TMS Trials

Day Seven The power of the train/pulse has to be at 120% by the 2nd week to make the treatment as effective as possible; if you don't make it that's okay. Your goal will continue to be to raise power until you reach 120%. If its not at 120% [in two weeks] that isn't automatically bad it just means TMS is not as effective as fast as if you were at full power. My appointment went very smooth, we started at a lower power [110] than I finished at yesterday, then transitioned to 115% a little later. We tried full power [120] but it was slightly too strong for me so I decided to stay at 115 for today. I had no issues with hand movements. Me and the TMS tech chatted during the treatment and finished a show I was watching. After 20 minutes we transitioned to low frequency cycle and I recorded it. After that I answered the daily questions because we forgot in the beginning. The only things that impact treatment are: sleep quality and amount, meds/medication changes, drinking alcohol...

Day One I drank coffee and saw a sign saying I'm not supposed to! Its decaf only before treatment. Later I learned as long as I regularly drink coffee in the morning, its okay to drink caffeine before treatment. I came in and signed forms and then the technician reviewed them and set up the machine. I went in, we discussed my paperwork and started cortical mapping. They will ask questions about your daily routine every day. Poor sleep can cancel treatment because it lowers motor threshold. You can cancel for medical stuff or emergencies but shouldn't stop TMS for a week or days at a time. The longer you go without treatment the less effective it will be. You can do it with a neck brace, which I have, that's no issue. We adjust stuff with the chair then doc comes in to do brain mapping. There are different machines [neurostar and brainsway] they will make a slight difference. You will usually do a test "train" after they set the angle and strength and you will tell...

Trigger warning: self harm, suicidal thoughts [not graphic] In 2022 my depression came back quick, and in full force. I didn't just have a full depressive episode, I had it with all my old self harming and suicidal thoughts. I'm already in therapy, and the meds don't work. It took months just to get a sleep med that helped my insomnia so I didn't plan to treat this with medication. I knew that for some people TMS only lasts around a year [could be more as well] so I decided to see if I could get TMS again. I contacted a TMS provider, filled out the forms, and we had a telehealth call to discuss them. After that they called to let me know I was approved on their end for TMS so they would send everything to insurance. Soon after that I was told insurance approved me and was fully covering it.  We set a date, and I came in for my first treatment last Friday after waiting two weeks. I decided to document this journey with TMS to show people what it is, since its relatively ...

Before I decided to pursue TMS, I did a lot of research. I am going to share that research here.  I also will quickly explain TMS therapy. TMS helps depression, anxiety, and other conditions by stimulating parts of the brain that are underactive and calming down parts of the brain that are over-active. It uses MRI strength magnetic pulses to do this. There have been studies of TMS for its positive impacts on depression, anxiety, OCD, smoking cessation, PTSD, stroke rehabilitation, schizophrenia, Parkinsons and Alzheimers, and it even can help chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis. Not all of these are FDA approved [such as the ones for Parkinsons and Alzheimers] but the future of TMS treatment is constantly changing and expanding! It is usually covered by insurance as long as your depression is treatment resistant and the TMS center has approved you as a patient. If antidepressants and psychotherapy don't work for you, Medicare will cover TMS ...

For my first full round of TMS therapy, I was approved for 32 days of TMS for anxiety [which also helps depression] and I noticed small mood changes my the end of the 7th treatment. Things like having less anxiety and racing thoughts, laughing more, slightly better sleep, less fatigue, and more motivation. By the end of the 14th day I noticed some moderate mood changes, like reaching less to hypotheticals I would normally have anxiety about, and things happening in my real life making me happy. It was also easier to cope with mood swings and difficult days. By my 21st day, I noticed a much bigger difference in my quality of sleep as well as in my mood. I had a clarity of mind I had never experienced, and everything felt light and calm, for once. Every day after that- my mood got significantly better once I finished each treatment. I would notice that it was like watching storm clouds clear away and seeing a sunny blue sky after a long storm. I had more plans for my future, everybody ar...

Trigger Warnings: self harm, suicide, hospitalization, inpatient programs  I have had chronic, treatment resistant Depression and Anxiety, for as long as I can remember. I have also had PTSD and Insomnia since middle school. This combination of mental health issues has mad it very difficult to function and I have struggled with self harm and suicidal ideation from the age of 12, maybe 10. I have had multiple suicide attempts from middle school to high school and college. When I was in college, I started getting therapy and trying medications. I went on medical leave due to depression in 2017 and did my first inpatient program, a PHP, in 2017 or early 2018 and while it helped me learn a lot I ended up continuing to struggle with mental health for the next few years. As I struggled to find the right meds, and became very familiar with common therapy skills, I went on another medical leave in 2019 and entered my second PHP after a lot of personal life changes that triggered a huge rel...