Idaho

Hello and welcome.  My name is Susan.  I am a huge advocate of Ketamine therapy for depression.  I write about my experiences with Ketamine treatments on my website, MyKetamineStory.com.   I want to introduce myself to you because educating others on this new method of treating depression is so very important to me.  I am 100% convinced that had I not been told about Ketamine, I would not be sitting in front of my computer writing this opening.  As an introduction, I have treatment resistant depression, anxiety disorder, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) but that isn’t who I am.

I live in Virginia.  I have a passion for writing and photography.  I enjoy my job as a newborn photographer at my local hospital.  I also love sewing and crafting.  I basically love the arts.  I am at my best when I am creating.  I am married and have one child.  My husband and son are my major support system; without Geoffrey and Matthew my life would be empty.  I enjoy and thrive on learning new things.   It makes me feel I have a purpose in life when I am helping others.  My intention with this blog is to reach out to others with clinical depression and turn on a light of  hope.  Ketamine is my life preserver and it may possibly be yours, too.

My desire is to educate both the general public as well as physicians and nurse practitioners on the use of Ketamine for treatment resistant depression.  I am writing from my own experiences. I get Ketamine treatments every two weeks and have been for over two and a half years now.  It has thoroughly changed my life.

I was diagnosed with clinical depression and generalized anxiety disorder at the age of 18.  I spent nearly 30 years after that searching for treatment to pull me from the depths of suicidal depression, daily panic attacks, insomnia and agoraphobia without success and plenty of horror stories.  My light was out and my expectations that my life would improve didn’t exist when I discovered Ketamine Infusions; which is a form of drug therapy for treatment resistant depression.

My blog is my journey.  I pray that others suffering will somehow find their way to my website so I can introduce them to the possibilities of Ketamine.

I traveled to a clinic in New Jersey and started out with six Ketamine Infusions over a two week period.  During my Ketamine treatments with Dr. Levine I was fortunate enough to be told about Dr. Charles Moseley from Charlottesville, Va.   I was excited because I live an hour from his office instead of the 6 hours it takes to get to New Jersey.  I was told Dr. Moseley was interested in Ketamine and was willing to start administering intramuscular Ketamine shots.  I have been working with Dr. Moseley since April of 2015.  I began Ketamine shots shortly upon my return from the Ketamine Treatment Center of Princeton in New Jersey.   Dr. Steven Levine continues to be a valuable asset for me. I highly recommend both of these doctors if you reside in their areas.

I began writing and advocating Ketamine for Depression in January 2017.  You may question why I waited so long to start discussing my praise of Ketamine. I know I would wonder that, if I found a blog hyping up a new therapy for depression.  In fact, back in 2015, my husband had a lot of convincing to do to get me to believe in Ketamine enough to try it.  I have tried numerous treatments, practically every nightmare medication cocktail imaginable, been hospitalized more than I care to admit, I even tried 12 sessions of Electroconvulsive therapy  (ECT) trying to break free from the suicidal depression I felt.  I didn’t want to put my faith into yet another costly treatment only to discover I would never see past the intense suicidal thoughts I had running non-stop in my head.  To be completely honest, I was in a very dark place and even with the help of Ketamine treatments, it has been a long journey to the surface.  I was profoundly depressed for decades.  I am sure anyone that is depressed, and even those fortunate enough not to have a mental illness, can understand that healing takes time.  It also involved immense personal growth and even more cognitive work because of default systems that I put in place in order to survive.  Ketamine allows me the clarity to do all the behavior modifications I struggled with in the past.  I have accumulated many tools over the years for battling this deadly illness but found the tools failed me time and time again because the depression engulfed me.  It paralyzed me.  Progress was painfully slow, but now I can observe myself and the way I process information. I genuinely know when the depression filters are switched back on.  Ketamine gives me a solid 8-10 days of relief before I sense myself sliding and in need of another treatment..  This method of treatment is phenomenal to me.  I mean, it is crazy that one drug given every two weeks without side effects is easing my hateful depression. I believe anyone walking in my shoes would want to shout to the world about it.  I needed to be emotionally strong in my recovery before I could do that..

In January of this year I felt ready to open up and speak.  I struggle.  People ask tough questions.  People say hurtful comments.  I won’t back down.  I may pull back to lick my wounds and process, but I will not stop educating. I know now that sometimes people speak out because of ignorance.  I also believe that I have met some incredible people because I am sharing my story and remarkably, my words have inspired.  I started my website this year and have been advocating anyway that I can find in hopes of finding those people still suffering and at a loss for options.

