My life has changed after going to Dr. Grindle and starting ketamine infusions. “Changed my life” doesn’t do it justice.
I’ve suffered from depression since I was 15 and diagnosed at 42, but depression continued to rule my life for the next 14 years.
My psychiatrist prescribed every antidepressant and combination of antidepressants for those 14 years and they all failed. He then diagnosed me with treatment resistant depression.
The hopelessness I felt was almost unbearable.
It took another 4 months of researching to finally decide on ketamine infusions. I was scared and didn’t believe anything was possible anymore.
My psychiatrist recommended Dr. Grindle. I had the first consultation with him before I was scheduled to have my first round of treatment. He was so kind and had great empathy towards me as I told him my story.
Now for the first time I feel like I am healing. I feel safe and calm with Sarah and Dr. Grindle when I go to the clinic.
I know it is not a cure, I see it as medicine for my depression that works when nothing else has.
– Clare M.
I am a current patient at Boulder Mind Care and am so grateful for the opportunity to receive care from these amazing people. They have been so understanding and supportive, and truly care about their patient’s mental health. I finished my initial six ketamine treatments and feel like a completely new person. They truly did change my life. I had struggled with depression and could not find a treatment that had worked for me, until I came to Boulder Mind Care. Now, I see what I have been missing out on in life. I have a completely new perspective, and feel so much happier and alive than I had before. I am very grateful for the opportunity to try these treatments, and encourage everyone looking into it to give them a shot. They really work, and could make a huge difference in your life. Doctor Grindle has put his life into this work, and it truly shows. Sarah and he are a great team and I am so grateful for everything they’re doing. They made a huge difference in my life. Thank you Boulder Mind Care!
18 year old female, name withheld
I have was diagnosed with Treatment Resistant Depression in 2006. I have tried over 15 different medications. They either don’t work, work for a while then stop working, or cause unacceptable side effects like feeling like an emotional zombie, or being unable to have sex, etc. I also have a history of alcohol and heroin abuse. I was trying to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol to treat my emotional suffering, but of course these just made everything worse. I have been clean and sober since my suicide attempt a number of years ago, but have still been suffering. After another failed trial of another anti-depressant, my psychiatrist referred me to Boulder Mind Care. I was amazed to find that Ketamine actually helped a lot, made me feel like I had not felt in a long time! I was living without depression, and without any side effects. Sarah and Dr. Grindle have been amazing. They listen to me, without making me feel rushed. They answer all of my questions, and explain everything clearly. Most importantly, they really care about me as a human being. I never feel judged with them. I am so glad my Psychiatrist referred me to them.
28 year old male, name withheld
My son has been receiving ketamine treatment here for about 1.5 years now, and it has been the key difference in treating his major depressive disorder. It pushed the depression back enough to allow him to feel hope, and be able to focus on learning and implementing strategies to make his life worth living. There are less expensive places to go for ketamine, and we did try that. The differences we found were in the monitoring throughout the treatment, and the level of compassion. The less expensive place was difficult to get a call back from to make an appointment despite our urgent situation. They only monitored blood pressure in the first few minutes, the person in the room with my son was a medical assistant – a repurposed clerical worker who wasn’t very friendly. She ignored me completely when we toured the office, and felt fake friendly toward my son. Clients are required to wear an eye mask, so we have no idea if she actually stayed in the room or even looked up from her computer. I was not allowed to stay in the room.
We have the opposite experience with Dr. Grindle. He is a highly trained physician monitoring blood pressure, heart rate, and blood oxygen levels constantly throughout the infusion. He knows the subtle, early signs that could indicate a potential problem, and knows what to do about it.
Other places we have dealt with (not only for ketamine but mental health in general) have been so uncaring, they didn’t care that we were in a crisis at the time, just flat said they wouldn’t be able to see us for 3 months. Both of the Grindles are wonderful human beings, they genuinely care about you as a person, listen to you, and help in the best way they can for each individual person. Chatting with Dr. Grindle during the infusions is something we look forward to every time. My son likes it best when we can all chat together, so Dr. G welcomes me into the room too. He has a great sense of humor, always has helpful ideas and insights, and has become one of our most trusted team members.
The saying ‘you get what you pay for’ applies to ketamine therapy too. It is worth every penny to receive such great care.
