TMS Therapy! by Deni Weigel-Eads
I had gone earlier this year for a few MRI’s. Each day afterwards, I woke up feeling so good. I had energy, I felt positive with my mood and I also didn’t have any negative feelings. I began to think to myself that there has to be something to this. I even spoke with a girlfriend of mine that had the same feeling after her MRI’s. One night while I was struggling with Insomnia, I looked up Magnetic type therapy. I was amazed to find that there is therapy that falls under this. It’s called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. It’s been approved by the FDA since 2008. Founded by Dr. Terry Hanusa. It’s NON invasive. There are NO DRUGS administered. NO, you don’t have to step inside that closed in MRI, which is why I only go for Open End MRI’s. I am very Claustrophobic.
I looked up an office near my home and was able to get a free consultation to describe the technique. The treatment takes about 20 minutes. They put this head piece on you and they do several measurements and then turn the system on. You will feel pulses on the left side of your head. Yes, it sounds a bit like a real MRI, but not loud at all. I sit and talk with my sweet gal, Anastasia, while I am wearing this head piece. You have to sit still, and there a few seconds in between each pulse. On occasion you can struggle with a headache or more. You do feel the pulses on your head, and yes it can make your eyes blink a bit, but after my first few treatments, the headaches subsided. They weren’t heavy like a Migraine. The total exposure of treatments is cumulative. In other words, the more treatments a patient has, the more a positive response. I will have a total of 36 treatments. You can go 5 days a week, or 3 days a week. This shouldn’t affect your driving. I had my husband drive me to my first appointment. What is remarkable is that you can avoid the side effects caused by anti-depressants. No struggling with Weight gain, which I hate so much. No dry mouth, stomach problems, sexual dysfunction, which is so much easier for a faster road to recovery.
I am still on my medications, and have been advised that I stay on that and see what happens after 6 months. Usually these treatments are PERMANENT. If after a while you feel as though you are needing help, then you can go in for one or 2 treatments if needed. This works the same with Bi Polar, but the treatments are less. It can possibly cause brief episodes of hypomania. Young children that are struggling with depression and anxiety, respond quite well to the treatments.
Here is what you need to be aware of. I have had several surgeries and feel as though I have about 750 pounds of Titanium in my body. That will not affect these treatments at all. The adverse affects that are rare can cause fainting, seizure, discomfort or pain. Just the tapping on the side of the head can be a bit uncomfortable, but for 20 minutes you get very used to it. Hypomania, cognitive change, impaired working memory, hearing loss. But that is very rare according to what I have read. Be aware if you have a Pacemaker, or defibrillator, this could cause an inadvertent induction of current to those devices. Which is why this form of therapy is not recommended for such patients.
Does your insurance company cover these treatments? I have them covered 100 percent with Medicare and my supplemental insurance. Most insurance companies will cover this form of therapy. If you are interested, look up HPR treatment centers. I know for a fact that in the Chicago area, and suburbs, there are several centers. You will meet with a Psychiatrist first to see if you would qualify for the treatments. My psychiatrist is so wonderful. He shared with me how this came to his attention. He had never heard of it till a few years ago. He was quite anxious to find a non invasive form of therapy that would help many of his patients. He still believes in counseling, which he encouraged me to get back into. He also told me that he too, goes for counseling. He expressed that EVERYONE in this world have “JUNK” in their head, and that everyone can use counseling now and then. There is NO shame at all with getting help and finding ways to cope with your life.
Now for the GOOD PART? This type of therapy is being studied to be affective with Parkinson patients. Dementia patients seem to respond quite well. This type of therapy has been shown to be very helpful in the fields of Neurology and mental health and much more. They are doing studies on OCD, smoking cessation, PTSD, Pain Management and so much more. Please take some time and look all this up on the Internet. You’ll be amazed at what the possibilities are, hopefully coming soon to a HPR center near you.
We all struggle in life, and no one is exempt. Get help when you need it, and don’t be ashamed. NO one is PERFECT and we will NEVER be till our days are over on earth. I am also here to Encourage you and hopefully have you enjoy my blogs in the future.
Deni Weigel Eads
I come from the Weigel family of Broadcasters, entertainers, singers, performers, Improv enthusiasts, and Columnists in Chicago. I personally was a radio talk show host, Blogger, Columnist, and Podcast Geek. Nothing more enjoyable to me, is being behind a Microphone. However, what I find most enjoyable, is to Encourage others. I hope you will find comfort, peace, joy, laughter and encouragement in reading my blog. Proverbs 17:22 “A merry heart does good, like medicine”!