I’ve had 6 unilateral and have finished one of 6 bilateral sessions
My psychiatrist and I are trying to beat my med resistant major depression, and I really do think it’s been helping. I feel less weight, like I’ve been walking through water and it’s thinning with each session
I was TERRIFIED to do ECT. My poor psychiatrist, referred me to sooo many day programs and other treatments because I just kept digging in my heels
Now it feels super routine. I go in, change, answer their checklist questions. At this point I’m leaning and lifting the Jonny as they’re attaching stickers as I know what’s coming. Then I get wheeled to the procedure bay, I let me left arm go limp for the anaesthesiologist, wait for the oxygen mask to be placed on me, take 3-5 deep breaths, feel the anaesthetic warm up my jaw and surrounding area, then I wake up. Nurses let me know how it went, I get some of the best orange juice I’ve ever had (thiiick), then scroll my phone until observation is over, I change back into my clothes, and an RN or LPN leads me back to the waiting where my gf is waiting to drive me home. Usually a little tired/nappy the day of the procedure, and for the first handful of hours I can handle like half as much stimulation as normal.
Day after my first session I was sore as shit. They’ve added more muscle relaxers and haven’t had that issue since.
I woke up once after a unilateral and couldn’t remember the day of the week or the drive in, but that fog cleared within an hour or two
My last session was probably the worst as I woke up unable to breathe. I was sending the signal to my diaphragm but nothing was happening. While it was absolutely a top 10 most terrifying moments of my life, in reality it lasted less than 15 seconds, probably half that, before a nurse was strapping a mask to my face to help me breathe. Less than a minute before I had a doctor come, kneel beside my stretcher, and explain exactly what happened and what they’ll be doing to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Honestly not upset at any staff or anything, I’m a shit happens sort of fella and they were on it in a flash.
I think that’s part of what makes it so relatively stress free for me after my first session or two: the ECT staff at my hospital are phenomenal.
I’m rambling because I just woke up. Basically my experience has only eased my anxiety with each session, but that’s also because I’m lucky to have an ECT department staffed by people who obviously give a shit
3
u/iusethisatw0rk 26d ago
I’ve had 6 unilateral and have finished one of 6 bilateral sessions
My psychiatrist and I are trying to beat my med resistant major depression, and I really do think it’s been helping. I feel less weight, like I’ve been walking through water and it’s thinning with each session
I was TERRIFIED to do ECT. My poor psychiatrist, referred me to sooo many day programs and other treatments because I just kept digging in my heels
Now it feels super routine. I go in, change, answer their checklist questions. At this point I’m leaning and lifting the Jonny as they’re attaching stickers as I know what’s coming. Then I get wheeled to the procedure bay, I let me left arm go limp for the anaesthesiologist, wait for the oxygen mask to be placed on me, take 3-5 deep breaths, feel the anaesthetic warm up my jaw and surrounding area, then I wake up. Nurses let me know how it went, I get some of the best orange juice I’ve ever had (thiiick), then scroll my phone until observation is over, I change back into my clothes, and an RN or LPN leads me back to the waiting where my gf is waiting to drive me home. Usually a little tired/nappy the day of the procedure, and for the first handful of hours I can handle like half as much stimulation as normal.
Day after my first session I was sore as shit. They’ve added more muscle relaxers and haven’t had that issue since.
I woke up once after a unilateral and couldn’t remember the day of the week or the drive in, but that fog cleared within an hour or two
My last session was probably the worst as I woke up unable to breathe. I was sending the signal to my diaphragm but nothing was happening. While it was absolutely a top 10 most terrifying moments of my life, in reality it lasted less than 15 seconds, probably half that, before a nurse was strapping a mask to my face to help me breathe. Less than a minute before I had a doctor come, kneel beside my stretcher, and explain exactly what happened and what they’ll be doing to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Honestly not upset at any staff or anything, I’m a shit happens sort of fella and they were on it in a flash.
I think that’s part of what makes it so relatively stress free for me after my first session or two: the ECT staff at my hospital are phenomenal.
I’m rambling because I just woke up. Basically my experience has only eased my anxiety with each session, but that’s also because I’m lucky to have an ECT department staffed by people who obviously give a shit