17 year old male, name withheld
My name is Dr. Jeffrey Fox, and I am a tenured Professor of Mathematics at CU Boulder. Like millions of people, I have suffered from depression and PTSD most of my life. I have sampled the smorgasbord of medications, often going back for seconds. I have been treated by therapists all over the United States, and each one has provided me with useful tools and insights to help manage my depression. PTSD has a been harder – the only techniques I’ve learned so far were 1) avoid the triggers and 2) hope for the best. These techniques were all I had until now, and they have not been very successful.
Then last year I discovered Ketamine Infusion Therapy, and it has been a game changer.
Dr Wade Grindle and Sarah Grindle are the founders of Boulder Mind Care, the first Ketamine Infusion Therapy clinic in Boulder. They have literally given me my life back. The Grindles are truly exceptional, caring, kind, and compassionate people. From the first moment I spoke with Sarah, I felt a renewed hope, because she really listened to my story. It was the first time in a LONG time that I felt like someone (other than my exceptional therapist) cared enough to truly listen to me.
I have had rare periods of remission from depression. More often, I’ve only been able to get to what I call “good enough”. “Good enough” is where I survive my day, doing what I have to do, and at the end of the day breathing a sigh of relief that I got through it, knowing tomorrow will be the same. “Good enough” is the state that many people like me strive for; “good enough” is what we settle for. The fantasy of sustained remission long ago fled my mind.
The trouble with “good enough” is, it’s not. Not only is “good enough” not good enough, in actuality, it is horrible. “Good enough” steals one’s life, one’s very humanity. The very things that make us human are just stamped down, if not completely erased. In the “good enough” state I become more like a robot than a human being.
Last year, I started to hear about ketamine, and how it was being used successfully to treat depression, PTSD, and chronic pain. One of the practical barriers I had in doing ketamine therapy was accessibility. I cannot drive after an infusion, so I had to have some way of getting from one of the Denver clinics back home. I’m single, with family far away, and I did not want to impose on my friends. Then I discovered that there was a Ketamine Infusion clinic in downtown Boulder (on Broadway between Pearl and Spruce), called Boulder Mind Care. The accessibility problem for me was now solved – getting from my house to the clinic is a 15 minute bus ride there and a 15 minute bus ride home. This was the final barrier I had to get over to try the therapy.
After that first conversation with Sarah Grindle, I sent them my history with their quick and easy online form. Dr. Grindle spoke with my therapist & reviewed my medical history, and I was able to quickly get in for my first appointment. The Grindles, as well as their nurse Stacie, are very compassionate, caring people, and I knew I was in good hands from the start.
After my initial consultation with Dr Grindle, I had my first ketamine infusion, and I had a dramatic improvement in my depression and anxiety. Later, at Dr Grindle’s recommendation, I tried “Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy” wherein I did therapy with my therapist while receiving ketamine at the same time. Ketamine by itself was incredible; ketamine and therapy simultaneously was miraculous. The ketamine enabled my therapist to walk with me through and process traumatic memories; in a way that was not painful or difficult. As a result, I had my most productive sessions ever!
My experience has been more than good, it has been unbelievable. While I have an exceptionally gifted therapist, since I started my ketamine infusions I’ve had more progress in dealing with PTSD in one year than I have in my entire life.
The ketamine therapy has not caused the depression symptoms to go into remission forever. Stress has always been one of the triggers for my depression. I still have stress in my life, but now, the ketamine therapy has given me resilience. My reaction to stress has changed; and that is everything. This is what I mean by resilience.
I am so grateful to Boulder Mind Care. The Grindles have been incredibly supportive, and have helped make this journey so much easier. I have no doubt they are supportive of everyone that they treat at that clinic. I can only feel grateful that they decided to open a clinic in Boulder that was readily accessible for me. Because of Boulder Mind Care, I have changed so much. I now have an effective tool for overcoming my depression and PTSD. I am so encouraged that I now have hope, and enthusiastic that I am finally moving on from “Good Enough” to “I Love My Life”!
This is my story, you will have to find your own.
Dr. Jeffrey S. Fox, Professor of Mathematics at CU Boulder
It’s so hard to find the words to express our gratitude for the amazing care that you have given our son. His depression and anxiety has been so hard on us as a family the last few years. We struggled watching him go into this dark place. He distanced himself from everyone and gave up activities that he loved.
As parents, you just want to find professional help for fear that something horrible might happen. Our son had a very kind psychiatrist and worked with us as a family to try and find solutions and hope. Antidepressants didn’t work and he just sank deeper into his own world.
