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Tag: Depression
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And Just Like that, It was Over
And just like that, it was over. Today I had my last ECT treatment. Originally planned for next month, we discussed my progress and my current state and decided today was graduation day. I had 23 ECT treatments in all which began in July. It seems surreal to me.
What did I feel when this decision was made? Pride, relief, satisfaction and loved. I am so proud of myself for enduring these 23 treatments as they served a large part in my recovery. I am relieved that I can move on from my trips to New Haven. I am satisfied with the stellar care I received at Yale-New Haven Psychiatric Hospital and felt so thankful as the nurses hugged me goodbye and we wished each other well. Mostly, I feel loved. I feel loved and cared for by my family and friends and the support I have received from my therapist is simply remarkable. My husband and daughter are my anchors and I felt a calmness this morning as I pictured them in my head as I was given the anesthesia.
I am happy to continue my therapy, and grateful that the ECT brought me to a place where I can accomplish the necessary work in therapy. I will continue my medication regimen and continue to stay on top of my feelings. I am well aware that if I start to feel depressed, I need to reach out to the appropriate people to take care of myself.
Just as I said in my recent blog post, I am focused on moving on. Part of this involves some celebrating. I want to celebrate myself. Having ECT became routine for me but was still a source of anxiety. I am happy to celebrate moving on from this. My focus this weekend will be on my daughter, husband and me. It’s time to take a deep, cleansing breath and reflect on all that I have accomplished in the past year, specifically in the past 7 months.
Moving on.
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Moving On
In another month I will complete my ECT treatments. I honestly cannot wait. While it has certainly been a huge factor, in terms of saving my life, I am ready to move on. That is my current focus: moving on.
I’ve been thinking back to where I was a year ago and it broke my heart when I read what I blogged a year ago in February. Here it is:
If I don’t smile for an extended period of time, don’t take it personally.
If I seem “off” in some way, don’t take it personally.
If I don’t appear to be listening to you, don’t take it personally.
If I don’t laugh at your joke, don’t take it personally.
If my hand is unsteady, don’t take it personally.
If I appear tearful, don’t take it personally.
If I yawn, don’t take it personally.
If I don’t want to be around people, don’t take it personally.
If my leg shakes when I sit next to you, don’t take it personally.
If I forget something, don’t take it personally.
If I need to leave work a few minutes early to pick up my daughter as I ache to hug her, don’t take it personally.
If I don’t go to your house to hang out because I cannot imagine being extroverted, don’t take it personally. This is Depression. This is my Depression. This is me right now. Don’t be put off and don’t run away. Give me time and just be there. And please, don’t take it personally.
Wow.
I was really sick. While I remember feeling this way, it is a different experience to read this now when I am healthy and thinking clearly. I remember those raw feelings. I felt an emptiness that could not be filled.
I am trying to focus on the present now, the positive results of all of my treatment and all of my work. I am finally at a point of self-recognition. I have done a great job of thanking my therapist, ECT nurses, other hospital staff, family and friends for helping to rescue me from my depression, but I am finally at a point of praising myself. No one else could go to therapy for me or have ECT on my behalf; it was me. It was my choice to see my therapist, I agreed to go to the hospital, both times, I agreed to all of the medication trials. I did the work, whether it was using my head, my heart or the rest of my body. It was in my control. I am finallyproud of myself. I accomplished so much this past year and I am grateful for my inner strength. I am at a better place, emotionally, and I can’t imagine going back.
I have a bracelet that says: She believed she could, so she did.
I believed I could, so I did.
Risa's Reality 