Dear lordwood,
I hear ya! I agree with you and have found Dr. S's office to be really either overwhelmed or incompetent in the last two or so years. I was told in 11/06 that I would definately be inpatient for Ketamine in 1/07. I called midway through the month and they about laughed at me! I was in agony and cried for days. And like you said how can you have rsd and the problems we all have and not be depressed?? Duh, the two go hand-in-hand as you well know. Just putting up with all the ins and dr crap makes me depressed but like you and the others I go on. I try to give myself a timeout and shut everything off and lie in the dark and pray and meditate for an hour or so and then start back up again. It sucks I know. I had to laugh because I just sent back all my 567 questions about depression too. I guess I will be out in the cold with you too. And like Sherrie said Dr. S. looked at me and said go to Germany. First of all, I don't have that money to spend and second of all, it scares the crap out of me. I don't want to be a statistic. I could never handle the ride over there on a plane. I would be dead from pain.
I think you live near me. I live 13 miles NE of Philly in PA. Where is Dr. Harbutt's office located? I still have not had the Ketamine treatment. I am trying other things like chiropractics and it helps me alot but not enough for the ins co. I am praying the chiropractics works and one day I will wake up and not have any pain ever again!! However, I have to be realistic and listen to Dr. S. because he has studied this longer than I and I know it will be a lifelong thing to deal with. Well, you hang in there and take care of yourself. Maybe a lordwood-out might help ya. Just give yourself time and regroup. Dr. Getson is in New Jersey and he is an RSD specialist that studied under Dr. S. Maybe you could call him. Let me know and I'll get you the number.
Take care,
kathy d
Quote:
Originally Posted by LordWood
After weeks of incompetency of the infusion suite for Dr. Schwartzman's ketamine program they returned saying i didn't pass my one clearance test. Turns out if your depressed your rejected from the program.  how is any RSD patient not depressed? Only those less than 2 years into it can be the ones not depressed at all. I'm irate and not alone my doctors are as well and my past therapists are going to be brought back into this equation. I've been on over 7 antidepressants and gone through therapists all to the conclusion that my RSD needs to be taken out of the equation before my depression can go away. What i find funny is the doctor which conducted the test to which i didn't pass, told me at the end of it that there was no problem and that without question i had passed. I've meet kids in Dr. Sherry's program that had went to schwartzman first and it failed for them, they than went through sherry's program and were cured. Should i really be surprised schwartzman should chicken out in the end. Every pain clinic i go to look at my file and go your to advanced. Its no wonder schwartzman would do the same. I passed all my clearances schwartzman is pulling this ******** cause hes unconfident in his own program i saw it the first time i had an appointment with him. All he did was keep instilling he was working with the FDA on other treatments that he could try. For a specialist that's been quote on quote studying RSD for 30 years i find it hard for schwartzman not to have seen all RSD patients depressed. The good news is i have had another RSD specialist on the back burner ready in case schwartzman pulled something which i am glad i had. Dr. Ronald Harbutt he does a similar ketamine treatment. His program is not up until this fall but at least there is another. I am severely disappointed in Dr. Schwartzman, he definitely was not worth the wait nor would he have been work a weeks wait. From what i've seen and from what i have learned from other patients it seems unless your rsd is in one or a few spots than schwartzman's program will work and even than it fails quite often. Good luck to the rest of you. |