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My name is Sandra...
Day by day, I grow more convinced that ECT is not an effective treatment, and that it does little more than provide a brief respite from depression, followed by despair and hopelessness . . . and potential damage to the brain." Juli Lawrence '' healthyplace.com ect.org
The doctors tell me I’m suffering from a progressive degenerative disease of the brain.
They say it’s like chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), but that can only be diagnosed after someone dies so they can’t know for sure.
I’m fundraising in the hopes of being able to seek a second medical opinion, and, ideally, private medical care and relief from the intense pain.
I’ve struggled for many years with depression. I don’t remember giving birth to my oldest son, or to my youngest last year. I was too sick to look after him when he was born. He was taken into care before they let his father have him.
I became quite unwell and was eventually put into a psychiatric ward. The tablets seemed to work in the beginning. Then I was put on #venlafaxine (brand name #Effexor) which worked for a while. But I became unwell again. The doctors suggested electro convulsive therapy (ECT), or shock treatment, while I was still taking venlafaxine. They said that I’d benefit from it. They didn’t explain the potential serious side effects.
My last ECT session was over three months ago. After more than 16 treatments I’ve been left with severe memory loss, brain damage, and nerve damage. It seems like I’m getting worse, starting to forget how to do the most basic things. The doctors refuse to send me for a CT scan. They say it would damage more cells and cause more brain damage. When I asked to see a neurologist they also refused that request.
I’m determined to fight this for my children, myself, and anyone else who may have been hurt by ECT. I began doing research. It seems as though patients taking venlafaxine should not get ECT. OOPS! The good news is that there might be hope in the form of a stem cell transplant. I won’t know if that could work for me unless I can see a neurologist privately.
Can you please help me pay for private medical treatment? I know most of us are struggling, and I don’t mean to sound like that shop . . . but every bit does help, no matter how small.
Thank you so much for reading my story. And I want to say a special thanks to my Twitter friends for all the support and kindness they’ve shown me—including some help with telling my story here.
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