Yesterday I received the last of five inpatient ECTs, and I was released yesterday afternoon. The doctor wants seven more done outpatient, I am set to return to the hospital for the next treatment on Thursday, assuming I get the okay from my insurance company by then. I plan on posting several journal entries from my stay at the hospital, detailing ECT among other observations. The procedures were done with bifrontal electrode placement, using a machine that output 101.4 joules for four seconds and the treatment was administered four times a week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. The ECT was done early in the morning. I was taken off of 1500mg of lithium and am now only on 40mg of Celexa and 50mg of Seroquel, which is a low dose. I'm noticing an appetite decrease, assumably due to the change in/reduction of medication. My mind feels less prone to falling into negative thought cycles and my mood is stable, less irritable and flighty than before.
Upon my discharge from the hospital yesterday following until this afternoon I experienced a bit of a trance-like state, possibly psychological as I was animated and alert in the hospital. Upon arriving home I found things to feel possibly more unfamiliar than three weeks away might be suspected of causing. Even my cat and dog felt rather foreign and strange at first.
These are just my initial thoughts upon my release and I will continue to update my blog, both with the aforementioned inpatient journal entries as well as with upcoming notes on the progress of the treatment.
One woman's journey into the controversial world of Electroconvulsive Therapy
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