Posted by Karen44 on January 18, 2007, at 8:58:33
In reply to RE: I am not going to post on ECT anymore » Karen44, posted by SLS on January 18, 2007, at 6:15:27
> Hi Karen.
>
> I was going to lobby to offer ECT success stories and scenarios by which some people mistake residual depressive symptomology for memory impairment, but it looks like you have thoroughly investigated the treatment. So, I won't do that. :-)
>
> > I am well aware of the risk, more than anyone might realize.
>
> I'm sure you are also aware of cases where people undergo close to 100 treatments without sufficient cognitive impairments for them to detect subjectively. These are the lucky ones.
>
> I had a course of bilateral ECT 15 years ago. I did experience the commonly reported loss of detailed memory of events surrounding the period of treatments. However, I can't say that my memory or cognition is any more impaired for having had ECT. My depression (bipolar) produces significant memory and cognitive impairments. They existed before the treatments. They exist now. I could easily have allowed myself to blame ECT for them had I not had the full understanding of this.
>
> I dated someone who went through an unsuccessful course of ECT and complained that it messed up her memory. I still don't see that it made any difference, but, of course, I'm not inside her head. However, when I asked her why she had to drop out of college for depression, one of her reasons was that her memory was so bad.
>
> I hope you are one of the lucky ones. One of the things we don't really know is what the ratio of lucky/unlucky is. Perhaps you know better than the rest of us. In any event, GOOD LUCK!
>
> By the way, what type of ECT have you decided upon should go in that direction?
>
>
> - Scott
>Scott
You are one as well who I respect and who I pay attention to when you post. While I am not bipolar, your experience with memory loss and other factors is exactly what I am going through now. My concern at this point is, given the nature of my work as a psychologist, my pdoc will tell me I have to stop working. Besides I don't want to do harm to anyone.
I know that if I get ECT, I don't think I will let them do more than 3 before reassessing and then 3 more before again reassessing. I also don't think I would agree to more than 8 or 10 even if it was not working.
If I do ECT, I want only right unilateral, low voltage, very narrow pulse waves for only a brief period, nothing more than 1.5 above the threshold level, and no more than one restimulation if they don't get the proper seizure after one try in the session. I think there are some other things that I can't remember. My stuff is at home.
Right now I am waiting to see if the Provigil will kick in. 100 mg for two days did not do the trick, and today I took 200 mg., and I don't notice anything except perhaps a very minimal amoung less depresed. That could be a placebo effect, though,as I woke up feeling profoundl depressed again and dragged myself out of bed to come to work. So, thanks. I was feeling very hurt by one person in particular on the ECT thread I started. You can read what I said there, but this is why I started this thread. I am not going to leave even if my sensitivities are heightened. I think most people on this board understand that this is how it is. A couple seem more inclined to attack and be hostile lately, and so I wrote Where is Dr. Bob when he is needed.
Karen44
poster:Karen44
thread:723441
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070113/msgs/723559.html