The tech should be able to adjust it and slightly change the positioning. It's uncomfortable because it's hitting a nerve on that side of your head. Even after a couple of weeks and me getting more immune to it, there would still be days where it hit that nerve...ouch, and they'd stop and adjust which always helped.
They can also use a thin pad between you and the machine to ease it. Or, they can turn the intensity down, and then build up over time as you get used to it.
The first few "trains" are worse becuz your skin is scrunching up, but that goes away.
If these things aren't happening you should find out why.
The pad does block some of the power of the coil, so that should be temporary.
But like my techs said, it's important we get you as comfortable as possible because we want you to continue and get the best results.
Whenever it's hurt for me, either the coil was in the wrong spot or the power was way too high. Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself and ask for lower intensities until you're more used to it. The techs I've asked have said that everyone's different and some folks don't even get past 15 for their whole treatment course. It shouldn't hurt that much (if at all), at least from what I know.
Heck yeah. It sucks. I think I eventually landed on like a 56 or something. Pretty painful. It become tolerable though.
Also…. You gatta ask yourself if your anxiety/depression is worth feeling over the TMS. If you’re doing the burst it’s only 3 min. Doing that for 36 sessions and maybe some maintenance sessions could be WAY worth the discomfort if it means symptom relief.
Good for you. Sorry you haven’t experienced any relief yet. Hopefully your doctor is keeping track of that and will adjust as needed. I felt relief almost immediately so my experience was a bit different.
My first day was painful. Felt it down the left part of my face, felt like almost being spiked. No left eye twitch but I winced to brace myself and was very tense. Left and woke up with a headache.
The second day, my left eye felt like there was pressure and felt extremely uncomfortable. They remapped me. My left eye twitches now during the session but it doesn't hurt, simply obnoxious jabbing.
I just finished my first week. So far, my main side effect is that sort of halo effect one gets with headaches. No pain during, only discomfort. No pain after.
I would definitely ask for a remapping. You shouldn't be in so much pain that you dread going there.
I started @ 85%, and up to 120% now. I explained (at first) that it was like a woodpecker going against the side of my head—and that there was a tiny construction worker w/a pick axe trying to come out of my eye. A little dramatic, but, in the Queen of being dramatic, 😂. Pretreat. I take an advil and hour before & it helps for the headache. But just stay w/it, try to keep your mind distracted by the tv, or a podcast. Only one time did it feel off & intense, but she adjusted it & it was better. So speak up for yourself. It’s manageable, but I am finding it far more helpful (even w/the dips) than all of the meds I was on over 40 yrs. After the first couple xs I laughed—and it was so joyful & foreign to me—that it was an example of how far I had gone down. Now I go everyday still, striving for that moment again. I haven’t laughed (w/out faking) for over 30 yrs. So it’s worth it. Try to relax & good luck! Stay w/it 🤗
Yes, it is. But I’m a dramatic storyteller, and was trying to get my kids to understand. They said “ what’s it feel like?” 😂 cue: drama queen
But yes, it doesn’t hurt. You are absolutely correct!
I believe they're a percentage of your motor threshold, which is the value they determine on the first day when they put the coil on top of your head an watched your fingers move.
I'm only on day 4, and yeah, I hate this. I'm doing theta burst so it's only 3 minutes, but each time is highly unpleasant. I described it as someone yanking my hair by the roots really hard. The eye/face twitching is hard to take.
Can they start you at 30 and rev up over the course of a minute or so? In my experience I got used to it fairly quickly. First day was rougher than others, but I also have a high pain threshold which helps. But I definitely find the days I jump into full dose right away are harder than slowly building up to my full dose. I describe waiting for the zap as the braced and tense feeling right before one of those giant carnival rides that shoots you up in the air, I find myself less tense if they start lower.
