I don’t want to do it, they did it to me when I was in the hospital the second time and it took me 6 months to relearn how to read.
But my insurance provider insists it is the best treatment for me, even though I am now on a combo of Latuda and Chloropro that has made me feel almost normal again.
I can’t change insurance, because of my physical problems making me ineligible for most private insurances, they are threatening to drop my coverage if I don’t ‘seek the proper treatment’
I literally just got off the phone with them, and I am not happy. If I lose my insurance, because of the Obamacare laws, I will only have 30 days to get new insurance, but I literally cannot get any other insurance because of my leg and back injuries, and I make too much to get state sponsored insurance.
I’ll be calling the BBB, because I don’t think this is legal, but has anyone else had to deal with something like this?
Maybe you could contact your state representative or maybe even the congressman from your district and see if you can get help there.
I don’t want to sound like I am trying to push you in any direction, but there is the possibility that when they gave you ECT they did it wrong. Check into it, and see if maybe they could give you a weaker dose of electricity, or something like that. I’m not saying you should. It’s just a thought.
my doc says she would reserve it for an extreme case, since ECT would help with my depression (which is minimal right now) but not my psychotic symptoms (which are almost non existent with my new med combo)
I am actually doing really well right now, better than I have been since before my first episode.
@crimby, the level they put me at before was the standard for someone of my size. not sure what the actual voltage or what ever was, but according to my Pdoc, such symptoms are fairly common, some people even forget how to speak or understand their birth language.
I got pretty lucky that I was able to relearn how to read, since another person in my group had ECT done back in the 90s and he still cant read, because he has dyslexia so bad the words ‘move’ on the page. And he was an English major before he was diagnosed. He opted for the treatment because they told him it was ‘side effect free’ and would ‘cure’ him.
I also have an issue with ECT because heart problems run in my family, and a violent electric shock could set off something with far reaching consequences. I actually have it written in to my Advance Health Directive that ECT is to be used only if I am actively suicidal and violent.
I did however do some research, and the ECT is cheaper than my current medical plan (meds) the ECT will cost them about 2K a year, whereas my meds cost about 4,500 a year…so I am thinking that is their goal…you know the ‘bottom line’
You’re making me glad I didn’t get ECT. At one time when I was in the hospital I was begging them to give me this treatment. I have seen it do a lot of good before, but with the possible side effects you describe, no thanks.
i think you should ask your doctor if s\he can ask regular treatment from your insurance company.i think this is not fair because you say that your medicine working well.you should ask your doctor
BBB (Better Business Bureau) says this is borderline illegal, and that I should report it to my doc so she can report it to the proper authorities. Insurances are not allowed to tell you what treatment to get, they can only tell you if it is covered or not.