Posted by bleauberry on January 22, 2008, at 19:24:08
In reply to New study on ECT, posted by Netch on January 22, 2008, at 5:57:33
One year later, after 12 bilateral treatments that cured depression for only 2 days, I still have zero memory of the 3 months leading up to ECT and the one month following it. The timeframe of 6 to 12 months prior to ECT is very sketchy, with only slight memories of it. Still lingering are constant cognitive and memory difficulties that were brand new problems after ECT. For example tonight I went to the grocery store. My spouse told me to take the debit card on the table. I said OK. One moment later I got in the car and drove to the store. When pulling in the parking lot I realized I had forgotten the debit card. Weird stuff like this happens all the time every day.
All my life I have been a high achiever, straight A's, super memory, mathematical whiz. I am still a high achiever, but to get straight A's I would have to study 20 times more than I used to, my memory is real bad, and even basic math sometimes has me staring at a blank piece of paper trying to remember how to do it.
During the month after ECT I had to learn my way driving around. It was exactly as if you had moved to a new State and a new town where you have never been before. I had to use Mapquest to go anywhere, even places I had been 100 times before. Slowly over time I see a store or a building or a street corner or a tree or something and I go, "Oh, I remember that." It is almost like it was in a dream, and now I am seeing that dream in real life, little pieces at a time.
The scariest part is the total lack of memory of an entire 4 month period of my life. I do not know how I ended up in ECT. I do not know what happened after, except for reading my dairy and notes. The weirdest thing is I do not recall quitting my previous job of 10 years, applying at a new job, and getting that job, where I work today. I have no idea how I got here.
ECT is bad news.
poster:bleauberry
thread:808283
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080114/msgs/808395.html