Mood is still holding strong, and only two sleeps till my
next rTMS treatment - trying to make sure I don't jinx it. Had a very busy day
helping my friend, and learning there is a lot more I need to help her with...
I only hope I don't let her down. If we can keep my mood up, hopefully that
will help.
My back on the other hand is killing me - almost literally,
OK not literally but damn! Seriously though I am fighting back tears, the pain
is so intense. It goes from constant burning pain, to sharp stabbing pain. I
really need to check in with the surgeon again, I just don't want to call too
much and piss them off. But ya I think it's time to remind them I really need
their help.
I am exhausted and going to bed early, I am assisting my
friend again tomorrow - please back don't fail me now. By the way did I tell
you my mood is still holding.... hmmmmm... Zippo suicidal thoughts too - this
seriously has to be a record, and tonight is my last Saphris - hopefully there
will be no withdrawal issues to report, once I finish. AND hopefully the
elevated mood continues...
Talk to y'all tomorrow...
Dan,
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention something from my last comment, in between TMS pulse there's 10 seconds of downtime. How much downtime you are getting between pulses?
-Kevin
Hey Kevin
DeleteBecause my threshold is at 80% there is about a 20 to 25 second delay between trains, the machine does it automatically so that the paddle doesn't overheat...
Dan
Dan,
ReplyDeleteInteresting... So even though my GF is doing 10 mins a session the time in between pulses is shorter, which means she's getting more TMS per minute than yourself.
Today was her 3rd session and I've already noticed that her anxiety/paranoia seems like it's receding a bit. Now its like she back to being just "depressed" instead. I wonder if this is a good sign.
Good luck with your session today! Would you say on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being awesome), is your mood going up by half or quarter point a day?
-Kevin
Thank you Kevin... I wish I could tell you the increments my mood has changed, but it's kind of hard to put a number on it. It's almost like one day you are sad and suicidal, and then the next day you realize you haven't had a suicidal thought. In fact my son usually notices a change in my mood before I do. I also seem to have plateaued, I am not sure if I would call it happy, but I know it's not sad. It is a foreign feeling to me so still trying to get used to it, and I have to get over the fear of losing it sooner than later. So good to hear about your girlfriend, I say any positive change is a good sign. I asked my pdoc about your girlfriends style of treatment. He said that a lot of clinics are taking the multiple treatments per day to be able to process more patients, allowing them to decrease the 20 to 30 day initial treatment protocol. He didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with it, and figured if his clinic gets busier it might be something they will look at doing. His only concern on that front was the possibility of over stimulating the brain and causing seizures, but very doubtful and since your girlfriend hasn't experienced that it wouldn't be a concern. As to the stimulating both sides of the brain he said it is still up for debate. He said some doctors think if you over stimulate the right side of the brain it can cause depression. But he said there are several studies going on evaluating that theory. I hope that helps a bit. I am sure your girlfriend is in good hands, and even though rTMS has been around for quite some time now, it is still a new tool for fighting depression and they are learning new things about it all the time. Please keep me posted on her success.... Dan
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