If anyone is interested ... rTMS treatment upcoming

@rufus31 I’m very interested in this new protocol that I have read about. Will you please come back and let me know how your all day session went and especially how you feel afterwards?

Day 1 was an relatively uneventful 2 hour appointment. Lots of questions for a full medical history, an explanation as to how the treatment day would go, the risks (fairly minor).

Then an qEEG was performed. Brain waves are a crazy thing to see on a computer screen. It is SO busy up there in our brains!!

5 mins sitting still, eyes open. 5 mins sitting still, eyes closed, then 10mins doing this exercise that you have to push a button (like on a game show) when you see a certain shape on the screen. Not difficult, but you can sense your brain "working" while your doing this, and that is what they are measuring.

Monday will be the big day! 😶Apparently I can expect to probably have a headache and be very tired. Stay tuned.

@rufus31 Thank you for describing the pre-treatment regimen. How interesting to see your own brain waves on the computer screen. That process certainly shows how very busy our brains are there, as you indicated.

I’m staying tuned for your big day on Monday. Presumably this is all covered by your provincial health care? May I ask which province this is and the referral process for this treatment? (I’m thinking many of us might like to know this for the future).

Thank-you for sharing! Look forward to hearing about your experience! Is this treatment indicated for depression and anxiety or just depression?

@cooper1990
I had TMS and it did not work for me. I have OCD, anxiety and depression. I think it works better for just depression. Everyone is different so the only way to know is to try it. It gave me a headache and made me sleepy. Good luck I hope it works for you.

@naturegirl5
So true....and the brain waves she showed me were when I was just sitting still. When I blinked or clenched my jaw the brain action soared! ...with such minor movements. It's a mega-city up there of circuitry & communication. It actually makes me realize just how much, and how easy it is for something to "go wrong".
I live in Ontario and have travelled to Ottawa for the treatment. It is the only clinic in the country offering this Protocol currently. It is more widely available in the USA though. Unfortunately, No. This is all out of pocket for me. It was a big decision, but where I am with the MDD, I wasn't spending money on doing anything else .... no desire/motivation/enthusiasm/enjoyment in doing anything. So I'm going for it!
No referral was required. Extensive questionnaires had to be submitted and I had an appointment with the Dr. that runs the clinic for complete medical history.
Today I decided to take a little 🤏extra Clonazepam to get me thru the anxiety of waiting for tomorrow. The thought of how the day is going to go is a little overwhelming. Thanks for being out there and interested ❤️

@cooper1990
Evidence indicates it works best on the Depression however that can have a run off effect on the anxiety as well. They have seen improvements in both areas, though I am not sure it would be used if the singular diagnoses was Anxiety.

Hello out there,

I will keep this message short and sweet. My brain is pretty tired after today and I don't want to spend too much time on the screen.

Over all, I would say it was a very positive experience. Much better then I had anticipated. I was at the clinic from 8:00am - 4:00pm and received 20 "treatments" during that time.

It was not painful, perhaps minor discomfort. The cramp in your foot when it is stretched too far....or your arm falling "asleep" with the subsequent pins'n'needles is WAY worse😄

I don't have a BAD headache. It's more like I have been concentrating really, really hard on something for too long and my brain in used and tired.

As far as the MDD goes, I don't feel any different then when I walked into the clinic this morning, nor did I expect to. The "average" time for any noticeable improvement, is in the 3-4 weeks area.... but could take a little longer. If nothing has changed by around weeks 6 - 8, then it was probably ineffective. I will not tweak any meds, start any new ones or do anything else that could taint the outcome of this treatment. I will of course try and stay cautiously optimist.

It will be an earlier then normal night for me. If anyone has any specific questions, please, please feel free to message me in chat.