Shock Doctor
ECT Shock Treatments A Personal Account
During my first admission the doctor told me that he believed that ECT might be good for my situation and he said I should go forward with it. I replied that is good what the heck are you talking about? ECT is Electro Convulsive Therapy or shock treatments and when he said this all I pictured was the scene from “One flew over the Cuckoo’s nest” so I was not exactly thrilled with this suggestion but the mental place I was in at the time was eating me alive so I said what the heck thinking I would just pull out at a later date if things became to hairy.
First things first they need a second doctor to check you out to make sure that you are a good client for this treatment. The guy met me and a minute later he stamped his sign of approval. Then they get you to watch the movie on how the procedure works and what to expect, it is not a pretty picture but I was really glad to find out I would not be conscious for it. How it works is your brought down to the room where they give you a combination of meds, then you are told to bite down on this piece of rubber and then you breath the sleeping gas until you fall asleep a few moments later. There are two types of ECT one is bilateral which is they put two pads on each temple and the second is unilateral where both pads are on one side of your head. There are a number of people in the room and they each grab a limb then the doctor nods his head and a short blast of current is passed between the two pads putting your body into a convulsion. There are apparently good convulsions and bad convulsions determined by the time they last, the positive one I believe is somewhere over thirty seconds or so. The patient wakes up a while later and after the first one you swear that you had just been run over by a mack truck. Most people undergo a treatment every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for three to four weeks so between nine to twelve sessions is ideal but some people require less while others need a few more. It is a lot safer then it use to be and the injury rate is very small but of course you need to sign a waiver that basically says there is a chance bones or teeth may be broken, bruises may appear and of course there is a chance you may die. Oh by the way your memory around treatment days if not hazy have disappeared and don’t come back but why would someone want to remember a day in a mental institution is beyond me.
The problem with ECT is that it does not work for everyone and the so called experts of the field are not really sure why it works at all. The best explanation I have ever heard is that it is like a TV that is on the fritz so you unplug it and then plug it back in hoping for what ever reason it has fixed itself. My ECT sessions were stopped after five or six as I was not showing any signs of improvement and for whatever the reason it was taking a long time for me to come back to consciousness, this is a genetic thing as a number of family members do the same thing even when electricity is not involved. I know people that ECT has worked for and basically changed their lives, I know people where the effects of the treatments only last a short time so they undergo maintenance treatments about once every couple of months to keep on the positive track and I know a lot of people that the treatment did nothing for at all. I was not happy that they stopped my sessions so soon as I thought I was feeling a bit better but the hospital did not want to take a risk when the benefits were not that clear so I lost that argument.
Two years later I am back in the hospital coming off of a number of drugs to start a new med class plus a few other reasons. I figured that since I was in the hospital anyway they might as well try ECT again. They ran every test in the book to make sure I would not have any problems with the meds and then they booked the operating room to ensure nothing went wrong. I remember waking up that morning then waking up in the recovery room with nothing in between. The first thing I did was asked the nurse if I came around fast enough to which she lied to me and nodded her head. I was informed the next day that the ECT sessions were now off limits as I posed to much of a health risk and for a while all my doctor would say is that it took you too long to wake up again. My brain does not let things go that easily so I pestered the heck out of him for the next few days until I got the real story. Everything went smoothly with me falling asleep, I had a great convulsion and then I stopped breathing for about a minute so they had to “bag” me for awhile until my brain remembered I was suppose to be breathing. I didn’t ask any more questions about ECT after that.
ECT or Electro Convulsive Therapy is a last resort treatment as the odds are not great that it will work and there is a bit of danger that goes with it, my stopping breathing is not normal and they are unsure whether it was the meds they gave me or the meds that I was taking at the time that was responsible for this. ECT is meant for people whose depression has hit a point where quite honestly it can’t get any worse so they will try anything to bring you back out of that hole of despair.
Long term effects I really do not have any except for a few hazy days and a couple of missing hours. After the first couple of treatments the mack truck is down graded to a golf cart that ran you over but within hours after the session you would never know I had it done. I started writing a book in the hospital as a way to basically kill time and I was always able to remember after a session what I had wrote the day before. Like I said if you feel that your on your last legs and will do what it takes to survive then look into ECT and try to picture this post and not “One flew over the Cuckoo’s nest” as it is a hell of a lot safer then it use to be.
About the Author
I am a former social worker now living on the other side of the fence. http://www.untreatableonline.com/ was created to help eliminate the stigma attached to mental illness. http://terrys-new-website.com/ is how I am currently making my living.
