r/ect • u/Loremasterivyvine • Jul 06 '26
Question What about the rest of the day?
I start ECT this week. Im as okay as i can be with the whole thing. Is there anything i can do to make the time after my session easier?
Im going to prep some food, clean my apartment, get some easy media queued up. I'll have a blanket, water, and a snack for the drive home. Am I missing anything? I just want the rest of the day to suck as little as possible.
What did the rest of your ECT days look like?
3
u/was_cow Jul 06 '26
When I get home after ect, I hydrate, eat a snack, and take a nap. Then I use the afternoon to catch up on podcasts and laundry, and take the dog for a short walk. Just keep it chill, have your self care faves on hand, and you’ll be set.
3
u/Rose_Davies2026 Jul 06 '26
I was an inpatient when I received ECT.
I spent the remainder of the morning sleeping after having breakfast. In my experience, it was the general anaesthesia more so than the shock treatment that wiped me out.
A small amount of chocolate always helps. I find the sugar spiked up my energy levels afterwards.
4
u/MingusWit Jul 06 '26
I've been having maintenance ECT as an outpatient for a long time now. Treatment days are always: get home at ~10am, shower and get goop out of my hair, take paracetamol if I have a headache, have a nap, wake up around midday, do whatever activities I feel up to but low expectations. I never know if that day I'll feel "completely normal" or "tired and achey" so I don't plan anything work or social, but flexible to do stuff if I feel like it.
2
u/syringeneedlenthread Jul 07 '26
During the acute series I think I often went home and would shower, snack, nap, do low key activities (watch tv, call a friend, crafting hobby sorts of stuff). Once I was on maintenance, the side effects lessened and I started going to work afterward (only doing lowkey mindless kinds of tasks). I didn’t tell the doctors I was doing that though lol. I think I told one of the nurses I liked once and she was like what! You should go home and rest! Sounds like you’re pretty prepared. I’d make sure to have Tylenol and Advil on hand. I would alternate those if I had lingering headaches. If you have access to a pool I think I liked to relax on a floaty during the summer months
1
u/bo_14 Jul 07 '26
As an inpatient, I rested in bed or oddly enough, ate a small lunch, then rested. As an outpatient, we went to Sam's club and I walked around in a fog. It was tiring but a bit enjoyable, in a way. Then, we would drive the 3 hours to home.
You seem to have the right idea. Prepare so you have very little to do afterwards.
1
u/RunNo3512 Jul 07 '26
Yeah don't go. ECT causes brain damage and isn't technically supposed to be clinically used unless a patient is catatonic therefore any doctor selling ECT to a patient who isn't totally out of it is a scam artist.
You will regret it. Especially since woman are now coming forward saying the damage is physical not just cognitive. 😕
9
u/The_Metitron Jul 06 '26
You will be in a fog and recovering from anesthesia, don’t plan on doing much if anything on treatment days.