When we read an article about Ketamine treatment, we were nervous and skeptical. Honestly, it was so far outside of the box for us, but we kept reading discussed it as a family and supported him in his decision to try Ketamine in hopes of helping him get his life back.
We knew we wanted an anesthesiologist to administer the treatments and fortunately for us, we discovered Boulder Mind Care. Honestly, your practice was not what we expected. It is much more intimate than we could have imagined. I feel like you know our son so well and you took the time to make us feel comfortable, knowing that we were traveling from out of state. Your total picture approach is amazing. He has learned things from his blood work that you requested, that we had no idea about…looking back, no one has ever looked at him as more than just a young man with depression. Thinking that an antidepressant can just “fix” someone without exploring other contributing factors […] is mind blowing. Yet, you are the first practice we’ve ever been to that brought it up during his 1st visit.
We were so nervous. He is our 1st born and is the light of our lives. He has so much to offer the world, but for so long now, he’s been withdrawn and we longed for the kid we once knew.
After 6 treatments, we can see something changing. Little things like normal conversations that include laughter. He got his hair cut, which sounds silly, but the anxiety over going to the barber has diminished. He has a desire to cook again. He has started to take an interest in exercising again. He’s not afraid to get back out into the world. Simply put, he has hope.
We know that our son has a long journey ahead of him, but we know he’s in great hands with you. We could go on and on, but we wanted to make sure you know what a difference you’ve made in all our lives. We are so grateful.
20 year old male, name withheld
There aren’t enough superlatives in the dictionary to adequately express all the ways I would passionately and enthusiastically I recommend Boulder Mind Care. Dr. Wade, Sarah, and Stacie were the most capable, compassionate, and loving people we have had the pleasure of meeting.
My daughter and I traveled from Maryland to be treated at Boulder Mind Care. Dr. Wade came so highly recommended that I was confident that our long journey was worth it. I can’t emphasize enough how complex our cases were. If I tried to explain, I would lose you in about 30 seconds. It was very important for my own peace of mind that I didn’t get my hopes up in regard to the outcome of our respective treatments. That being said, I never dreamed of the amazing results we have experienced. To see the freedom of spirit in my daughter’s being for the first time since she was a young child, is miraculous. For me not to have the searing wide spread pain at a solid 7 everyday, is something dreams are made of.
My daughter doesn’t trust. However, the immense understanding,empathy, and caring that Dr. Wade treated her with allowed her to “let go and let Ketamine,” do the work! 🙂 Our every question was answered and any and all anxieties were put to rest. You truly receive the highest and most individualized treatment here. It was awe inspiring as I was able to not only be a part of the process, but also had the opportunity to watch it, as well.
This experience has changed our lives. My daughter now sees life as being full of possibilities. I couldn’t have said that before we arrived there. We even memorialized our trip by getting little dragonfly tattoos on our hands. So now every time we look down at our hands we are reminded of this beautiful and trans-formative experience.
Thank you Dr. Wade, Sarah, and Stacie for providing us with such phenomenal care. We miss you already, and we have only been home a couple days. I am sure this isn’t the end for us, as we shall see you again. Please know that we couldn’t have done any of this without you all, both figuratively and literally.
Kelley Peyser-Small
My care there has helped me greatly. I trust Dr G with everything and I know in total confidence that Ms Sarah cares. I feel as if I have a team of caregivers who assist me to living my very full active and productive life. That they are on my team to help me bloom in all my potentiality. Thank you Boulder Mind Care!
You can trust them.
Jade Hunter-Kettner
First of, it was great to actually talk to someone who wanted to hear my problems right off the bat, not just fill a spot and become a number. These guys are stellar and go beyond what is asked, to staying late on Saturdays and answering the phone outside of business hours. Finding the nerve to actually get in was tough, but past that I felt welcomed and cared for. What I was experiencing was real and validated! These guys are not in the business of turning a profit, but wanting to help create a light in what felt like nothing but darkness.
Hugh Parrish
Last year my husband fell into a bad episode of depression. As the months went on the depression progressively got worse and worse. EVERY aspect of his life was affected. He wasn’t even able to continue working because of being non-functional.
