Posted by KathrynLex on August 12, 2018, at 13:00:50
In reply to Re: ECT or switch up medication or stay put, posted by CheckTest on August 9, 2018, at 9:29:38
Hi there CT -
I was just looking through this thread again, and you seem to mention several times that you're tentative about the idea of ECT. (If you end up doing a consult, I'd be very interested to know what you learn.)
It sounds like you're not doing as well as you'd like, but you're still functioning and looking for ways to augment your current meds with something that might offer the help you need. Finding the right combination is an overwhelming and frustrating process (I'm going through that right now), but I also remain optimistic that I'll get it figured out.
In about 1997, my father went through ECT and I'm not sure if it helped him. It's hard to say. He went through a few treatments, and the impact on his short term memory really scared him. He would come home after treatments, and try to put away the dishes, but even though it was something he'd been doing for over a decade (we don't rearrange our kitchen much), he couldn't remember where anything went. It scared him enough to not complete his treatments. Of course, that being said, he's now hardly on any medication (just the occasional Valium to take the edge off his anxiety and maybe a prescription of Gabapentin for six months to get him through a rough patch. I can't say it he's doing well because of the ECT or because he's older and our body chemistry seems to change with age. He's fairly mellow these days, and seems to have found a way to live that makes him happy. I could credit some of this to the ECT, but I'm really not sure, and it was such a terrifying experience for him, I'm not sure it's something I'd be willing to try - except as a last resort.
I hope you learn some useful things at your consult, and ultimately choose to do whatever you believe will be best for you.
K
poster:KathrynLex
thread:1100159
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20180728/msgs/1100252.html