Dunes Pain Specialists - Pain Management in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota

“I absolutely adore Dr. King. He takes his time, listens, explains everything, & always has my best interest at heart. The dr's who administer my epidurals, are very efficient, quick, gentle & godsends. The nurses are all wonderful, patient, & caring. My only concern is the front desk staff at the clinic could use some refreshers on customer service & having empathy towards the patients. Other than that, everything else is great!”

— Alma Griffin

“My grandma is 76 years old and has chronic pain. She has been treating for her pain for the past 20+ years and has never been treated poorly until transferring here. She transferred her pain management care here due to her last provider retiring and this is the only facility left in this area who can provide pain management services with controlled substances. I had a very upsetting experience with this nurse practitioner when she saw my grandma, who is hard of hearing. From the start, she walked in with a scowl on her face, which immediately made my grandmother feel uneasy. Her tone was snippy and condescending, and it was clear she didn't have the patience or understanding for someone with hearing difficulties. When my grandma asked her to repeat something, instead of speaking more clearly or trying to help, the nurse practitioner just seemed annoyed, which was incredibly frustrating and disrespectful. It's deeply concerning that someone in a healthcare role would treat elderly, hard-of-hearing patient this way. She also kept saying my grandma was argumentative. My response to this is she is clearly in pain. You should be trained to handle negative interactions when someone is in pain and be more understanding. Especially when reducing her pain medication in half after she has been on the same dose for over 10+ years. If reduction is necessary, tapering off gradually should be the correct step. She also does not talk to my grandma in a way she understands by explaining her reasons for reducing her medication like a grown adult, she just acts cold and says: "why don't you have your social worker prescribe you meds then?" My Grandma doesn't understand all of the medical jargon which is why I went with her to this last appointment, and she is depressed and anxious about having to interact with this provider. Oh, and two weeks ago was supposed to be her appointment. My grandma showed me her card. I drove all the way to her appointment, plus my grandma has to get ready to go out in the cold, to be told she doesn't have an appointment. So, two weeks later at this appointment, I asked the Nurse Practitioner what happened, she said my grandma stormed off before it got scheduled. I find this hard to believe since my grandma is in a wheelchair and can't move without someone pushing her wheelchair. My Grandma told me it was the nurse practitioner who stormed off and said my grandma is too difficult to deal with. She left her ALONE in the patient room to open up a heavy door and ask for help to get out. The nurse practitioner also wrote it on the card when her appointment was, so my grandma left under the impression she has an appointment. I came with her to this appointment because she felt she was being mistreated, and I wanted to make sure she was getting the attention and care she needed. I wasn't expecting this level of treatment. Healthcare providers, especially those who deal with patients experiencing pain, should be properly trained in how to manage not only the physical aspects of pain but also the emotional and behavioral challenges that often come with it. Patients in pain can become frustrated, anxious, or even irritable, and it's essential for providers to approach them with empathy, patience, and understanding. Effective communication is key, especially when it comes to patients who may have additional challenges, like being hard of hearing or elderly. A provider who is trained in pain management should be able to recognize these behaviors and respond in a way that makes the patient feel heard and respected, rather than dismissed or frustrated. Unfortunately, we were told she can't transfer providers as the clinic has a policy that she needs to stay with the provider she started with. I understand this policy because you shouldn't doctor hop to get the medication you want, but because of the disconnect in communication and the personality clash/disrespect I would think this would be considered. I will look into telehealth as there is no other provider in this area for pain management.”

— Stephanie Veurink

“The arthritis in both of my hands is so severe that I could not do simple functions and had almost zero grip, until I was referred to Dunes Pain Specialists.. I am so thankful for everything they do for me, and they are so mindful of my overall health. Thank you all for giving me back a better quality level of health to my life.”

— bruce hodgins

“For the last 3-4 years I have been a patient of the Dunes Pain Specialist in Dakota Dunes and everything was fine up until recently. I really enjoyedy Drs that I had and felt like I was heard by the Drs to help get to the bottom of my pain management. The problem that I had was just recently, I got sick with walking Pneumonia and the Dr and nurses made it possible to still have my appt over telehealth while I was sick. However, I guess they expect you to call even when you're sick on your death bed to call and schedule the next appointment and didn't tell me this during my telehealth visit, they just assumed I knew. When it came to scheduling my next appointment my husband made the call for me and was told there were no available appointments in November so they scheduled me a visit on Dec 9!!!! Called my pharmacy to request a refill on meds (controlled substances that will send someone into withdrawal) and they denied it stating that I needed to have a face to face visit which is fine but not until Dec9! They offered to send in a med to help with withdrawal and when I tried to plead my case to them (having pneumonia which I'm still battling) the nurse got nasty and snippy with me. I did match her tone, she kept asking me if I wanted a copy of my "contract" if I understood the terms of it and when I asked her if she understood that I have been really really sick with pneumonia this nurse pretty much hung up on me. I'm frustrated with this place because I am being "punished" having my contract terminated and my healthcare stopped here because the nurse Bethany was rude to me and to my husband when he called!! When I called back down there today I was told that the Dr decided to terminate and keep it that way! My suggestion to people looking to Dr here is be very very very careful because as it seems that nurse in particular most likely wasn't honest with the Drs and told them I was rude and hostile on the phone and I absolutely was not! It was very apparent they can treat you like absolute crap and get away with it! Also you can't be extremely sick and miss Manning an appointment!”

— Dusten Rydstrom