2020 EDIT: I had this done in October of 2017. Since then it was discovered I have a brain herniation (Chiari Malformation), SIH, and Tarlov Cysts on nearly every spinal nerve root and they are constantly leaking spinal fluid. It’s been three years since I sought help for this set of problems and I’m still fighting to get my life back. When I filmed this video, I had no idea the extent of what was wrong with me, and just how much my life would continue to deteriorate month on month.
Using ketamine infusions for the amount of pain I was in at that time and am still in is like fighting a wildfire with a squirt gun. Something to keep in mind before you angrily comment that I should “shut up and enjoy it next time” or that because it didn’t work for me I somehow didn’t deserve having access to this treatment. It’s called “my experience” because I want people like me who went in blind to be able to hear how someone felt. To help them make an educated decision from my experience as well as read how others spoke about theirs down in the comments.
If this worked for you, I am SO happy for you. No one deserves to live with a reduced quality of life. If you’re having trouble getting access to this treatment, I am sincerely sorry that you don’t even have the chance to see if this betters your life. Everyone deserves a chance at a better life.
I don’t hate Ketamine. Protocols have come a long way in the years since I’ve had my infusion. The potential for it seems incredible and I hope it is a reliable resource that becomes more widely accepted by insurance so that its benefits can reach all who need it. ❤️
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Original text from posting date in 2018:
Toward the end of last year, my doctor prescribed ketamine infusions for ongoing chronic pain. It can be an effective treatment for moderate to severe chronic pain, CRPS, Fibro, etc. Other protocols of the same therapy are used for depression, PTSD, and similar. For my treatment, the most severe pain aside from my headaches had been coming from L2-L5 after an injury in August. That MRI revealed further herniations of discs that have been garbage since 2012, 20% loss of height in my lumbar spine and two annular tears. General EDS pain that affects my SI joints, shoulders, wrists, knees, ankles and hips were also hoped to be improved with this. I knew going in that the Chiari headaches would likely not be improved with this therapy, so my hopes weren't high for that.
For me, this was not an easy thing to go through and I highly recommend doing your research and talking in depth with your pain management doctor before doing this, if it is an option for you. Just make sure the potential benefits will outweigh the difficulty of the infusions and the cost of them, as it is not common for insurance to cover this. My infusions were 4 hours long each day for six total days, and had insurance not covered it (my total out of pocket was met) it would have been around $1600 per treatment.
Thank you to everyone sharing their experiences in the comments! I appreciate you all taking the time to share your story so that others can see just how different each person is, and maybe get some ideas for questions to ask their care providers if they find themselves looking into this treatment.
