Posted by blueberry on September 15, 2006, at 18:00:19
It looks like ECT for me, starting in less than 2 weeks. Reasons cited by two second opinions were: poor medication responses; paradoxical medication responses; short transient responses; intolerable medication side effects; suicidal tendencies; and of course a severe prolonged depression. Medications are likely still in my future, but they feel ECT is necessary to arrest the current bout. The hope is that if it works meds can be discontinued completely and just do ECT once a month or so as followup.
It will be bilateral so I'm expecting some massive confusion and some memory loss. If that is the trade I have to make, it's ok with me. It's better than being suicidal, and it's better than the bucket full of incapacitating side effects I get from medications.
Anyway, I'm doing lots of internet research to see what's coming. Depending on whether you read something from an advocate or a critic you get totally different stories.
The cool thing is that the hospital has an ECT coordinator who can put me in touch with people who have done ECT so I can get real live accounts. I've talked to one already and she said it was a lifesaver, a marriage saver, and her recovery would not have happened without it.
poster:blueberry
thread:686296
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060909/msgs/686296.html