His psychiatrist was wonderful in listening to us and seeing first-hand how debilitating the depression was becoming. So he tried the entire gamut of antidepressants. Unfortunately, there was no relief. After hours of research, it seemed like TMS was an optional alternative treatment. But that also failed. Going back to hours of research, we found Ketamine was having good results with major depression. Not wanting to travel to Cherry Creek for all the treatments, we found the location of Boulder Mind Care to be so convenient and local. In addition, we preferred that this facility treated patients on a one-to-one basis, one patient per room. Other facilities have open common rooms treating multiple patients in the one room at the same time.
By this time, the 8 months of major depression was still worsening. So, we called and left a message asking Dr. Grindle to return our call to see if my husband was even a candidate for the treatment. To our surprise, Dr. Grindle HIMSELF returned our phone call the very next business day. My husband was in no mental state to have the conversation. Thankfully, Dr. Grindle did not give up. Only a few days later Dr. Grindle called again. Being the caregiver to my husband, I was besides myself that this doctor would go to this length of professionalism to offer help so I insisted my husband take the phone call. And looking back, I know my husband is was extremely impressed and now happy he had the conversation. Our first consultation was scheduled for the following week.
Since we had already had what we thought was the initial consultation, we actually had two initial consultations. So, we went prepared to just start the treatment. But no!! Dr. Grindle sat with us another 90 minutes doing a thorough consultation; contacted my husband’s psychiatrist; and, was then thoroughly prepared to recommend the treatment. This was the very first time in my life of being a long-term caregiver for so many family members in the past that the whole experience of the first day of treatment was astonishing and astounding. Dr. Grindle and Sarah treated us like they have known us our whole lives.
When my husband wasn’t responding to the treatment as all of us had hoped, Dr. Grindle reassessed the medical history and contacted the psychiatrist again recommending some other medications. Unfortunately, those medicines didn’t help either. And it didn’t appear as the Ketamine treatments were helping at all. Now weeks later, and nine months of severely debilitating depression and still no improvement, we did more research and it appeared as if my husband had been misdiagnosed. By this time, now 10 months of many different treatments, the psychiatrist told us he felt the last resort was ECT. That was like getting the same diagnosis a terminal cancer patient receives – “there’s nothing more we can do.”
I wrote an email to Dr. Grindle asking for his professional help yet again in presenting this misdiagnosed possibility to the psychiatrist. And this is how wonderful Dr. Grindle and his practice is. He personally wrote a letter to the psychiatrist asking on our behalf for another thorough re-evaluation, and to consider adding a new specific medication. We saw the psychiatrist the very next day and to our amazement, the psychiatrist agreed to trying a totally different medicine to treat the change in diagnosis.
Wa-La……… within 3 weeks my husband responded and is now back to full-time work functioning at an almost 100%.
The bottom line of this long testimonial: Although there wasn’t much response to the Ketamine treatments, Dr. Grindle and Sarah have been life-savers to our family. They became my greatest support system through this very difficult, long journey and are still there for me whenever I need a support boost. If any person or patient has anything negative to say about Boulder Mind Care they are sorely mistaken and should re-evaluate themselves that perhaps THEY are the negative cause of a bad experience with Dr. Grindle and Sarah.
Adult male, name withheld
After a lifetime of struggling with depression, finding Dr. Grindle and ketamine has changed my life. I have been on most of the available psychotropic meds over many years, all with limited help and all with side effects and difficulty getting off. Last year, my depression got as bad as it had ever been with my normally passive suicidal thoughts becoming more active. I felt like I had run out of options until I researched ketamine. I found Dr. Grindle and went to see him. As an anesthesiologist, Dr. Grindle was able to make the process run smoothly with options for nausea and anxiety administered by medical professionals who, unlike my experience at a psychiatrist run clinic, do IVs and infusions all the time. The impact has been immediate and, with boosters, lasting. And Dr. Grindle, his wife Sarah and staff have been unfailingly professional and compassionate. I’m so grateful to have found them. As a successful patient and a mental health professional, I highly recommend Dr. Grindle and Boulder Mind Care.
Ellen R., LCSW, psychotherapist
Boulder Mind Care is an exceptionally special ketamine-centric practice developed to help people with mental health and severe pain-related issues that have been resistant to more common types of treatments. I am a 56 year old veteran and I have struggled with bi-polar depression for decades. During that time I’ve tried virtually every medication cocktail usually prescribed for my condition with, quite frankly, tepid results at best. Even during the periods where I wasn’t feeling clinically depressed I wasn’t living with much passion or zeal and basically felt flat most of the time.
