Just to clear some confusion up about Hannanhmein Hospital and Drexel University. Drexel is a teaching medical institution not a hospital there is no "Drexel Hospital". There students from what I understand do fellowishisps and residentsies at Hannanhmein and Hosp. of Philly. Dr. S patients go to Hannanhmein. I think the one very different issue with Hannanhmein is that is was brought my Tenat, which I don't know the connection but they are a medical corporation exactly what they do is a unknown towashed me and changed my sheets everyday the care was incredible. I have also me.

I did mine at Hospital for Special Surgery with Dr. Richman, and I saw him 3x's a day everyday,PT came on Wed. to start moving me and would not let me leave until I could walk on my own, I also had 5 surgeries there and the treatment is was the same.

And one more thing I just have to clear up the boosters, which I did with Dr. S after each time I did a 5 day inpatient , Dr Richman does not do boosters, are nothing like a 5 day inpatient infusion. I don't mean to make light of the people who choose the booster route.

Just all be carefull who you let do this procedure to you.

Good luck.

Gabbycakes

Thanks Gabby for clarifying the relationship between the 2 institutions (Drexel and Hahnemann). I grew up outside of Philly and always had heard that Hahnemann was an amazing place. It seems like something has definitely changed.

Too bad we all can't see Dr. Richman. He sounds awesome. But he doesn't accept WC. As a matter of fact, I may have read that he's not accepting any insurance right now at all...only cash.

Dr. Getson accepted me as a patient, knowing I was a WC victim, and he never sent me a bill (which I ran up to the tune of $40,000). He waited for the RI WC courts to approve payment for his services, which took many months. In the meantime, when I freaked over the under payments by United Healthcare, he calmly told me, "I know I am going to get paid." He is one of the nicest doctors I have ever met. AND he is highly competent. I have yet to find a PM doctor in my home state of RI that will take care of my RSD without WC pre-approval.


Sandy

Kathy -

I am so sorry to hear what you went through.

This is all so strange to me. Six years ago I had a 5-day Lidocaine infusion at Hahnemann, owned at that time by Tenant, with wonderful care provided by Dr. Schwartzman and his group, Drexel Neurological Associates. I remember one morning in great pain - the Lidocaine wasn't working - and a kindly resident prescribed a shot of Demerol. And then when my hospitalization took an extra day because I needed a (now quaint) central line in order to get the leads into my constricted veins, Dr. Schwartzman came in on a Saturday and spent over an hour in a discharge meeting with my wife and me, explaining that a trip to Germany for the ketamine coma was then my best option: something that was scratched once the German doctors learned I had glaucoma.

But in my time, the only thing that people of that time routinely complained of was how hot the 20th floor always seemed to be.

I have no idea what/why things appear to have changed. The one thing that hasn't - to my knowledge - is the ketamine patient's need to remain as stress free as possible in the weeks after discharge, in order for the infusion to do its thing. As tough as that sounds, you have to try and give it a go.

Good luck.

Mike

PS Sandy, let me get the jump on Pete here, Dr. Getson trained with Dr. Schwartzman alright, but it was at Thomas Jefferson Hospital, i.e. pre-Drexel University School of Medicine. Heck, I remember when Drexel was just an engineering school adjacent to 30th Street Station.

Thanks Mike, I knew there was another hospital involved but could not think of the name.

I was shocked also to here of the care but the takeover by Tenat or Tenant
has changed things.

Gabbycakes

Thank you for clearing some of my questions up. So Dr S does not see you daily while you are having the treatments? Is there another doctor who is checking you? See for me the reason I would go to Dr S would be to see him and be treated by him not by someone else.
I'm wondering if things have changed with how Dr S because he is busier now with so many RSD patients plus the other type of patients he see's.
Anyhow kathy I hope you are resting and feeling better.