I had been blogging about my experiences with Ketamine therapy for a several months before I encountered Boise Ketamine Clinic and added them to my Ketamine Provider & Location list.  Shortly after adding the clinic to my list, Nykol Rice, CRNA, reached out to me to thank me for adding her business to my Ketamine Provider List.  I was very excited to hear that Nykol has a Ketamine center in Boise, Idaho.  I am always thrilled to discover another Ketamine clinic opening in a state, like Idaho, that hasn’t had a facility for those suffering to find help.  I was told when I spoke with Nykol that her Boise Ketamine Clinic was established over a year ago.

After our initial contact I continued to write, share and advocate for Ketamine. I know that Ketamine is Hope for Treatment Resistant Depression. I feel it is extremely important to educate our society on the use of Ketamine for depression. This new treatment for depression needs a voice.  I want to be one of those voices shouting the loudest about Ketamine Infusions, Ketamine Clinics, Ketamine Centers, Intramuscular Ketamine shots, and how spectacular this “old” drug is at combatting treatment resistant depression.  Lately, new evidence is being released documenting how Ketamine Infusions are helping battle PTSD symptoms.  It is remarkable.  I am proof that Ketamine is playing a massive role in allowing me to live symptom free; even if it means I have to return every two weeks to get a booster shot.

It is because of my website and writings that Nykol Rice, who is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, reached out to me again.  Nykol explained how she has been enjoying my blog posts and how she too desires to educate others about the uses of Ketamine for depression.  There really is a deep need to spread the news about a drug that has been around for decades but is only recently being used to treat PTSD and Depression.  Ketamine is also being used for a wide variety of chronic pain management issues.  Nykol and I have spoken on the phone and via texts and emails sharing our excitement about the success of Ketamine Therapy.  I was so happy that I was able to introduce her to the success of Intramuscular (IM) Ketamine shots.  Nykol was thrilled to hear of my history with IM Ketamine shots and she totally agreed that she would love the opportunity to provide a more cost effective option to her clients.  Boise Ketamine Clinic will be adding IM Ketamine to their services soon.  It was during our conversation that Nykol asked me if I would be interested in writing for her website about my experiences with Ketamine.  I asked my “quiz” questions and loved the answers I received from Nykol about her Ketamine business.  I happily agreed to share my story with her clients.  The way I see it is, the more people discussing Ketamine online the better.  There are still so many, many individuals that haven’t even heard of Ketamine and if they have, it is probably the club or street version and not as the Ketamine administered by a qualified professional to treat depression.  Education is needed.  I want desperately to help others who are suffering.  I attempt to do this through my musings.  I am thrilled to have another platform to discuss how this treatment has improved my life.  It might be the light you need to find your way out of your hateful pit of despair.

I hope you will join me in learning more about Ketamine by reading my blog posts and sharing with friends and family.  I will be posting regularly on Boise Ketamine Clinic.  I also write for The Injection & Infusion Clinic of ABQ website, as well as, on my personal website at MyKetamineStory.com.  I know what a miraculous drug Ketamine is.  I am absolutely confident that I have lived 2.5 years (and counting) longer than I would have if my husband had never discovered an article in 2015, while my body was fighting to survive my last suicide attempt, about using Ketamine for treatment resistant depression.  I continue to heal and grow with the help of Ketamine.

We all need a platform to stand on and be heard.  I thank Nykol Rice for caring enough for patient needs to request my help.  I sincerely want to inform as many people as I can.  It is possible that we may all know someone suffering from Treatment Resistant Depression or PTSD.  I believe they might benefit from Ketamine Infusions.  I know that I definitely have had, and continue to have, amazing success with Ketamine treatments. I know how frantic I have felt when I had no hope, no light guiding my way.  If one person reads this blog and can help themselves or someone they love out of darkness I know from experience how life altering Ketamine can be.

In conclusion, If you know of anyone suffering with treatment resistant depression, like I do, let them know that Ketamine therapy may be an option worth looking into.  It has been and continues to offer me relief from my symptoms.  If you or someone you know are considering Ketamine infusion therapy, please visit the Boise Ketamine Clinic website for low cost ketamine infusion and injection options.  If you are not in the Boise, Idaho area I suggest approaching a local professional and start educating them on the benefits of Ketamine.  It doesn’t hurt to ask for what you need.  You can also visit my Ketamine Provider & Location List to find a provider in your area.

Originally posted on Boise Ketamine Clinic website.