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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by jaby on December 9, 2004, at 10:08:16
Has anyone here undergone ECT while still working. mY doc says he has a few professionals that have done so and I would like to be included in the bunch. I'm wondering how it went for people and what kind of treatment schedule you followed. Thanks.
Posted by anxiety_free on December 9, 2004, at 10:18:31
In reply to ECT whie working, posted by jaby on December 9, 2004, at 10:08:16
I haven't personally done ECT while working, but a relative of mine has, and it went well. She did all of her sessions discretely (NONE of her colleagues caught on) and successfully. Anyway, it lifted her out of a terrible depression that just hadn't been responding to meds and lifestyle changes. After a few months, she was finished and has remained depreession-free for the past 4 years. Her maintenance meds are minimal; a TCA and Valium, I think...best of all, clearing her depression gave her back her ambition and self-esteem, so she's excelled in her field. Just thought I'd share. Good luck!
Posted by jaby on December 9, 2004, at 14:21:05
In reply to ECT for professional workers, posted by anxiety_free on December 9, 2004, at 10:18:31
Do you happen to know what her ECT schedule was? They usually do 3 per week for two weeks to start, but i'd like to do two(which they say is okay) so I can still work.
Thanks for the info by the way.
Posted by anxiety_free on December 9, 2004, at 18:19:56
In reply to Re: ECT for professional workersanxiety_free, posted by jaby on December 9, 2004, at 14:21:05
I want to say she did three a week...her shrink was pretty aggressive with treatment, in a good way. Anyway, you should what works best in your situation; I posted just to let you know that ECT and a successful career can coexist...you just need to feel out how you'll handle it. She was swimming with the sharks (attorney), so she had to be discrete-VERY discrete. Good luck to you!
Posted by denise1904 on December 10, 2004, at 14:20:57
In reply to Re:Re:ECT for professional workers, posted by anxiety_free on December 9, 2004, at 18:19:56
Hi,
I really don't understand this, in some cases you hear about people being totally destroyed by ECT or being unable to funcition after ECT and then there are people like your friend who seem to sail through it.
Can I ask you where your friend had it, what type of placement she had (bilateral, unilateral or bifrontal and who gave her the treament? It just makes me wonder why this treatment seems to have such drasticly different affects on different people. I know the same goes for antidepressants but thought I'd ask the question anyway.
Thanks for any info you have.
Denise
Posted by anxiety_free on December 10, 2004, at 17:47:39
In reply to ECT - Advice, posted by denise1904 on December 10, 2004, at 14:20:57
my cousin had bilateral, I believe. She's tough on shrinks (in a good way); she fored her doc to consent to ending the treatments and trying another round of meds if the treatment interfered with her life or if she just felt like it. LOL..she's a shrewd negotiator. Anyway, she lucked out in the memory dept..the only blackouts are before the treatment and bit afterwards. BUT, you're right; ECT can be ddddaaaaannnngggeeerous. A friend of mine was taking a TCA and his doc decded for ECT. Problem? TCA make you more seizure prone than many other antidepresants...and, yup, he had a seizure from hell. Luckily that doc has been taken care of.
Posted by cybercafe on December 12, 2004, at 1:02:05
In reply to ECT, posted by anxiety_free on December 10, 2004, at 17:47:39
> my cousin had bilateral, I believe. She's tough on shrinks (in a good way); she fored her doc to consent to ending the treatments and trying another round of meds if the treatment interfered with her life or if she just felt like it. LOL..she's a shrewd negotiator. Anyway, she lucked out in the memory dept..the only blackouts are before the treatment and bit afterwards. BUT, you're right; ECT can be ddddaaaaannnngggeeerous. A friend of mine was taking a TCA and his doc decded for ECT. Problem? TCA make you more seizure prone than many other antidepresants...and, yup, he had a seizure from hell. Luckily that doc has been taken care of.
i'm curious by what you mean "that doc has been taken care of"... i was pretty much under the impression that you are going to have a really tough time getting one doctor to admitt to the faults of another, especially openly make a statement against another (as with most professions)
it's strange because now that i know enough about medicine i will hear doctors talk about family members and explain things and i realize that there are probably 6 or so explanations for a certain symptom/event and they will choose the one which puts it the most out of their hands when in fact it is the least likely....
as much as i may be biased against doctors, this was actually a very cut and dry case (auto-immune disorder, not psychiatric)
apologies if people find my run on sentences hard to follow (?)
This is the end of the thread.
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