[keep smilin]

For those of you who have received Ketamine treatments.... Again excuse me for sounding silly..but.. once the regime has been thought out for your case and you are begining treatment...were you obligated to stay close by, or even required to stay as an inpatient while receiving the treatment?? How did you manage when you had to travel a distance (mine will be 6 hrs. driving time)....did you stay close by the treatment center and go each day..for how long?? Average?? Crazy but I worry about my families as my husband has to work..kids have school.. I almost think I should go alone... It's just like me but I worry more about them than myself... they would be angry for me thinking this way..... I am a Mom and a wife as you can tell... the treatment and then boosters could take up to months right???? But hang on..here is my best thought..how about this..can we receive the treament/boosters at a medical Center near by us..like receiving Chemo...have the drug sent to us?.. I guess not as it has to be done in a controlled envirnoment by Dr. S and staff but correct me if I am wrong.....I know now excuse me for this whole thread but I am trying to do my homework..my appt. in Philadelphia is in March with Dr. S....gotta line up all of my ducks...KS is a bit nervous!

Thanks friends...

[SandyRI]

I hear you Karen - I've worried about the same thing. How do people with families and limited budgets EVER manage this stuff?

We have tentatively planned that my husband will stay here (5 hours away) with the kids and work. I will go to Jersey and stay with my brother, who lives only 11 miles away from where I am getting treated. He has agreed to help me. I also have a sister only an hour and a half away in Dover, Delaware who is a nurse who wants to take care of me (but she has her own family to take care of).

I would prefer to have my husband with me. But we have no one to help us in RI - no parents or siblings nearby to depend on, and the kids need to go to school.

I have heard that there is a hotel near Schwartzman's office that people often stay in that offers good rates to his patients. Have you asked his office about nearby hotels?

Good luck, Sandy

[keep smilin]

Originally Posted by SandyRI

I hear you Karen - I've worried about the same thing. How do people with families and limited budgets EVER manage this stuff?

We have tentatively planned that my husband will stay here (5 hours away) with the kids and work. I will go to Jersey and stay with my brother, who lives only 11 miles away from where I am getting treated. He has agreed to help me. I also have a sister only an hour and a half away in Dover, Delaware who is a nurse who wants to take care of me (but she has her own family to take care of).

I would prefer to have my husband with me. But we have no one to help us in RI - no parents or siblings nearby to depend on, and the kids need to go to school.

I have heard that there is a hotel near Schwartzman's office that people often stay in that offers good rates to his patients. Have you asked his office about nearby hotels?

Good luck, Sandy

Sandy.. Thank you for not making me feel crazy in asking these questions... I did hear of the hotel next to Drexel... I have been wanting to call them and DR.S's....office and ask want to expect... and get my insurance co. on board also... Somehow tho I am having trouble wrapping my heart around this as it seems like it will be a large step and disrupt our life here..and I don't feel weel enough to push into it ...RSD!!!! Can you understand this....I partly wouldn't mind going there alone as I need some time to think this out and veg about my RSD existence... every once in a while I got to re-group as we all do, I am sure in that.. look at RSD is doing to me! But my husband would never allow me to do that... I like my solution..send the Ketamine to one of our Medical Centers and I'll come in for my treatment... sounds easy huh?... Thanks again..Sandy..

Kathy

[SandyRI]

Sorry I called you Karen - I meant Kathy -- please forgive!!

My doctor in Boston told me that he went to a conference not too long ago where Dr. S made a compelling presentation regarding the need for more licensed pain centers offering ketamine booster treatments, and pointed out that the requirements are not that difficult to comply with. He told me he thought that soon his hospital may be able to take care of me when I needed my boosters, and that eventually after I had my initial treatments in Jersey we might not need to do all that traveling again.

There is one hospital already doing ketamine in Boston - but they have closed their doors to new patients. I have had two heartbreaking experiences with their docs -they are MEAN - and I really don't ever want to go back there.

I love my current practictioner and his staff, and hope that they will get up to speed with the ketamine treatment ASAP. In the meantime, it's a long hard trip to southern NJ from here because of the roads - YUK! - but that is where I grew up and we've been doing the drive for 25 years.

Where are you coming from? Can you find someone to stay with you - a sibling or a parent or a friend? You may want to start putting some feelers out or have a heart to heart with your husband about it. The subject of who was going to take care of me and the kids has been a hard concept for me - it's alway been the other way around for me. And here I go - crying again.... have a good one XOXOX Sandy

[hannah1234]

My infusions were for 3 days, and 4 hours each... but i was at the surgery center for 2 hours after my infusions ended (because I was asleep during the infusions it took awhile for me to wake up and be able to walk and go bathroom etc.) Where I had mine done it was a little over an hour away from my home. I know alot of people stay in a hotel close to the place they are having the infusions if they are consecutive days in a row.

For me, boosters are when I feel the pain coming back I get in and have a booster. I acutally have a follow up appt this week after ketamine. I was a bit sick in the stomach afterwards, and I am sure ur doc can give you something for that. My advice... DONT BRING ANYTHING VALUABLE WITH YOU, unless you are ok with losing it!!!!!!!!!!! i lost a pair of really expensive sunglasses because i cant remember those 3 days of my life!!!

That is soooo exciting you get ketamine...

[daniella]

I agree about asking about special hotel rates. When I went to Cleveland Clinic from out of state they had various hotels with discount patient rates. I may have ketamine as well. I agree about maybe wanting someone to stay with you at the hotel cause you may feel sick and want help. I know though at CC they had shuttles to and from the hospital that ran regular. I am thinking would be the same at most big hospitals. I don't have kids or a husband but I hope you can put yourself first for this time so you can get a chance to a better place to have a happy full life with them.

[keep smilin]

Originally Posted by daniella

I agree about asking about special hotel rates. When I went to Cleveland Clinic from out of state they had various hotels with discount patient rates. I may have ketamine as well. I agree about maybe wanting someone to stay with you at the hotel cause you may feel sick and want help. I know though at CC they had shuttles to and from the hospital that ran regular. I am thinking would be the same at most big hospitals. I don't have kids or a husband but I hope you can put yourself first for this time so you can get a chance to a better place to have a happy full life with them.

Oh my.. as once again I feel loved!! Thank you..And Sandy..no worries my friend, as I like the name karen ....I so appreciate you all understanding my silly inquiry..it's valid right? You are catching the panicy ..Mother mess that I need my ducks in a row... This is very important for my possible pain relief, my husband and kids are on board nicely with that.. my in-laws live ~90 minutes from there and a retired sister in law.. if... as you suggested I need assistance..and my belly is witchy!! I can possibly ask for their company..I am not big on being alone but just nervous about others before me..THATS ME!!! A small flaw I have..tee-hee...

I wish you all a great night and again thank you for your honesty and concern from the bottom of my heart!!!!

Much love, kathy