VNS Therapy has been shown to significantly enhance the quality of life. Benefits include increased energy, improved relationships with friends and family members, and better ability to function at work and in daily activities. VNS Therapy has been shown to succeed when other antidepressant treatments have not worked or have stopped working. The effectiveness of VNS Therapy improves over time and lasts long term.
VNS Therapy is delivered by a small device that is implanted in the left chest, just under the skin much like a pacemaker. From there, electrical leads are connected through a second incision to the left vagus nerve in the neck. This whole procedure takes about an hour. It's typically done as an outpatient basis.
VNS delivers a small amount of electrical current to the left vagus nerve. The electrical impulses are thought to desynchronize the abnormal electrical brain activity.
http://www.mcchildrenshospital.net/programs-and-specialties/neurosciences/epilepsy-center/vagus-nerve-stimulation
http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/gesu_03/gesu_03_00474.html
http://www.articlealley.com/article_165537_17.html
I find it interesting that this started out treating epilepsy and is now used to treat depression.
ReplyDeleteThe unfortunate thing about this is you have to have "drug resistant" depression. So if you suffer from chronic depression, you have to go through all of that for years possibly before you can have this done.
I was sorry to see your post removed. I hope no one said anything offensive that caused you to remove it.
I also hope that you are okay. Sometimes cleansing ourselves of our "baggage" can be painful. I know that you know God is there for you and will get you through the pain and agony.
The Psalms is my favorite book. So I want to share one of my favorite verses from there. It is a reminder to me in my dark days of who God is and what I mean to Him.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. (Ps. 91:4)
You’re obviously well versed on the subject of VNS because you’re exactly right about the difficulty of getting the procedure done. In addition, it costs about $15,000 to $25,000 because insurance won’t cover it. At least in Kansas
ReplyDeleteAbout the post….you’re right again. I got it ‘off my chest’ and that’s what I needed to do. My wife didn’t like it because she thought it was too morbid and I got to thinking about what if my children read it. It had served its purpose so I removed it.
I can’t believe you and I have the same favorite Psalms.
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone
Psalms 91:10-12
I really enjoy reading your blog! I'm a psychology student so I'm just pulled in. Funny thing is, I only stopped by because of the comment you left on my blog {on my poem}, which yes to answer you I wrote it a few weeks ago. I'm glad I took the time to visit! You have a new subscriber Darrel..kudos to you.
ReplyDeletelovelyfesoul
ReplyDeleteSince you're a psychology major I would appreciate any input you might have on this subject. There's a lot of psychology in the disease of depression. I could really use your help
darrel