John Hopkins?
 

This is for a friend. Has anyone ever went to J H. for RSD?

Ada

My wife did and it wasn't a good experience for her or me. A matter of fact it was one of the worst experiences I've gone through in the 10 years of helping her with her RSD. I forget the name of the pain center at Hopkins, it was a family name and I also forgot the name of the treating doctor. I believe it began with a C. I've heard however (on this very site) that doctor was deemed incompetent and released from Hopkins.

I have not been to Hopkins. I have heard they have a great pain department but never have acutally heard of any one ever getting any treatment. I wish you the best.

gabbycakes

The only thing JH offered us was a SCS and did not want to see us again when we declined.

Do you remember what year that was and the doctor's name?

John's Hopkins Hospital-Beware if you have CRPS
 

JHU was the worst experience I have had since being diagnosed with CRPS. I was seen by Dr. James Campbell after having been diagnosed with CRPS by an ER doctor and an orthopedic surgeon. My purpose in visiting the Blaustein Pain Treatment Center at Hopkins was to develop an aggressive treatment plan with the hope that I would go into remission.

Rather than a treatment plan Dr. Campbell indicated that I was suffering from clinical depression and that when I received treatment for that depression my pain would "resolve nicely." He also stated that I did not have CRPS. Conveniently, he referred me to his pal, a psychiatrist at Hopkins who didn't take most major insurances. It would have cost me about $900.00 just to walk in the door.

Despite my protests that I did not have clinical depression as verified by my husband who is one of the top psychologists in the state, I was still denied a treatment plan for CRPS and only given a referral for clinical depression.

In addition, Dr. Campbell grabbed my affected arm, despite my protest causing me such intense pain that I fell into a fixture and suffered severe bruising as a result.

When I requested to be seen in follow up by another physician I received a nice little letter stating that if I really did not feel comfortable with Dr. James Campbell I could be referred to Kernand Hospsital.

The result was that I was spurred into action to find good treatment at a small private pain center. I did, in fact return for my three month follow up with Dr. Campbell, after filing a formal complaint against him. I presented with a neurological evaluation confirming the diagnosis of CRPS, a psychiatric evaluation, from a facility which only cost a $15.00 co pay (which showed no clinical depression), an evaluation by a board certified pain management doctor (diagnosis of CRPS as well as a follow up report from another ER visit (diagnosis CRPS) and my orthopedic follow up report (diagnosis CRPS). Additionally I had a referral from the pain management doctor to and was accepted as a patient by Dr. Robert Schwartzman to be treated for CRPS.

While my husband took notes, I dragged Dr. Campbell page by page through his written report of my prior visit. I reminded him that I had requested that rather than address me by my first name, he use my last name and preface it with my title, Dr. To say that he appeared to feel humiliated in front of the fellows observing was an understatement. Although he apologized and stated that he had made a mistake it was obvious to me that he had been behaving this way toward women for years. (I initially saw Dr. Campbell because he had put a dear friend, a male into remission with an aggressive treatment plan. This male presented with almost exactly the same symptoms as I presented with.)

After that visit I once again requested a new physician but received a letter from the legal department dismissing me as a patient from John's Hopkins Hospital with a referral to Cleveland Clinic.

After subsequent complaints filed with local regulating agencies I noticed that Dr. James Campbell was no longer listed on the John's Hopkins Blaustein Pain treatment Center Website.

Sounds like I was done a real favor because a colleague of my husband's with CRPS had a very bad experience with a doctor named Raja, who I probably would have seen. She started with upper limb CRPS and ended up in a wheelchair from being under his care.

Since it took several months to get into Hopkins I often wonder if I would have had a chance for remission if I received a treatment plan in a timely manner.

My husband often reminds me that Dr. James Campbell felt much more pain than I did on many levels. I am just glad he is no longer treating women.

My question is, how did he get away with this for so long. I believe the answer is obvious.

Although Hopkins has many fine and world renowned departments, their pain treatment center is no heavy weight.

Ballerina -

I am in awe. James Campbell, MD, trained as a neurosurgeon - and surgical training is always a help around Hopkins - carried a major stick in RSD-Land.

But he was such a jerk! In 2006, a family friend of sorts, then the chair of the Division of Rheumatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester - suggested that I see a colleague at Hopkins who was working on an anti-IL6 medication. But once the referral letter got to this guy, he said he couldn't see me because RSD was not a "defined rheumatological condition." (Try telling that to Dr. Candy McCabe et al at the Royal Hospital of Rheumatology in Bath.) In any event, rather than see me himself, Dr. Campbell assigned my file to a newly-certified but nontenured "Instructor in Neuro-Immunology," who was almost apoplectic upon reading the chart and walking into the room. She said, "I treat multiple sclerosis, what am I doing seeing you?" When I explained the background, and my physician in Minnesota who said I could get a complete cytokine panel at Hopkins "because they are doing them all the time," I was told that she knew of no way to order the tests for a clinical patient, i.e., outside of a laboratory setting. When I asked if she could just call Dr. Campbell (remembering the level of peer-to-peer communication and consultation at the Mayo Clinic) she looked me square in the eyes and said "What makes you think he would return my call."

Suffice to say, I flew across the country for nothing.

So thank you and yours. That was a good day's work.

Mike

Very glad he got the send off he deserved!!!!

I went to JH when I was first diagnosed with RSD...1989. The best place I went was in Philadelphia. Can't think of the hospital's name, but it's the major one, at the time, and the doctor was the head of neurology, Dr. Tomoush. Spelling may be off, but I know he's still there. hope this helps.

Ballerina,

Good for you. I wish more of us would do what you did. I have not heard of any one w/RSDgettng any real treatment there.

It is really ashame when patients have to experience such negativity with an MD. It also took be some time to find doctors to 1 correct my arm which I almost lost funtioning and 2 to deal with my RSD. If was just luck that my son had a friend who's father worked for the NBA, National Basketball Association, and he is the one who referred me to the Hosptial For Special Surgery. And when I tell you if I didn't get proper treatment at the exact time I was referred I would have lost functioning. As it was they, HSS, did not tihink I would get more then 45% back. But I did about to 90% and that's pushing it a little, returned to work, PT only, but it gets me out and keeps my skills up to date, and I at least feel I have my life back to a point.

Ballerina, I hope everyone reads your post because just because a person as the 2 letters MD next to there name does not mean they are doing there job right and looking out for a persons best interest, like they take an oath to do.

Thank you again and so sorry you had sucha bad experience. But thank you for sharing so we can all be aware.

Gabbycakes