Introduction

Prior to my hospital admission for a ketamine infusion for chronic pain I struggled to find information that would help me understand what I was getting myself into. What would it be like, what would happen to me, what would I be doing for the nine days of the hospital stay? This blog follows my experience from deciding to have the ketamine infusion, my expectations and journey through it and out the other side many months later.

I am planning on videoing every day so I can chronicle and upload my experience. I have never done something like this before but I am motivated by how little information I could find and, importantly, how little Australian information.

I have found it difficult to decide whether I am writing in the past or the present as my writings have also been fluid. Please excuse me if I drift between the two depending on how I was/am feeling at the time.

I have no expectations on the end result of the infusion, as my pain specialist Raph said many years ago: Karen. Nothing will take your pain away. To imagine not taking any pain meds and for my pain to go away is like believing in fairy tales.

My inability to get a clear picture of what it was going to be like made me determined to document my own experience, so hopefully someone else who is looking for information will find my journey helpful.

My desire for this blog is for it to become a place where people can share their experiences with having ketamine infusions. I would like to see it develop into a useful resource for people looking for information before they make a choice whether they will have this treatment. If you would like to share your experience please send me an email to: ketmainekaren@gmail.com  You will find other people's perspectives at the very end of this blog.