toxicologists say the heat may distract the brain from pain receptors in the abdomen but  like the syndrome itself  that phenomenon is not well understood.
 Queen  is still struggling to completely quit marijuana  but  her  symptoms are down to a dull stomachache.  She  smokes a couple of times a day  compared with  her  near-constant use in the past.  She  said it's the only thing that works for  her  depression and anxiety.
 Queen  is back to a healthy weight and hasn't been to the hospital in a year.  She  said  she  wouldn't want to discourage anybody from smoking weed;  she  just wants people to know heavy use can bring them some serious misery.
"Now  if I get sick  as sad as I'll be and as upset and disappointed with  myself  as I would be  at least it's a freaking choice "  she  said.
For 17 years   [TGT]suffered periodic episodes of violent retching and abdominal pain that would knock  [TGT]  off  [TGT]  feet for days  sometimes leaving  [TGT]  writhing on the floor in pain.
 [TGT]lost a modeling job after being mistaken for an alcoholic.  [TGT]  racked up tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills  and  [TGT]  nausea interrupted  [TGT]  sex life. Toward the end of  [TGT]  illness  Queen  who stands 5-foot-9  weighed in at a frail 109 pounds.
Throughout the nearly two decades of pain  vomiting and mental fog   she  visited the hospital about three times a year  but doctors never got to the bottom of what was ailing  her . By 2016   she  thought  she  was dying  that  she  "must have some sort of cancer or something they can't detect "  [TGT]said.
But  she  didn't have cancer.  She  had an obscure syndrome called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome  a condition only recently acknowledged by the medical community. It affects a small population namely  a subset of marijuana users who smoke multiple times a day for months  years or even decades.
One surefire sign of the illness is when patients find relief in hot showers and baths.  Queen  said  she  would vomit repeatedly unless  she  was in a hot shower so  she 'd stay in there for hours. Toxicologists say the heat may distract the brain from pain receptors in the abdomen but  like the syndrome itself  that phenomenon is not well understood.
 Queen  is still struggling to completely quit marijuana  but  her  symptoms are down to a dull stomachache.  She  smokes a couple of times a day  compared with  her  near-constant use in the past.  She  said it's the only thing that works for  her  depression and anxiety.
 Queen  is back to a healthy weight and hasn't been to the hospital in a year.  She  said  she  wouldn't want to discourage anybody from smoking weed;  she  just wants people to know heavy use can bring them some serious misery.
"Now  if I get sick  as sad as I'll be and as upset and disappointed with  myself  as I would be  at least it's a freaking choice "  she  said.