Patient Beware
FYI: This review is on the Revitalist in Raleigh, NC & their upper management in Knoxville, TN.
-I was there to receive ketamine infusions for pain- each day was $500 (& I literally make $900/month from disability, so this is a huge loss). I have a medical condition that makes me unable to sit for more than 15 mins w/out intense pain & presyncope. I need to lay on a flat surface like a bed or a couch with one continuous cushion. Example: I have a daybed in my living room so I can see my family.
-The nurse knew this because when I went to my consultation, 15 mins in I was about to pass out from the pain. My mom told her that we couldn’t continue if there was nowhere for me to lay down. I laid on their flat couch in the waiting room to finish the interview. At the end of the consultation, I explained that I couldn’t do the treatment if I didn’t have a place to lay flat during the entire treatment. They do their treatments in recliners. She really wanted me to sign up, so she said that they were going to figure something out for me. We’ve spoken about it many times & she knew what I needed & why; I’ve been like this for 7 yrs so this is not new or temporary.
On my very first day going there, she said that they’d brought a couch in from somewhere else in the building for me & it would be my treatment room each time I came. And honestly my 1st 5 treatments were amazing. However, after my initial treatments, I made the mistake of talking to someone in upper management about some concerns I had (which have been resolved). I was assured that my questions wouldn’t cause any problems @ my subsequent visits & I should call the nurse to set up my 3 boosters w/no worries.
When I talked on the phone to the nurse she made several comments about how I shouldn’t have gone above her head & I should’ve asked her my questions instead. But I apologized & thought that was enough. Before I got off the phone I asked if my couch room would be available all 3 days & she promised me it would.
After all 3 visits were paid for & my ride had left she took me back & very fake cheerily said that my room wouldn’t be available because “it’s a consultation room now,” & I had “graduated to a room w/a recliner.” These treatments last over 5 hrs. She knew it was vital to my health & would cause severe pain & possible damage if I didn’t have the use of the couch.
-I started panicking. I started crying & begging her for some kind of solution, but she completely ignored me, acting like I wasn’t crying & showing no empathy @ all. She just proceeded to put my IV in like nothing was happening. I was hysterical by the time she got me under the effects of ketamine. She still hadn’t apologized or shown any ounce of compassion for what she was doing to me. I was absolutely terrified to be going under when I knew what she was doing & I couldn’t protect myself.
This continued the 2nd & 3rd day. I begged again to get my room back to no avail. I was bawling in pain by day 3. Remember: I already paid & I really needed this treatment. She had me between a rock & a hard place. Plus I was hoping the ketamine would overpower the damage from the chair. I felt like I had no choice.
-The pain from laying up against these lumpy chairs (very comfy for normal people mind you) for almost 6 hrs 3 days in a row killed anything the ketamine might’ve done for me & caused me extreme muscle spasms every time I sat or stood at all for over 4 wks afterwards. Not to mention the anxiety of knowing that someone had done something like that to me & nobody had stopped her. Ever since it happened, I’ve been emotionally messed up & in knots over the incident itself & the way I’ve been treated by everyone involved when trying only to get justice for myself.
-I sent this entire story to upper management & they completely ignored it. Did not even respond. They had to be prodded multiple times by myself and an advocate over nearly 3 wks before they would answer me. When I asked for a refund for those 3 days he said “no” citing that it would “set a precedent“ & they could give me 25% off of a few treatments. As though I would ever feel safe going there again.