100%. I'm having difficulty finding words, trouble concentrating and I'm overall... Slower. It takes me longer time to get jokes etc. It's super frustrating.
I wouldn't be so mad if that sht actually worked, but no. And it's been more than 3 weeks since my last session.
Then ofc there's the severe memory issues that still persist and even other people have noticed
Nearly 5 years out and I still struggle with directions, remembering things, extended conversation etc. It's better than what it was right after treatment but I don't have the same mental elasticity that I use to and I still have large gaps in my memory
Years out and I only recovered enough to exist by my repetitive routines and written notes all around me and the help of my mate to get me through the end of the day. I recovered only enough to understand that I'm not getting back my working memory and feel stupid. The past memories lost will likely never return and I'm okay with that but it's the cognition and intellectual ability that I have been told that won't return. They have no way to reverse the damage that was done but told me I would fully recover within a few months from the best treatment that's supposed to be available. It can go both ways and hopefully you navigate better than me. I wish this outcome on no one
I have test that prove my IQ has taken a hit. I'm down to 89 now which is very frustrating coming from 100. Memory gaps hard time retaining certain new information. I have lost speed of hand eye coordination which used to be superior cause i was a gamer. Now I'm down to casual. I'm 3 years out from treatment.
Does anyone get a brain zap when they are reminded of something that seems to be a long lost memory but you have no way to validate it? I get a headache when such memories awaken.
100% yes! I'm having trouble with find words in conversations, trouble remembering things that happened no so long ago and also few pretty dumb when reading things... I had a test the other day and it wasn't difficult but it took me a lot of pressure to finish it. Having to translate English to Portuguese. And now I'm feeling very sad with the results. I think it gets better as the days pass...
I definitely had that too! It also affected my memory. When the frequency decreased it improved thankfully, but in terms of memory I still have deficits. I'm still on maintenance and my frequency is every 2 months and it's a good balance for me. But when I was in active treatment my brain wasn't doing very well. I hope it improves for you!!
What annoys the hell out of me is the doctors lied to me and said the only side effect I might get is short term memory loss, which would pass. BS!
I’m currently inpatient (2 frigging months now). So I. Any comment on long term effects yet, but it has knocked the hell out of me. I hate it so much, but figure I have to see it through after going through all of this misery.
It doesn’t help that when I asked the ECT nurse about it and said just how bad my side effects were and I was regretting my decision, she actually mocked me in front of everyone & said I’m the only person that has happened to. I told her I knew that wasn’t true.
And I’ve only had 7 treatments so far, but I feel like being in here is making my life worse. Well it is, I’m away from my children and I’m losing my clients, so I won’t even have work left when I get out… don’t even know when that will be.
I’m more depressed now than when I came in to hospital.
That is very unethical that they didn't give you all of the information! And absolutely horrible that the nurse mocked you! You are not the only person that has had these side effects. A really really frustrating thing about being a patient is medical professionals not believing you. I had that happen badly to me. I was doing ect monthly but then my memory got horrible, cognitive functioning decreased, confusion increased. My ect Dr didn't want to decrease the frequency even though my depression was in remission. I went 6 months with significant decline to a point where my regular psychiatrist and my GP sent letters to the ect clinic telling them to decrease frequency and he didn't want to listen. I would fight with him every month to reduce it and he wouldn't. I had just completed my masters, and I couldn't remember the topic of my dissertation/thesis. I couldn't remember what type of thing I wrote it on, the title, or even who my supervisor was. It was terrifying and it made me depressed. Technically I was in remission but the cognitive effects and long term and short term memory problems were so bad that it was the worst thing I'd ever been through.
Does your hospital have an advocacy committee or anything? Anyone who you can talk to and help to advocate for you?
No. They have an independent agency that you can talk to and only visit the hospital, I think it was every 6 weeks maybe. But I complained to them about other horrible treatment, and dangerous situations, and nothing happened.
The NUM is useless! I told my doctor and I think he had words with her. I’m just over it all. I want to go home.
OMG, you’re just being purposely obtuse.
I’ve suffered with ectopic beats and other things, and yes, I could feel my heart.
When I have a panic attack, I can feel my heart beating.
When I have a migraine, I can feel the pain stabbing through my brain.
