Sickle Cell Crisis Treatment
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a common, inherited blood disorder that affects approximately 100,000 individuals throughout the United States. Healthy blood cells are round-shaped and carry oxygen throughout the body. In those with SCD or sickle cell anemia — one of the most common types of SCD — red blood cells become sickle-shaped, hard, and sticky. They also die earlier than healthy cells, causing a chronic shortage of red blood cells, and debilitating episodes of mild-to-severe chronic pain can occur at random.
At Florida Mind Health Center, we provide innovative therapies for the treatment of chronic pain using ketamine, helping our patients restore their health for long-term benefits and improved quality of life. Through ketamine treatment, opioid-intolerant patients and those who have found traditional sickle cell pain treatments to be limiting and ineffective find the relief they need. To learn more about available treatments offered at our ketamine treatment center, or to schedule sickle cell crisis treatment, contact our clinic today.
Sickle Cell Crisis Symptoms
This disease is caused by a mutation in the gene that provides instructions to the body to make hemoglobin (the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen). The hallmark of sickle cell disease is vaso-occlusive pain that can be episodic and acute or may progress to chronic, severe, and persistent pain with random, disabling exacerbations.
Individuals diagnosed with sickle cell anemia may experience a sickle cell crisis, or sickle cell pain crisis, which occurs when sickle-shaped red blood cells clump together, preventing these cells from passing through small blood vessels and even blocking them from transporting blood to the chest, abdomen, and joints, as well as certain bones, muscles, and organs. While some people with sickle cell disease have few or no painful events, others may have many.
The pain varies in intensity and can last for a few hours to a few weeks. A severe pain crisis typically requires inpatient hospital treatment. A portion of individuals with sickle cell anemia experience chronic pain due to bone and joint damage, ulcers, and several additional causes.
Ketamine Treatment For Chronic Pain
Sickle cell anemia puts patients in such severe pain that they can require admission to the hospital for treatment. This makes pain management a difficult challenge for doctors to treat as well as patients suffering from this condition. To manage chronic pain from sickle cell disease, most patients rely almost exclusively on opioids and IV hydration. However, a significant number of patients may be ineligible for traditional treatment for sickle cell anemia due to an intolerance to opioids, preexisting conditions, or other reasons.
To combat the limitations of available treatments for chronic pain, physicians and their patients turn to ketamine for effective and restorative chronic pain management. During our ketamine treatment protocol, ketamine targets, binds to, and inhibits N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, blocking communications within the brain that signal pain throughout the body and, subsequently, restoring vital connections previously lost due to sickle cell disease. Treatments with ketamine are individualized to each patient’s unique chemistry and can be combined with other medications for a well-balanced approach to treatment.
Ketamine Treatment Centers In Gainesville, FL
At Florida Mind Health Center, we take a tailored approach to treatment using compassionate care and professional therapies designed to accommodate each patient’s health and wellness needs. Our team is skilled in helping patients find the ideal treatment for their needs, heal from previous traumas and conditions, and achieve effective pain management. If you suffer from a pain condition, contact our ketamine treatment center today to find out how our sickle cell crisis treatment can help improve your daily life.