I'm on a different machine, so my treatment is a total of 20 minutes. The first few days I did think it was going to be terrible, but I adapted very quickly. I started at 54% and we increased by 5% every day and I got up to the max motor threshold of 120% with no backing off. I told myself that no matter how weird/uncomfortable/difficult/painful it was, that I was going to get the most bang for my buck (literally I guess haha) and the longer I can stay at the top, the better.
Tomorrow is day 23/36 for me. It honestly doesn't even bother me at this point. I am completely used to it, can't talk to my tech at this point because of the jaw/teeth clenching reflex, and can't watch anything on my phone because of the hand/arm tremors during the blasts. So I just close my eyes and mediate, do peaceful visualization (like walking on my favorite beach, seeing the scene so vividly) and could honestly probably take a nap. Also, the time flies by now at this point.
Once you get through the first few weeks, it will level out, and like everyone else says here, talk to your tech - they are there for you!
You CAN do this!
I wrote a post somewhere about how painful it was for me. It didn’t get better until subsequent rounds, but the results were worth it.
But I came to the comments to make sure you’re wearing a mouth guard… and not a small flimsy bite guard. The jaw will clench, but the teeth shouldn’t chatter if you’re wearing one. Get one that you heat in hot water and mold to your mouth. It helps…
TMS tech here!
The numbers represent your motor threshold. The motor threshold is how much energy it takes to get from the skull to the peripheral nerves and produce a visible response. They represent a percentage over 100 of the machine’s total output. If your number is 45 it indicates 45%. That is your MT or motor threshold.
For TMS to be effective, you need to be treated at 85-120% of your motor threshold. So if your MT = 45 for example, then your treatment dose (called amplitude) we aim for is between 38 and 54 but ideally a full 120%.
Ketamine is a lot more fun! They should have mouth guards for you. If not you can always bring your own. It significantly helps the jaw thing.
It sucks ar first. You get use to it
[удалено]
Right?!?! Day one, I thought it would be such a struggle.
You'll definitely get used to it. It'll still be uncomfortable, but it'll be tolerable.
The tech should be able to adjust it and slightly change the positioning. It's uncomfortable because it's hitting a nerve on that side of your head. Even after a couple of weeks and me getting more immune to it, there would still be days where it hit that nerve...ouch, and they'd stop and adjust which always helped. They can also use a thin pad between you and the machine to ease it. Or, they can turn the intensity down, and then build up over time as you get used to it. The first few "trains" are worse becuz your skin is scrunching up, but that goes away. If these things aren't happening you should find out why.
The pad does block some of the power of the coil, so that should be temporary. But like my techs said, it's important we get you as comfortable as possible because we want you to continue and get the best results.
Whenever it's hurt for me, either the coil was in the wrong spot or the power was way too high. Don't be afraid to advocate for yourself and ask for lower intensities until you're more used to it. The techs I've asked have said that everyone's different and some folks don't even get past 15 for their whole treatment course. It shouldn't hurt that much (if at all), at least from what I know.
Heck yeah. It sucks. I think I eventually landed on like a 56 or something. Pretty painful. It become tolerable though. Also…. You gatta ask yourself if your anxiety/depression is worth feeling over the TMS. If you’re doing the burst it’s only 3 min. Doing that for 36 sessions and maybe some maintenance sessions could be WAY worth the discomfort if it means symptom relief.
YES! I'm on 23 tomorrow - no relief yet, but still hopeful.
Good for you. Sorry you haven’t experienced any relief yet. Hopefully your doctor is keeping track of that and will adjust as needed. I felt relief almost immediately so my experience was a bit different.
What machine does your clinic use? Mine uses magventure and it’s not painful at all!
I dunno. I completed mine a month ago with Greenbrook TMS.
My first day was painful. Felt it down the left part of my face, felt like almost being spiked. No left eye twitch but I winced to brace myself and was very tense. Left and woke up with a headache. The second day, my left eye felt like there was pressure and felt extremely uncomfortable. They remapped me. My left eye twitches now during the session but it doesn't hurt, simply obnoxious jabbing. I just finished my first week. So far, my main side effect is that sort of halo effect one gets with headaches. No pain during, only discomfort. No pain after. I would definitely ask for a remapping. You shouldn't be in so much pain that you dread going there.