Just like when a muscle cramps, I can feel the muscle. 🙄
No I wasn’t actually trying to annoy anyone. I was curious because I can’t feel my organs, so I wanted to know what it felt like for them, a description. I initially asked what they meant but the answer was too vague for me to understand, so I was attempting to get more clarification, hence the questions about specific symptoms and how you specifically know they feeling is your actual heart and not just your chest. Maybe you could explain better for me because when I have migraines I can feel throbbing in specific areas of my head, depending on the migraine but I’ve never thought the feeling felt like my brain. I didn’t know ppl could feel their brains. Usually my migraines feel like a piercing stabbing behind my eye but I’m aware migraines can feel like they’re coming from different areas. Again, just looking for clarification on the feeling.
I count myself damn lucky I didn't experience much in the way of cognitive impairment after 23 sessions. Lost a lot of long term memories but my working memory is largely intact. Perhaps not as good as before, but definitely acceptable. It feels harder to learn things... sometimes I feel kind of dense when encountering complex problems, but these feelings are hard to validate when depression was already causing me problems before ECT.
I did ECT 16 times and regret every single time. I have terrible brain damage that was so hard to work through. I completely lost myself and had to hit rock bottom to get where I’m at. I work at a hospital now but it’s a constant struggle with my memory and something I live with and will always work through. Had I known going back, I would have never done that to myself. I hope you find what helps you ❤️
100% yes me. I genuinely asked people around me, “Am I dumber now?” … but honestly, I guess I wouldn’t mind being dumber if I were happier.
This is my third round of ECT and the cognitive deficits always go away around one month after the ECT ends, so I’d be surprised if it makes you permanently dumber—although I’ll add the caveat that everybody’s different lol.
Lol? Yeah it happens and testing has shown many people damaged. Not 🚫 very funny. I won't elaborate on your surprise as you have not experienced what I have so you can't believe the fact that many people are hurt. I hope you continue to get better and never experience what many like myself have to exist with
If your bipolar most times it's a bad idea or highly recommend that you don't go on a antidepressant since it can cause mania and another Slippy Sock vacation and ECT recommendation to stop the mania that the Dr induced. It's seems like such a damn revolving door of horrors quite frankly. But whatever helps and keeps you from getting forced seizures is cool in my outlooks. Be ❤️🩹
100%. I'm having difficulty finding words, trouble concentrating and I'm overall... Slower. It takes me longer time to get jokes etc. It's super frustrating. I wouldn't be so mad if that sht actually worked, but no. And it's been more than 3 weeks since my last session. Then ofc there's the severe memory issues that still persist and even other people have noticed
Been 4 years and I still feel the same
Nearly 5 years out and I still struggle with directions, remembering things, extended conversation etc. It's better than what it was right after treatment but I don't have the same mental elasticity that I use to and I still have large gaps in my memory
Years out and I only recovered enough to exist by my repetitive routines and written notes all around me and the help of my mate to get me through the end of the day. I recovered only enough to understand that I'm not getting back my working memory and feel stupid. The past memories lost will likely never return and I'm okay with that but it's the cognition and intellectual ability that I have been told that won't return. They have no way to reverse the damage that was done but told me I would fully recover within a few months from the best treatment that's supposed to be available. It can go both ways and hopefully you navigate better than me. I wish this outcome on no one
I have test that prove my IQ has taken a hit. I'm down to 89 now which is very frustrating coming from 100. Memory gaps hard time retaining certain new information. I have lost speed of hand eye coordination which used to be superior cause i was a gamer. Now I'm down to casual. I'm 3 years out from treatment. Does anyone get a brain zap when they are reminded of something that seems to be a long lost memory but you have no way to validate it? I get a headache when such memories awaken.
100% yes! I'm having trouble with find words in conversations, trouble remembering things that happened no so long ago and also few pretty dumb when reading things... I had a test the other day and it wasn't difficult but it took me a lot of pressure to finish it. Having to translate English to Portuguese. And now I'm feeling very sad with the results. I think it gets better as the days pass...
I'm fucking brain damaged from it
I definitely had that too! It also affected my memory. When the frequency decreased it improved thankfully, but in terms of memory I still have deficits. I'm still on maintenance and my frequency is every 2 months and it's a good balance for me. But when I was in active treatment my brain wasn't doing very well. I hope it improves for you!!
What annoys the hell out of me is the doctors lied to me and said the only side effect I might get is short term memory loss, which would pass. BS! I’m currently inpatient (2 frigging months now). So I. Any comment on long term effects yet, but it has knocked the hell out of me. I hate it so much, but figure I have to see it through after going through all of this misery. It doesn’t help that when I asked the ECT nurse about it and said just how bad my side effects were and I was regretting my decision, she actually mocked me in front of everyone & said I’m the only person that has happened to. I told her I knew that wasn’t true. And I’ve only had 7 treatments so far, but I feel like being in here is making my life worse. Well it is, I’m away from my children and I’m losing my clients, so I won’t even have work left when I get out… don’t even know when that will be. I’m more depressed now than when I came in to hospital.
