Dear Kim,

I get 150 mg at a time in a slow running infusion (through a vein in my hand on my unaffected side) that has other meds in it too - including clonodine, versed, and others. I take anti-naussea meds and headache meds before I go. The infusion takes about 4 hours to run, I sleep through most of it. I am switching docs, WC approved the procedures for me in RI Court a week and a half ago and a RI doc has just started to do them. He got the protocol, including all the add-ins, from my first doc in NJ - Getson - and has agreed to do them for me the same way. I start with him this coming friday. I've had 20 infusions with Getson, between the 19th of April and 11th of June. It was rough because I had to travel several hundred miles between RI and South Jersey every week to get them. My parents took care of me while I was in Jersey, hauling me back and forth to Getson's and the airport. They also guaranteed my account for me while I got the infusions, because they weren't approved by WC until just recently and United Healthcare reimb rate was horrific (much less than they agreed upon in writing, despite numerous phone calls).

I think the ONLY reason I was approved by WC court for the infusions (and the approval was open-ended) was because I became well enough from the infusions to say that I was imminently returning to my job, which I did a week ago full time. If I go back out on disability I wouldn't be surprised if WC challenges my right to receive them.

I will find out after Friday's infusion how much of my crappy body feelings were from the withdrawals from the Fentanyl during May and June and how much were from the ketamine infusions. The doc that is taking over measures brain wave activity during the infusion and claims that he can tell when the ketamine is having an impact. He also has asserted that my rate of 150 mg is really low (Getson said that too). By then it will have a little over 3 weeks since my last infusion, which is the longest I have gone without an infusion since I started. We are in a high pressure system these days, even though its hot out, and I don't feel all that bad at the moment.

Most definitely there has been an improvement for me from the ketamine, but I'm not perfect. The muscles in my right shoulder (site of original injury and surgeries), neck and head are REALLY tight, even though I do stretches all the time. I still take some Fiorcet almost daily to ward off headaches. At night I use muscle relaxers and Ambien CR to sleep, but still wake up early most mornings (that didn't happen when I was on the Fentanyl!). My PT set off a horrible, scary flare a month ago in my occipital area by pulling on my head when trying to stretch out my shoulder, which took several days to go away. SOOOO...it's good, but NOT great... I still have to work really hard at being better and keeping a good attitude and trying not to be afraid all the time that I'm going to get a monstrous headache at any minute. Like everyone else here, I'll always have RSD and have some pain and all the issues that go along with it.

The best of luck to you.... Peace and love, Sandy