About eight months ago my psychiatrist mentioned the dramatic advances with ketamine treatments and some near miraculous results with severe, medication-resistant depression like mine. After some investigation and discussions I decided to try it and, without hesitation, she recommended Dr. Wade Grindle’s practice for me, Boulder Mind Care (BMC). She told me that with my long history and documented hyper metabolism I needed a “boutique practice” versus a larger, process-driven, “ketamine infusion factory” where my treatment would be customized for my exact situation. During my investigation process I visited Dr. Grindle and his clinical administrator, Sarah, at their office in Boulder to meet them and discuss things before making my final decision to start ketamine treatments at all as well as where.
They were (are) terrific and their pure empathy and commitment to truly care for their patients as individuals was and is crystal clear. I’ve never felt like I was just another body in a chair for an hour to get in and out before the next patient. I’d heard that experience was common at some other major clinics in the area. Although BMC is a thriving practice I often feel like I am their only patient because of the level of care I receive. It’s more than just a ketamine infusion – there is always solid discussion about the past few weeks and my mood-related test scores that accurately track how I’m doing, and how to keep things going in a positive direction. They both have fantastic personalities and are just super people that absolutely get how bad things may be and they truly want to help.
To be blunt, BMC is more expensive than the factories. That was a factor in the decision, of course, and Sarah made it a bit easier by offering a 10% military veteran discount. That said, I’m so pleased that I chose BMC, Dr. Grindle, and Sarah for this critical decision – everything has changed. I would go so far as to say that before starting the ketamine treatments with BMC I was mentally curled up into a ball with my thinking trending into poisonous areas – and I’d been there on and off for a long, long time. Since that initial ketamine sequence over two weeks and the roughly monthly boosters I understand just how bad I’ve been feeling for so long because I now feel so differently. My entire outlook has transformed into a more positive, life-loving, passionate one and those closest to me ALL noticed the difference and continue to do so. I literally had forgotten what it was like to not feel bad and constantly fight the urge to withdraw from everything I love until working with Dr. Grindle and Sarah.
In summary, if you have been dealing with severe depression where nothing seems to really help you should seriously consider ketamine treatments. If you are considering ketamine treatments then you should talk to Dr. Grindle and Sarah about what will end up being an investment in your overall well being and quality of life through their patient-specific treatments and empathic style of care. BMC can change your life.
Jay Pennington
I can say with absolute certainty that I am alive today as a result of meeting Dr Wade and Sarah. You see just over a year ago I went to the ER with a burst appendix and after an extensive surgery they were not able to control the severe pain that I was having. The previous 10 years of my life were wrought with multiple orthopedic surgeries and chronic pain stemming from a childhood accident. Having been a nurse I chose the route of medicine over alcoholism that my father battled. I had been on high doses of opioids for the majority of those 10 years. Also as a redhead I require twenty percent more pain medication and anesthesia (this has been studied and proven). I suffered too from the subsequent depression and anxiety related to the chronic pain. After this surgery I honestly felt and believed I was going to die, and I was ok with that. I was exhausted, fighting for medical care, constantly being treated like a junkie every month when I needed a refill of my medications. Thankfully, I had a Doctor at the hospital, my anesthesiologist, he was able to move me to the step-down ICU and create a plan that would both ease my pain and detox me off of all the opioids during my hospital stay of 8 days. I had never heard of Ketamine but the very first dose was a turning point in my recovery. The woman I once was started to return, the woman I hadn’t seen for at least 10 years. It gave back my fight, it gave back my desire to live. This doctor also connected me with Dr. Grindle for the 6 initial infusions. The tenderness and compassion I have received from Dr Wade and Sarah have truly changed my life in such a profound manner. It made such a difference to me that Dr Wade knew what it was like to struggle with chronic pain. His total understanding of this gave me the peace and confidence to stay on this path till I was well again. I currently go about every eight weeks for a booster infusion and it has kept me in less pain, with no depression and minimal anxiety. It was like starting over in life. I now can sleep at night, I enjoy my 6 adult children and 10 grandchildren. My creativity has returned and I have been living my best life as they say ever since. I tell everyone I can about this treatment I share this story to all who will listen because I know how many people need this as much as I do. I am blessed to have the option to receive Ketamine treatments and I am hopeful for the day when this becomes the standard of care for all struggling with chronic pain, opioid dependence and addiction, depression, anxiety and multiple other maladies. I am so thankful for Dr Wade and Sarah’s commitment to this process!
Trudy Moser
