The first steps

So, after returning to the doctor and telling her I am prepared to commit, she wrote up the referral. I waited for months but finally heard back. The first step is a group information session at the NINET clinic at UBC https://ninet.med.ubc.ca/.

Depression happens to run rampant on both sides of my family. I grabbed my aunt for the trip down to UBC. She was my support person but I thought she could benefit from the info as someone who also suffers from depression and chronic pain.

It was smart of me to get my aunt to come. She was able to think of questions I wouldn’t have thought of, she was excellent at understanding me and the challenges I face, she was able to help with all the driving but most importantly, she wants to try this treatment. 

Highlights from my information session were:

• The technology has been around in Canada for about 15 years. During that time, there has been no indication of long-term side-effects. That being said, the technology and treatment has only been around for 15 years.
• TMS can trigger migraines in people who suffer with chronic migraines.
• Treatment is centred in the Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (Left side is less active in people with depression)
• TMS DOES HAVE SIDE EFFECTS. It can cause seizures in people without a history of seizures however after treatments cease, those people do not continue to experience them. For those people with Epilepsy, the treatment will cause seizures so therefore it is contraindicated in those with Epilepsy. People can expect to experience headaches, fatigue, anxiety, sleep problems, and nausea during treatment however those side effects go away after treatment has ended.
• People that suffer chronic pain in addition to depression tend to experience more side effects and the side effects are stronger than those that do not suffer from chronic pain. It has been noted that the side effects lessen with treatment and eventually go away during treatment in many patients. Chronic pain sufferers also tend to be more sensitive to the treatment.
• 50-55% of TMS patients have a positive response to treatment cutting symptoms in at least ½. 30-35% of TMS patients go into a remission. Some patients go for maintenance treatments or start treatment again if and when symptoms return.

I am going for my consultation April 30th. I am so excited.