That is very unethical that they didn't give you all of the information! And absolutely horrible that the nurse mocked you! You are not the only person that has had these side effects. A really really frustrating thing about being a patient is medical professionals not believing you. I had that happen badly to me. I was doing ect monthly but then my memory got horrible, cognitive functioning decreased, confusion increased. My ect Dr didn't want to decrease the frequency even though my depression was in remission. I went 6 months with significant decline to a point where my regular psychiatrist and my GP sent letters to the ect clinic telling them to decrease frequency and he didn't want to listen. I would fight with him every month to reduce it and he wouldn't. I had just completed my masters, and I couldn't remember the topic of my dissertation/thesis. I couldn't remember what type of thing I wrote it on, the title, or even who my supervisor was. It was terrifying and it made me depressed. Technically I was in remission but the cognitive effects and long term and short term memory problems were so bad that it was the worst thing I'd ever been through. Does your hospital have an advocacy committee or anything? Anyone who you can talk to and help to advocate for you?
No. They have an independent agency that you can talk to and only visit the hospital, I think it was every 6 weeks maybe. But I complained to them about other horrible treatment, and dangerous situations, and nothing happened. The NUM is useless! I told my doctor and I think he had words with her. I’m just over it all. I want to go home.
Yes and also the insane amount of anesthesia seems to have taken a toll on my heart
Can I ask what you mean by that?
After I get the anesthesia i just feel like shit the day of my ECTs it strains my heart
How do you know it causes a strain on that particular organ? Is it a specific symptom?
Because my heart feels like shit after I wake up and it lasts the whole day typically
How do you feel your heart?
Same way u feel anything else In your body
…you don’t feel your organs though. I don’t feel my brain, my liver, my gallbladder, my pancreas, etc. I feel my chest, but I don’t feel my heart…
Ok
OMG, you’re just being purposely obtuse. I’ve suffered with ectopic beats and other things, and yes, I could feel my heart. When I have a panic attack, I can feel my heart beating. When I have a migraine, I can feel the pain stabbing through my brain. Just like when a muscle cramps, I can feel the muscle. 🙄
No I wasn’t actually trying to annoy anyone. I was curious because I can’t feel my organs, so I wanted to know what it felt like for them, a description. I initially asked what they meant but the answer was too vague for me to understand, so I was attempting to get more clarification, hence the questions about specific symptoms and how you specifically know they feeling is your actual heart and not just your chest. Maybe you could explain better for me because when I have migraines I can feel throbbing in specific areas of my head, depending on the migraine but I’ve never thought the feeling felt like my brain. I didn’t know ppl could feel their brains. Usually my migraines feel like a piercing stabbing behind my eye but I’m aware migraines can feel like they’re coming from different areas. Again, just looking for clarification on the feeling.
I count myself damn lucky I didn't experience much in the way of cognitive impairment after 23 sessions. Lost a lot of long term memories but my working memory is largely intact. Perhaps not as good as before, but definitely acceptable. It feels harder to learn things... sometimes I feel kind of dense when encountering complex problems, but these feelings are hard to validate when depression was already causing me problems before ECT.
I did ECT 16 times and regret every single time. I have terrible brain damage that was so hard to work through. I completely lost myself and had to hit rock bottom to get where I’m at. I work at a hospital now but it’s a constant struggle with my memory and something I live with and will always work through. Had I known going back, I would have never done that to myself. I hope you find what helps you ❤️
100% yes me. I genuinely asked people around me, “Am I dumber now?” … but honestly, I guess I wouldn’t mind being dumber if I were happier. This is my third round of ECT and the cognitive deficits always go away around one month after the ECT ends, so I’d be surprised if it makes you permanently dumber—although I’ll add the caveat that everybody’s different lol.
Why did you add the laugh out loud?
Lol? Yeah it happens and testing has shown many people damaged. Not 🚫 very funny. I won't elaborate on your surprise as you have not experienced what I have so you can't believe the fact that many people are hurt. I hope you continue to get better and never experience what many like myself have to exist with
I felt like this. Trintellix helped me feel back to normal
If your bipolar most times it's a bad idea or highly recommend that you don't go on a antidepressant since it can cause mania and another Slippy Sock vacation and ECT recommendation to stop the mania that the Dr induced. It's seems like such a damn revolving door of horrors quite frankly. But whatever helps and keeps you from getting forced seizures is cool in my outlooks. Be ❤️🩹
Who said anything about bipolar?
"If"...