Finally Free from PTSD: Dan’s Story

Dan was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the young age of eleven. While manageable at first, the disease progressed over the years and was the start of a downward spiral in his life. Severe Crohn’s flares sent Dan to the hospital on numerous occasions. He began to hate his body. He wanted to be normal, but frequent diarrhea, pain and other symptoms made it difficult for Dan to work or socialize with friends. As the years went by, his flare-ups and complications from the disease continued. By his mid 30’s, Dan had endured multiple surgeries and required an ileostomy to collect the waste from his body, something he had dreaded his entire life.

The stress of Crohn’s not only took a toll on Dan’s body over the years, it also wreaked havoc on his mental health. Constant health struggles, combined with other trauma in his life, led Dan to suffer from PTSD. He was gripped by anxiety and depression that was only worsening with time. While happily married, Dan struggled to look to the future. When his Crohn’s worsened yet again, Dan was forced to leave his career. He couldn’t help but feel like the life he had worked for was slipping away.

Dan pursued several treatments to get his depression and anxiety under control. Anti-depressants would often work for a short period of time, but ultimately did not continue to be effective, or weren’t enough. Desperate, Dan started to research alternative treatment options, which led him to Innovative Ketamine.

Ketamine is an anesthetic that has been safely used in operating rooms since the 1960s. In recent years, it has proven to be a safe and effective treatment for severe depression and pain. The off-label use of ketamine involves delivering the drug through an IV drip over the course of about 60 minutes. During the infusion, patients are able to disassociate, a unique characteristic of ketamine. While more research is needed to determine how exactly ketamine works, studies suggest that ketamine restores connections between different parts of the brain, allowing the patient to process traumas more quickly than conventional therapy. This prompts patients to address unprocessed trauma in the brain, which has been shown to be a root cause of many illnesses, including depression and anxiety.

Dan describes his experience with ketamine as freeing. During the appointments, he is able to escape and ease his mind. In the hours following an appointment, traumatic memories enter the mind, only to be quickly accepted and resolved.

“It’s as if I am able to finally say, yes, that happened and it is a part of my story, but it doesn’t define me,” said Dan. “I am able to let go of the strong feelings associated with those events.”

Since his first course of treatment in February, 2019, Dan has returned to Innovative Ketamine for maintenance infusions every four to six weeks to keep his depression at bay. His health issues with Crohn’s may still persist, but the dark cloud of depression has been lifted from Dan’s shoulders. He is once again able to look to the future with hope and optimism. His wife, family and friends all notice a remarkable change in Dan’s mood. He smiles, laughs and makes the best of his days again. Their loved one is back.