Revisiting Kowalski Part Two: The Descent
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What historical context is provided about ketamine's use?
True Story Media. If you're an elder millennial like me, you may remember a time when ketamine was mostly known by its street name, Special K. Otherwise known as a substance you are not even tempted by after that one time that your friend's cousin got stuck in a K-hole and hallucinated in a hall closet for an entire night and freaked everyone out. But ketamine has gotten a bit of a makeover in recent years after the FDA's 2019 green light for intranasal ketamine has helped fuel thousands of ketamine clinics across the United States. And a large number of clinical studies are currently exploring the drug for treatment-resistant depression and other conditions. But despite some genuinely promising research, ketamine has been trending again more recently for less positive reasons, as it was responsible for the death of beloved actor Matthew Perry in October of 2023, and is also responsible for some of whatever the hell is going on with Elon Musk.
Ketamine is also a big part of this story.
You see enough of these patients, you know how they deteriorate and nothing is working. Surgery doesn't work. Drugs don't work. Neuroblocks don't work. And you do this one thing and it works.
One of my enduring questions about the public reception of the Kowalski story is how on earth they managed to tell this story in such a way that it seemed fine and normal to give a nine-year-old girl so much ketamine.
How did Maya Kowalski's treatment with Dr. Kirkpatrick begin?
But even though the lunch and drinks were provided in the appropriate intervals, Timo could not be without the shoes of a passing traveler. He was just a dog in the favorite place in the stroller. We take care of the journey. You decide how you use it. VR. On a joint journey.
On September 23rd, 2015, after being told by doctors from three separate hospitals, including a pain specialist with expertise in CRPS, that Maya Kowalski did not have CRPS, but was suffering from a conversion disorder, Beata Kowalski took Maya to see Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick.
So let's go over your history just a little bit, okay? Approximately three months ago, you started having some pain down in your feet here, okay? Here's what's important to understand is that there is no particular injury we can attribute this to, okay? Also, another thing that's important to note is that with that, she knows different fluctuating temperatures between the two sites. In other words, sometimes one side would be colder, sometimes one side would be warmer. And sometimes one would be more red than the other, but it would flip-flop back and forth.
Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick is an anesthesiologist and self-described expert in CRPS. As we learned at trial, his credentials are a little questionable. Here he is being cross-examined by attorney Howard Hunter.
Not board certified?
No.
What controversial practices were involved in Maya's ketamine treatments?
Not board certified in either anesthesiology or pediatric? Correct. You've never been board certified in anything?
No.
Correct. And Dr. Gerpatrick readily acknowledged his outlier status, again from his cross-examination.
You had a patient in front of you who dozens, literally dozens of other doctors had seen and treated at length. And you were the first one making a diagnosis of CRPS, correct?
Correct. But for Beata Kowalski, Dr. Kirkpatrick was a godsend. The day after their first visit on September 23rd, Beata emailed Dr. Kirkpatrick to thank him for giving us supporting evidence and the diagnosis. Supporting evidence because, of course, Beata had already reported to a doctor that Maya had CRPS, as Howard Hunter mentioned in court.
Incidentally... You were the first one to diagnose CRPS? Yes, sir.
What were the outcomes of Maya's initial ketamine infusions?
On September 23rd, 2015? Yes, sir. How do you suppose it was that the mother thought that was the current diagnosis a week before?
Dr. Kirkpatrick admitted that he didn't know where that diagnosis had come from. In this same email, Beata also discusses scheduling Maya for her first ketamine infusion and asks about laser and stem cell treatments for her daughter. Beata signs her email XOXO. As he appears to do with many of his patients, Dr. Kirkpatrick recorded videos of his evaluations of Maya.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What historical context is provided about ketamine's use?
0:04–1:41
2
How did Maya Kowalski's treatment with Dr. Kirkpatrick begin?
1:41–3:07
3
What controversial practices were involved in Maya's ketamine treatments?
3:07–4:04
4
What were the outcomes of Maya's initial ketamine infusions?
4:04–6:08
5
How did Dr. Kirkpatrick justify his diagnosis of CRPS for Maya?
6:08–7:23
6
What were the implications of labeling Maya as terminal?
7:23–9:06
7
How did the blog posts reflect Maya's condition during treatment?
9:06–12:56
8
What led to Maya's hospitalization at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital?
12:56–33:38