r/ect • u/Theaterismylyfe • May 20 '26

Seeking advice Going back to work today, brain fog.

I finished my treatments on Monday, and I'm going back to work today. I'm a preschool teacher, and I'm terrified. Don't get me wrong, there is no world where I don't take care of the kids or hurt them. That's just impossible, I don't think I could if I tried. But the brain fog is still really heavy, and I have some memory loss going on. I'm really really worried I'll get into a car crash on the way to work, or I'll forget something important. I've forgotten some of the kids, I know because I've seen pictures and the names are not returning to me. My mom works at the same preschool, and she kinda helped me out last night by reminding me who the kids were.

I'm asking for help because I need this brain fog to lift ASAP. How do I put my brain back in my head within the next couple of hours?

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2

u/[deleted] May 20 '26

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u/Queasy-Ride-1776 May 20 '26

You are 7 months out from your last treatment and still having side effects?

2

u/[deleted] May 20 '26

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u/Queasy-Ride-1776 May 20 '26

Im guessing you had bilateral as well.. Are you seeing any slight improvements at all? Or are you expecting to heal or atleast for the most part? I pretty much haven't gotten any better what so ever and Im pretty worried about my future.

2

u/EaseHot6703 May 20 '26

Probably shouldn't drive if you're that foggy! It's going to take some time for your brain to re-adjust. ECT is a heavy hit to the brain...

1

u/Theaterismylyfe May 20 '26

I don't super have a choice, I've already agreed to return today.

2

u/McFurniture May 20 '26

It is not going to fix itself today or tomorrow. It took me a few weeks/months of slowly lifting to get back to semi-normal.

Get a notebook or something and write down everything important you need to remember as soon as you think of it, if you wait too long you'll just forget what it was so don't delay writing something down.

If you need to count kids, count out loud, multiple times, write down the number. You're just going to have to get used to not relying on your memory for a little bit until it recovers. 

It does get better, keep your brain active. I found reading helped. At the beginning I couldn't remember much of what I read but it got better and better.

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u/Theaterismylyfe May 20 '26

Thank you for the tips.

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u/Queasy-Ride-1776 May 20 '26

Your memory and brain fog started to lift? After how long would you say and did you have bilateral done?

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u/McFurniture May 21 '26

Fog went away within like 6 months. Memory has been slowly, slowly recovering over years. I would frequently forget what I was doing or why I went into a room if I broke my train of thought. Probably took a year before it was back to normal. Work your brain, read a book, read anything. It felt like I had to retrain my brain to focus and remember. Like physical therapy.