ECT

Dear family and friends, David wants to share with you that due to incapacitating depression, he started ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) this week.  It is not as scary as it sounds anymore--pregnant women who do not want to take pills that cause risk to their unborn baby safely undergo ECT these days.  Dave had his first treatment Wednesday. On Thursday, he was stronger and happier than I have seen him since he first had the seizures.  The procedure itself is hard to go through, though. After the first one, David was sore and somewhat fragile until evening. When I saw him today, after his second, he was also pretty down and somewhat disoriented.  His doctor says this usually happens:  right after the ECT patients tend to feel better, then they crash, but in the long run, if the therapy works, patients achieve a long-lasting better mood.  He will probably have at least two or three more treatments before leaving the hospital.  So far, the signs are good that ECT is working for Dave.  This is very good news, as anti-depressants have not been effective for him.  

Dave's iPod is definitely helping him get through these difficult days.  Your contributions have been pouring in, and we are not far from covering the cost ($463.85, Ron) at this point. If we happen to go over, I will purchase an AppleCare warranty for it, which will extend the warranty from one to three years.  If we go over that, it'll be warm socks, soft T-shirts and more ice cream.  We love Dave!