ECT #34
It's been three weeks since my last ECT. I'm thankful for the ECT, it helps me deal with depression. Which has been an issue along with shame and guilt. ECT is the gold standard for drug resistant depression. Doc started early by about fourth min this morning. Which was nice. I'd been prepped and I was just waiting. It take the nurse about a hour to prep the space and patient for ECT which takes like five minutes to occur.
next one later this month.
Replies
So what's the long term plan? Are they discussing any medications that might make the ECT unnecessary at some point in the future or are you just going to do it once a month indefinitely for now....
Older, good question. Originally ECT was sold as a way of reducing drugs. Now I need to find a way to reduce ECT. I’ve heard a round of treatment Is around 50.
I'm so glad that it's helping sweetie... Yay...... Big hug.....xo
I’ve not known anyone personally who’s had ECT except for some acquaintances in support groups. I’m glad it’s helping you. Is there any kind of cognitive testing they do alongside that, or does the therapist monitor progress of the treatment too?
SHL - When I was getting ECT weekly, once they gave a two-page cognitive test. I promptly failed the test. They then lengthened my ECT to once every three weeks. I have not been tested since but I feel better. I am waiting for the psycho-analytic testing place to open up as the doc wants me to go in for a full day of psycho testing.
SHL - They don't normally do Cognitive Testing as your doing ECT as your brain is in constant flux when having frequent treatments. They may do Testing at certain Intervals depending on how long you have ECT.
When I did mine, I did 39 Treatments over a 3 and a 1/2 month period, so 3 times a week every week, most of it was In patient. I had Cognitive testing done before we started and Cognitive testing done when I was finished to measure any deficits as a result of the treatments.
The Psych Team I had at the hospital and my Neurologist monitored progress through the Treatments, I also had a Private Pdoc who would come in once a week and check in with me as he knew my background more. But my Therapist really had nothing to do with the process as this was a Medical treatment and not really in her realm.
Its a different process depending on whether your In patient or Out patient and depending on the Mental Health facilities where you have it done.
Interesting. I remember hearing Carrie Fisher talking about her treatments. I have definitely been cognitively impaired on certain medications in the past and it was always an important assessment of how meds are working for me, so I just wondered how different the process is with ECT. I know during hospitalizations I always benefited from occupational therapy. That always seemed to give me a sort of grounding and refocus as I started to stabilize again.
Didn’t know that Carrie Fisher had ECT
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/authorpage/carrie-fisher.html
She wrote a book about it, from her comedic standpoint.
I knew that lots of famous people have bipolar but didn't anyone else who has been electroshocked. Thanks for the info
SHL- Mine was done at UNC Chapel Hill one of the best Hospitals in the Country and one of the best Research Hospitals. They were very big on Neurological stimulation/Brain Games/Cognitive Games during the testing and afterwards. Research showed that if you work your brain like any other muscle it helped diminish the affects of the ECT. I did them every day for an hour while having Treatments and still to this day do them every day for 30 minutes to 2 hours a day.
From ECT my IQ dropped 5 points, my reading rate went from 800wpm to 680wpm and my Eidetic Memory was fractured in the process. So there was some Cognitive damage but not as much as we thought would happen. Through doing the Brain workouts I've gotten my reading rate back to 800wpm. And my memory is really good, but it will never be what it was....and the memory challenges are the hardest for me to do.
I did ECT at the end of 2009 and I've not had an Inpatient stay since, nor a suicide attempt or serious suicidal ideation. I get Manic a couple times a year due to med changes around Seasons, but their manageable and there are Depressive Episodes but not Severe ones like I used to have. So its about weighing the Pro's and Con's.