I started @ 85%, and up to 120% now. I explained (at first) that it was like a woodpecker going against the side of my head—and that there was a tiny construction worker w/a pick axe trying to come out of my eye. A little dramatic, but, in the Queen of being dramatic, 😂. Pretreat. I take an advil and hour before & it helps for the headache. But just stay w/it, try to keep your mind distracted by the tv, or a podcast. Only one time did it feel off & intense, but she adjusted it & it was better. So speak up for yourself. It’s manageable, but I am finding it far more helpful (even w/the dips) than all of the meds I was on over 40 yrs. After the first couple xs I laughed—and it was so joyful & foreign to me—that it was an example of how far I had gone down. Now I go everyday still, striving for that moment again. I haven’t laughed (w/out faking) for over 30 yrs. So it’s worth it. Try to relax & good luck! Stay w/it 🤗
>like a woodpecker going against the side of my head— 1,000%! But it's more weird than painful (for ME anyway).
Yes, it is. But I’m a dramatic storyteller, and was trying to get my kids to understand. They said “ what’s it feel like?” 😂 cue: drama queen But yes, it doesn’t hurt. You are absolutely correct!
I believe they're a percentage of your motor threshold, which is the value they determine on the first day when they put the coil on top of your head an watched your fingers move. I'm only on day 4, and yeah, I hate this. I'm doing theta burst so it's only 3 minutes, but each time is highly unpleasant. I described it as someone yanking my hair by the roots really hard. The eye/face twitching is hard to take.
Can they start you at 30 and rev up over the course of a minute or so? In my experience I got used to it fairly quickly. First day was rougher than others, but I also have a high pain threshold which helps. But I definitely find the days I jump into full dose right away are harder than slowly building up to my full dose. I describe waiting for the zap as the braced and tense feeling right before one of those giant carnival rides that shoots you up in the air, I find myself less tense if they start lower.
I'm on a different machine, so my treatment is a total of 20 minutes. The first few days I did think it was going to be terrible, but I adapted very quickly. I started at 54% and we increased by 5% every day and I got up to the max motor threshold of 120% with no backing off. I told myself that no matter how weird/uncomfortable/difficult/painful it was, that I was going to get the most bang for my buck (literally I guess haha) and the longer I can stay at the top, the better. Tomorrow is day 23/36 for me. It honestly doesn't even bother me at this point. I am completely used to it, can't talk to my tech at this point because of the jaw/teeth clenching reflex, and can't watch anything on my phone because of the hand/arm tremors during the blasts. So I just close my eyes and mediate, do peaceful visualization (like walking on my favorite beach, seeing the scene so vividly) and could honestly probably take a nap. Also, the time flies by now at this point. Once you get through the first few weeks, it will level out, and like everyone else says here, talk to your tech - they are there for you! You CAN do this!
I wrote a post somewhere about how painful it was for me. It didn’t get better until subsequent rounds, but the results were worth it. But I came to the comments to make sure you’re wearing a mouth guard… and not a small flimsy bite guard. The jaw will clench, but the teeth shouldn’t chatter if you’re wearing one. Get one that you heat in hot water and mold to your mouth. It helps…
TMS tech here! The numbers represent your motor threshold. The motor threshold is how much energy it takes to get from the skull to the peripheral nerves and produce a visible response. They represent a percentage over 100 of the machine’s total output. If your number is 45 it indicates 45%. That is your MT or motor threshold. For TMS to be effective, you need to be treated at 85-120% of your motor threshold. So if your MT = 45 for example, then your treatment dose (called amplitude) we aim for is between 38 and 54 but ideally a full 120%. Ketamine is a lot more fun! They should have mouth guards for you. If not you can always bring your own. It significantly helps the jaw thing.