Has anyone had any experience with ketamine infusions?

[rendean]

I 'm scheduled for my first ketamine infusion tomorrow and now at the last minute , I am getting scared. My son told me of stories of kids using "special K' , street quality ketamine and their bad reactions. He didn't mean to add to my anxiety but he did as did a lot of what I read on the net.

When this  treatment was last discussed by the pain doc , I had just finished a S-P block and was not totally with it. In fact my DH realized over dinner that they never gave us the script for the pre-procedure Valium. That can be remedied in the morning but I sure could use some good thoughts tonight. Anybody??????????????

[michelleric]

Ren, I am thinking of you and hope today goes well.
Love,
Michelle

[essdipity]

Hey girl. You may have already left for this infusion, but if you haven't, know I'm pulling for you.

If you're home from it, let us know how things are.

Many hugs,
ess

[HVAC]

Rendean,
   I just hope you feel better soon! It is the pits.

Alex and Polly sends kisses.

Alex

[twopack]

Sorry I got to this so late (not that I have any good info to share anyway) and glad to see the comments you needed were already here.  I too will be holding good thoughts for you come the morn'.

I do know the nerves always have a tendency to kick the doubts in hard just before good things start to happen.  Were you ever on a road trip and start to doubt the direction you were traveling?  You begin to slow down, ask if anything looks familiar, doubt your own abilities to read the signs and maps and (if you don't keep the faith just long enough) you turn around and go back the way you came from to get new directions --- only to find out your destination point was just around the bend from where you took that U-turn.  

Hey!  That sounds like the road you're on.  I'm thinking you should let hubby take the wheel when you get the valium Rx.  Then it's, "Take me to Painfree Plains, USA." and "Pay no attention to that chicken crossing the road."

I don't know diddly about ketamine but can you tell I've been down a road similar to this one and used the turn-around?  I always swear I'll learn my lesson and stick it out next time.  Ah, too often the spirit is willing but the faith is weak.  Yet, when I've stayed the course, I have come to good things.

Seeing good things in your future too.
Mary

[rendean]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the calming thoughts!

Ren

[suzsibs]

Hi
I can't advise you on ketamine, but I wanted to say I'll be thinking of you.
Big hug

Suz

[Quixotic1]

Ren - the pain docs have a huge amount of experience with ketamine now and how to control and prevent the bad effects seen in the street drug.  The two topics shouldn't even be discussed in the same conversation.  It's like saying all narcotics are bad because of heroin overdoses.  Huh?

Rest your mind and put your faith in this doc who has worked such miracles for you.  If you really need the answer, ask him straight out, what kinds and how many dysphoric reactions his patients have had.  I really think you have an expert here who wouldn't do something if the side effects were really bad.

Quix

[COBOB]

It is a dissociative anesthetic.  Special K on the streets is very little Ketamine and lots of junk people shouldn't take (ephedrine, etc).  We used to use quite a bit of it in the late 70 and early 80's for induction and maintenance of general anesthesia.   I do know that in regional pain syndrome, the theory is that Ketamine infusion in used to "reboot" the brain's pain center.  My recent experience with Ketamine is related to its use in veterinary medicine.  

Bob