Short, sharp shock

I have an ECT scheduled for this morning. We're on a monthly schedule now, quite a change from the twice-weekly regimen that I was following when I started in November. The only hard part about the preparation is that I can't have my morning coffee. (Nothing to eat or drink after midnight.) They'll bring me coffee and toast afterwards.

The overall process has become routine, which is a good thing. Sandra drops me off at the hospital at the appointed time. The woman at the reception desk greets me by name, verifies the information on the form, asks me to sign a consent form, gives me a yellow paper ID bracelet, and walks me to my room. I turn on the TV (CNN), get changed into the johnny, and lie down on the bed. A nurse's aide, who also greets me by name, takes the vitals. In a few minutes, the nurse will come in to review my chart, ask me who will be picking me up, and gets an IV in place. When it's time, the nurse gives me a shot of Robinul to clear my sinuses. The nurse's aide then wheels me to the same-day surgery unit where the fun happens. Usually, they're finishing up with the previous patient, so I might have to wait a few minutes before it's my turn.

A 12'x8' room fills up quickly when you add a hospital bed with yours truly, two anesthesiologists, the psychiatrist who flips the switch, and all that gear. They double-check to make sure that I am indeed the right patient and that I know why I'm here. (Not in the metaphysical sense, but do I know that I'm receiving an ECT today.) With a blood-pressure cuff on one arm, cardio monitors stuck to my chest, I'm ready for action. I receive an IV shot of caffeine (to help with the seizure), followed by a muscle relaxant and the anesthetic. The doctor puts an oxygen mask on my face and tells me to take deep breaths. In a few seconds, it's lights out, Lucy.

Twenty minutes or so later, I wake up in the recovery room. They'll ask if I have a headache., which I don't. The most discomfort that I've had was some muscle soreness, feeling as though I've been bounced around. I mention that at the next procedure and they will give me a bit more muscle relaxant. They monitor me for about 10 minutes and, then, call for the nurse's aide to bring me back to my room. More vitals, the aforementioned coffee and toast, more CNN. The nurse tells me I can get dressed and then calls Sandra. While waiting, we review my post-procedure instructions - no driving or operating machinery, no heavy lifting, resume regular diet, etc. I'm to call the hospital to schedule my next ECT. When Sandra arrives, I get into a wheelchair and the nurse's aide brings me to Sandra's car.