Capitol Pain Institute

ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE! Don’t trust them with your back! I was in severe pain after injuring my back and made an appt online. After the email confirmation sent me to the wrong location/​address I arrived in severe pain from getting in/​out of car at wrong location, but they told me they couldn’t see me because I’m a new patient and that their site shouldn’t have accepted me. They saw I was in pain and didn’t have the human decency to check with Drs to try and squeeze me in — after all it was their mistake. The staff was rude and had attitude. I can’t even imagine how they treat patients in the back but no wonder it was empty.

Don’t worry… I understand what it looks like when one leaves a 3-​star review for a pain management clinic. But hear me out. I promise, I’m not an addict.
After debilitating sciatic pain that became completely uncontrollable with conservative methods of Physical Therapy and Vicodin, I showed up at my PCP’s office one Friday, sobbing in her lobby, begging her to help me, or else I was going to check myself into the hospital. She not only got me into pain management, but got me in immediately. That’s how I wound up in Dr. Desai’s office.
To her credit, Dr. Desai was VERY nice. She listened to me, through the pain, while my husband massaged my butt the entire appointment (the only source of pain relief I could find). She understood what was going on and offered me a steroid shot to ease the pain for the next 12 – 24 hours, and then a stronger prescription to get me through until they could do a steroid epidural the following Wednesday. She gave me the shot and it did offer me some relief! She gave me a stronger prescription and we waited for this shot to wear off.
And boy did it wear off and hit me… HARD. It was the middle of the night and I started taking the drugs she prescribed. And I waited. And I waited. You see, the thing with pain management is that you have to sign a contract that states you won’t take more than what they prescribe. I have no problem with this contract! I definitely understand it’s purpose! So by all means, I get it! But when it’s been 1.5 hours after taking it and this «strongest legal at-​home prescription narcotic» isn’t touching your pain at the current dosage, you know there’s a problem.
So it’s 4:30 in the morning and I call the on call doc at Capital Pain Institute. Through my sobs, I explain to him what’s going on and asked him to help. (I was desperate.) His response really turned me off. He simply said «I don’t know what you expect me to do. It’s 4:30 in the morning and I can’t treat you when our offices are closed. «Now, I would say that it was the pain that made me think he was a total dick about it, but even my husband said he was quite rude. Next he said «You just need to go to the hospital if you’re really in that much pain.»
Awesome, so off to the hospital I go. They pump me full of dilaudid and send me on the way. (Because a herniated disc isn’t that serious in the grand scheme of ERs… even though I wanted to die.) Anyways, flash forward to Monday… I’ve now been to the ER twice over the weekend. I have an appointment with an Ortho that morning, but before going in, I leave a message for Dr. Desai’s nurse to explain what had happened over the weekend… that the medication was NOT working and I was desperate for another of their magical 12 – 24 hour shot thingys, if they absolutely can not get me in for the epidural before Wednesday. Nothing. I don’t hear back from them.
I go to the Ortho appointment and they get me in for an MRI right away and an epidural that afternoon. God Bless that man… I slept through the night for the first time in months. Tuesday morning, I’m feeling GREAT! Until something «popped» and BAM, I hit the ground and sobbed for two hours… and when I say sobbed… I mean dying-​animal-​sobs. The kind of sobs movies make fun of. So much so when I called my neighbor and asked them to get my toddler, they immediately thought someone died when they answered the phone.
I’ve already been to the hospital twice over the weekend… I really don’t want to go again, so I decide that I’m going to try the pain management people again. The dying animal calls Dr. Desai’s nurse again, and leaves a message. It also calls the Ortho (thinking something went terribly wrong with the epi) and leaves a message. With no direction from anyone, I head for the ER again.
I’m on the way to the hospital, when I find a comfortable position in the car and tell my husband that I would spend the week living in the car. Just bring my laptop to me, and I can work here…
While I’m in the car, the nurse calls back from Capital Pain Management. She asks me what’s wrong and says she will talk to the doctor and get back to me.
The point of this entire story, was that even though a dying animal called them multiple times, sobbing for help/​relief/​something… I never did hear back from them. Ever. I never heard from the nurse, or Dr. Desai, or any one. The frickin ER offered to hospitalize me over the weekend because the pain was so bad, until a doctor could see me during the week… and they never even called me back. It really is quite disappointing.
The bedside manner when I was in office and had an appointment really was great. Dr. Desai is warm and personable and she is the only reason I am giving this place 3 stars. But otherwise, I’m nothing but disappointed with my experience here.
My hope is that I’m just one that «slipped through the cracks».

I have been a patient at Capitol Pain for about a year. I have dealt with a lot of pain since my car accident and Dr Amasha and Dr Shockett have both taken there time to listen to me and come up with the best treatment plan and medications that work. If I have a flare up and my meds aren’t working well, they are very accommodating and make sure to see me right away. I am now able to say my quality of life is better since becoming a patient here. The whole staff is wonderful as well. I love their new location it is big, spacious and clean. Thank you Capitol Pain Institute!

I have nothing but the best to say about Dr. Schocked and his wonderful staff. Recently I had Dr. Schocked install an under the skin device to interfere with pain signals returning to the brain. It’s a very delicate operation. Matt was so patient with me while repeating the details until I could understand them and get comfortable with the idea of having wires in my spine. on another occasion, I was unable to walk. The PA came out to my car to do my interview for my monthly visits. I want to thank all the folks at Capital Pain Institute.