As the founder and owner of Innerbloom Ketamine Therapy, I am often asked why I started this new practice focusing on the treatment of mental health. Why did I make a radical career change and leave behind the life of a surgeon to pursue an entirely different profession? Today, I want to share my journey with you. I will begin by discussing my first exposure to ketamine during my surgical training, then delve into my experiences with this medicine as an acute care trauma surgeon. Finally, I will share personal aspects of my life, including my struggles with anxiety and previous hardships, that ultimately drove me to make this significant change and follow my passion to help others in my community.
I vividly recall my first experience using ketamine on a pediatric burn patient during my time as a first-year surgical resident in Temple, Texas. A young boy, around six or seven, came into the emergency department after suffering a serious burn to his forearm. While his mother was cooking, he reached for the stove and spilled boiling water onto his arm, resulting in a third-degree burn. After a severe burn like this, it is vital to remove dead tissue to decrease the risk of infection and jumpstart healing. This process, called debridement, involves scraping off dead skin and tissue. As one can imagine, this is an extremely painful and potentially traumatic experience for anyone, let alone a young child. We used ketamine to consciously sedate the child and quickly perform the debridement procedure. The advantage of using ketamine, rather than another anesthetic, is that the patient does not need a breathing tube, and there is limited concern regarding affecting respiratory drive or blood pressure. I was astonished that we were able to perform this procedure while the boy was wide awake and completely unbothered as we physically removed flesh from his arm. I was amazed to see how well ketamine treated pain and acute anxiety.
Fast forward a few years to my time working as an acute care and trauma surgeon. I often encountered patients who suffered from extreme distress and anxiety which, in addition to compounding their pain, could delay life-saving diagnosis and treatment. In the emergency room setting, ketamine was used for trauma patients to help keep them calm and safe, allowing for further workup and treatment. Unlike medications typically used for pain and anxiety, such as morphine (an opioid) or alprazolam (a benzodiazepine), ketamine offers distinct advantages. While morphine and alprazolam are highly effective, they can affect blood pressure and breathing and have addictive properties. Conversely, ketamine can be administered without these harmful side effects and has a very rapid onset of action, within minutes.
Ketamine is a remarkable medicine that I found immensely useful during my time as a surgeon and while working on the frontlines in the emergency department. It became my go-to medication for patients due to its safety and efficacy. Over time, I noticed that patients who received ketamine rather than opioids not only had better immediate anxiety and pain control but also tended to recover from traumatic events far better. I suspect that ketamine was able to prevent PTSD in many instances.
From a very young age, I aspired to be a physician. I learned quickly that the path toward a career in medicine required discipline, sacrifice, and high achievement. I set the bar high for myself and settled for nothing less than perfection. Enter anxiety. My conviction to become a great physician, combined with my unforgiveness towards myself for making mistakes or being sidetracked, brought on an extreme sense of anxiety and apprehension about failure. Medical school and residency demanded relentless testing, both of knowledge and willpower. For most of my training, I believed I needed to “fake it until you make it,” and I didn’t believe in my own skills. I felt that it was only a matter of time until everyone realized I didn’t belong there. I now know that this is called ‘imposter syndrome.’ Nevertheless, I lived in a constant state of anxiety, even while scoring high grades and remaining at the top of my class.
Fast forward a few years to when I underwent heartache and the unexpected loss of what I thought would be my lifelong partner. I was devastated when my wife asked for a divorce, which spiraled me into a dark depression. I was unsure what exactly to do, but it was quite clear that I needed help. Having seen firsthand the potential toxic effects of antidepressants (and always being very cautious about what I put in my body), I decided to seek another solution. As a trauma surgeon, I knew how well ketamine worked for PTSD, and I soon learned it was a helpful option for depression as well. I mustered the courage to undergo a series of infusions for my post-divorce depression. I vividly recall feeling remarkably better after just the first infusion. I was astonished to feel the heavy weight of depression lift, and my feelings of dread were replaced with joy, motivation, and purpose. I began to make healthier choices and take better care of myself again. As cliché as it sounds, ketamine saved my life. I knew at that point I had to help others find this relief. I wanted to start by making a difference in my beloved community. It was then that I discovered my true calling in life, which set me on a quest to learn everything about ketamine therapy. The rest is history.
That is my path that led me to the present moment and why I chose to start Innerbloom. Hopefully this helps you understand who I am and why I am so passionate about this life-saving form of therapy. You can book a consultation to personally speak with me, to learn more about ketamine therapy, and to see if ketamine is right for you.