Desert Pain Institute

This place is terrible… if they had half star ratings, I might… might give them that. Dr. Boyd is the worst Doctor I’ve ever had. He wanted to see me weekly to get prescriptions for pain and treated me like I was some addict or junkie. He also said I’d have take a class with addicts. I’ve never abused my medication, never asked for an early prescription and never lost my pills or asked for anything stronger. Also the wait time here is ridiculous… plan on being in the waiting room for 40 minutes and another 30 minutes in the exam room. No bedside manor, mean staff. DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE! The doctor just wants to give you the most expensive injections and see you weekly to put money in his pocket. He doesn’t give 2 shits about how you feel or what you need

Dr. Boyd failed with my pain, he gave me several inyections in my back, lots of pain, lots of money and time, didn’t work at all. Bad bedside manners, no patiente.
Don’t go with him.

A horrible experience. After spending a lot of time to get the medical records over there and scheduling an appointment, I finally got to see Dr Boyd. After barely meeting me, he tells me my pain is not valid, because it «doesn’t match with what your MRI says». And proceeds to tell me that the treatment I had been receiving for the past year is «wrong». He didn’t even give a full exam. Just a couple of quick stretches, and reflex tests. Didn’t touch or examine my spine, etc. When he was done, just shook my hand and said nice to meet you. No followup, coming back to the room, etc. Did absolutely nothing to relieve my pain, was completely non-​understanding, compassionate, etc. A huge waste of time, energy, and money.

I was referred here by my rheumatologist. I was nervous about seeing a pain doctor because as an RN I’ve seen too many patients given opiates instead of alternative methods of pain control by pain doctors.
I was seen by Dr. Heaton and after thoroughly discussing all options for my pain relief we agreed on a medication to help my fibro pain. He also encouraged me to join their fibro group for alternative ways to help relieve pain.
This place isn’t about dumping meds on you. It’s about helping you regain control of your life by many different methods. They want you to be active and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
It is such a relief to have a doctor LISTEN to me as well as discuss various methods of pain management.

I’ll start with the positive, after suffering lifelong back pain, it finally grew to the point of it becoming difficult to just survive.
I lost 220 pounds, which should have helped, but didn’t, I started working out, which made me feel better, but my back was still in agony.
After wasting a year in the Mayo clinic pain program, my doctor recommended I go to DPI, which i did.
The pain specialist immediately told me to stop everything I had been doing (mostly walking 2 hours a day and gym 3 times a week) Because the nerves in my back needed to be given a chance to heal and relax far more than I needed core strength right now. That combined with spinal injections would be the treatment plan.
After a few weeks of basic immobility, He ordered water based workouts twice a week.
I’ll admit, it was great, and frustrating, it’s so counterintuative not to work out! Or to be a chair bound slug! But it was slowly starting to get better while in the pool, and I was hping that soon I would be able to do some weight bearing exercises.
Everyone who works there is nice, the facilities are new and spacious, etc etc,
So why the 2 stars?
Because under the smiles, they dont care.
Heres how it went wrong, I had a family emergency, and in my haste, I called and canceled my appoint, but thought I had canceled 3 for the week
OK, even though I believe it’s shared, but fine say its all me.
The next Friday I got a phone call from them saying that since I had missed 2 appointment’s they would no longer schedule physical therapy for me.
And I had to pay the no show charges (which I understand) but what I didnt understand was the fact that in all the forms or web pages, or anyplace, do they state that if you miss 2 appointments they fire you. They say they charge you, which i understand, it’s rude to make anyone wait like that.
But what got me, was I’m in the middle of therapy, under doctors orders to do NOTHING weight bearing, so everything I know how to do on my own is out the window. And I have to be careful what I d in the pool because even then I could screw up a nerve (joy oh joy) and when they cut me loose, I asked them if this was a permenant ban or just a temp thing. Nobody knows.
I called and asked for a referal to another physical therapist, and received no response.
They did call me to let me know that I could continue to pay them and use their pool on my own, I just wasn’t allowed to work with a therapist. and they also recommended that I could continue to see the Phycologist who specializes in long term pain management (nice guy, literally didnt help at all, to give you an idea, think of a stereotypical «by the numbers» shrink, no matter what you say, he has his check list he’s going down, I’m open to overcoming pain through willpower (to a point) and this program… is not it, not for me anyway.
I spoke to the pain specialist DR that I see and told him my problems, he said that he knew about it, and that I needed to keep moving, I asked if it would be OK if I started walking, he was emphatic in his no, so our current compromise is that I can ride a recumbent bike 5 times a day, for 5 minutes a pop, which is… unacceptable to me, but OK, I’ll do it)
I asked the Doc (Doctor Boyd, who even with this shafting, I trust as a mechanic, and would recommend, although with the caveat that he’s a cog in a machine, and he does not deviate from that specific buisiness.)
Of all the pool based physical therapists practicing in the area, he acts as if non exist, and couldn’t recommend one at all.
For that, I gotta say, I’m looking for another pain specialist as well.
When I describe that my back should be getting better, but it’s motion that’s holding me back, he agrees and when I ask him how can I start to move again, he is adamant against my walking, everything has to be waterbased, I told him I’ve searched all over the vally for a facility that can work for me, as it turns out, most of these places basically 3 big hot tubs and some paddles… no thanks. They really pushing the hot tub aspect… well guess what, I love a hot tub with some friends etc, and yes, it’s to relax after a workout, but I could care less, I’m looking to work out and get healthy, and I do my best to have a good time while I do it.
If things go smooth for you, this place is the best, but if it’s a mistake on th
or the community pool, but theres no trainers there.
I’m doing everything I can to avoid back surgery, and they just dumped me.
I hate to write this when frustrated, but since it’s been over a month, and I’m still frustrated the only relpy I got from DPI w, I figure I might as well share my experiences.
If you can guarantee you will never miss an appointment, and if you must, make sure you talk to a human and make them say it back to you.
I understand a abuser, but 2 days in 8 months, in the same week, complrtely isolated I had been a motivated patient, making headway, Now, they are zero help. Any Unilocalers have any clues?