Shock Doctor Power Gel Ultra and Power Gel DNA Mouth Guard Review
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR LACROSSE CHIN CUP, NEW $9.99 |
|
|
Shock Doctor-Gym Bag (Medium) $29.95 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR DOUBLE STC STRAPPED MOUTH GUARD -ADULT 11+ $0.99 |
|
|
Shock Doctor Pro MOUTHGUARD – Size Adult – NEW $4.99 |
|
|
Lot of 24 – SHOCK DOCTOR DOUBLE STC MOUTHGUARD-mouth $221.75 |
|
|
NEW KTM 2 STC SHOCK DOCTOR MOUTHGUARD AND CASE SET UPW102051 AND UPW102050 $22.95 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR CORE BRIEF w/ CUP-YOUTH LARGE-jock boys $15.68 |
|
|
Shock Doctor V1.5 Mouthguard Gumshield Adult / Senior $11.05 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
SHOCK DOCTOR GEL MAX PIECE GUM MOUTHGUARD SOCCER $10.99 |
|
|
Doctor Who Tardis Figural Mug $17.95 Imported from the UK! The TARDIS’ chameleon circuit is supposed to allow the time-space craft of the Doctor to blend into its surroundings, only it has never worked quite right. This time, the chameleon circuit has caused the TARDIS, still stuck in its form as a 1960′s London police box, to become shaped like a coffee mug!… |
|
|
DOCTOR WHO TARDIS TEAPOT 750ML – (5+) $49.99 … |
|
|
Doctor Who Peter Davison Mug $11.99 … |
|
|
Shock Beats For Halloween $9.99 Rothmar Media is proud to present this unique blend of spooky Halloween sounds and jamming Hip Hop beats. Keep your haunted house bumping all night long with these monster grooves fresh from our dark laboratories of sound…. |
|
|
Live At Hammersmith 1979 Track Listing 1. Stormtroopin’ 2. Just What the Doctor Ordered 3. Free-For-All 4. Dog Eat Dog 5. Cat Scratch Fever 6. Need You Bad 7. Paralyzed 8. It Don’t Matter 9. Wang Dang Sweet Poontang 10. Stranglehold 11. Motor City Madhouse 12. Gonzo… |
|
|
Horrible Surgeon – 24W x 18H – Peel and Stick Wall Decal by Wallmonkeys $33.99 WallMonkeys wall graphics are printed on the highest quality re-positionable, self-adhesive fabric paper. Each order is printed in-house and on-demand. WallMonkeys uses premium materials & state-of-the-art production technologies. Our white fabric material is superior to vinyl decals. You can literally see and feel the difference. Our wall graphics apply in minutes and won’t damage your paint or l… |
|
|
Space Force: Rogue Universe $7.94 SpaceForce is an RPG space simulation with a heavy focus on ship development an immersive universe and freedom of choice. Players will have the opportunity to engage in trade exploration combat crafting questing and diplomacy in addition to ship development and player activities. Players can choose between 10 professions and more than 14 spacecraft. They can earn money and experience points in ord… |
|
|
Shock Doctor Helmet Drying Shroud Black $24.99 Shock Doctor POWER DRY HELMET SHROUD Constructed of ballistic nylon, the Power Dry Helmet Shroud covers and contains the heated ozonated air within openfaced motocross and crew helmets when used with Dual Port Attachment…. |
|
|
TROY LEE DESIGNS SHOCK DOCTOR BP5850 HOT WEATHER BASE PROTECTIVE VEST $110.00 Troy Lee Designs UPS 5850-HW SS Protector Shock Doctor technologyNeck brace integration patent-pending design is compatible with leading neck braces without compromising fit and protection removable upper chest spine and clavicle pads accommodate ideal fit with braceStrata foam articulates with complex body zones while providing impact protection removable, rib and bicep pads for coverage p… |
|
|
TROY LEE DESIGNS SHOCK DOCTOR YOUTH BP7605 BASE PROTECTIVE SHORTS $60.00 Troy Lee Designs LPS 7605 Shorts Designed for comfort and unrestricted motion in the riding position. Constructed with premium Lycra 4-way stretch anti-microbial material for compression and moisture wicking. Includes flat-lock seams and comfort fit waistband. Shock Doctor technologyX-FIT integrates a wraparound external supporter for unparalleled comfort and fitLightweight 4-way stretch m… |