Ect

[5150incalif]

I've been evaluated by a team of doctors at the hospital and decided that ECT was a good option. I've already been on multiple trials of medications and now I had to make a choice. I did go through all the testing and my ECT treatments was all set and the day of my shock treatment, I backed out. I got scared. My roomate in the hospital was on his first week of ECT and he cried every night. He complained that me can't remember anything. It was so hard to watch. I know this was a treatment that I might benefit from. I'm compulsive and attempted suicide twice. I suffered long enough, I just want to sleep and not wake up. I never told anyone that I was feeling suicidal nor did anyone knew what I've done. I didn't want any help. I still have difficultly talking about what is going on in my mind.

Has anyone been through ECT? How did it feel like? Did it help?

 

[~CazzaAngel~]

I've known some people who have had ECT treatement and are doing terminously better. I myself have been trough it so I can answer anything else. But I just wanted to let you know i've heard it's not painful, they sedate you I believe and sometimes can mess with your memory for a couple days afterwards, so I've heard. I wish you luck with your decision about ECT. Take care. :hug:

 

[Hazel]

I have had a course of ECT, 12 treatments in all.. I refused to have ECT for a long time, I was scared, it conjures up all these horrific images but the reality is nothing like that.
You have a short general anaesthetic, you don't feel anything, you are not aware of anything, here (Northern Ireland) you wear your normal clothes and have tea and toast afterward.
After 3-4 treatments, I started to see an improvement in my mood.
For me the final results were amazing, I felt 'alive' for the first time in years, I am still on medication but it actually works now whereas before ECT I had tried many drugs with no effect.
The downside of the treatment is the short term memory loss and I still have memory problems.... but if you were to ask my friends they will tell you I can remember what I want to remember!!
If you were to ask me, would I have it again, then the answer is, yes I would, the benefits far outweigh the side effects.

Take care Hazel x

 

[ace]

As soon as ECT was offered I took it I guess the physical pain of thing's or mental side didn't bother me as i felt desperate for anything to help me.What's strange maybe is that I actually enjoyed the anaesthetic and being drifted off to sleep,I didn't suffer much from any side effect's.My advice is to take it because it can really help you out,but I can't force that onto you of course.

 

[Hae-Gi]

I've heard you can get permanent memory problems, after it... I can't understand how electrifying someone, possibly could be a good idea. Can't the heart stop, too?

They wanted to give me this, once, but I refused. I think it's usually used as a last resort, here in Sweden.

 

[Esmeralda]

The mind is like a computer. The brain gives off electrical charges, which fire from synapse to synapse.

Bear with me because this is just an analogy

When your computer gets bogged down with self-installed programs and "spyware", these programs are installed in various places in the computer. When these programs conflict with each other, or there are just too many of them, your computer slows down and ceases to function properly. Because of this, it takes certain programs longer to initiate or run, and sometimes they just break down. So you defrag your computer, and this consolidates all of the necessary info into the correct places so your comp can retrieve the info faster, and work the way it was intended to work. Other unnecessary programs are deleted. This causes your computer to go faster, to work the way it is supposed to work.

So electroshock is just a way of "defragging" your hard drive. It's like rebooting your brain via electrical impulses. Once this is done, your brain runs better and faster than before. A couple of things may be missing, but nothing of great importance. You would rather defrag your computer and have it work the way it is supposed to, than have other non-necessary programs bog it down and create turmoil, or God forbid, cause it to crash!

I say go for it! Reboot your brain!

 

[Hae-Gi]

Actually, you don't really reboot it... there is another electrification "therapy" that barely is used anymore, that indeed "reboots" the brain... this leads to complete memory loss, forever. Lower shocks will just lead to some memory loss, but you never know what is lost.

 

[Esmeralda]

Well, that would be more like " F-disking" your brain

 

[iracund]

someone who's medical opinion i don't care for suggested that i talk to my pdoc about ect. the whole idea of it scares me. i can't seem to find a med/med cocktail that really does the trick for me. yet. i'm still holding out hope.

 

[5150incalif]

Re: Ect...thanks for your comments

I appriecate your comments. I'm not going to downplay anyone's opinion. Everyone seems to have strong opinions. I will need to decide if the risks are worth the possible positives. I know that side effects depends on many factors. I've been unlucky with all my treatments so far. I just want the hurt to go away. It doesn't matter how. I can't shut down my mind. I need to make a decision to accept help or hope I don't wake up tomorrow.