From barely surviving to actually living — TMS changed everything
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Sign in to commentI'm literally crying reading this. I'm at the "can't call my mom back" stage right now. I have my TMS consultation tomorrow and I almost cancelled it. I'm not cancelling it now. Thank you.
The running a 5K part hit me hard. Before TMS I couldn't walk to the mailbox without exhaustion from the depression. Now I'm hiking on weekends. These stories matter.
Thank you for sharing this, Rachel. Stories like yours are exactly why I went into this field. The "baseline shift" you describe is the perfect way to explain what TMS does — it doesn't eliminate the human experience of having hard days, but it moves your baseline to a place where you can actually engage with life and cope with challenges.
One year strong! That's amazing. I'm 3 months post-treatment and feeling good but nervous about it fading. Your post gives me hope that the changes can stick.
"Existing, not living" — I've never heard anyone describe it so perfectly. That's exactly where I was. 6 months post-TMS now and I feel like I got my life back.
Shared this with my brother who's been resistant to trying TMS. Sometimes hearing it from another patient is more convincing than hearing it from doctors. Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing.
Thank you all for the kind responses. Mike — please don't cancel that consultation. You deserve to feel better. Sending you strength.
Saving this. I'm 4 sessions in and still in the dark phase. Reading stories like this is the only thing keeping me going some days.
Reading this on a hard morning and it's giving me hope. Two weeks into my course. Thank you for sharing.
What surprised me most was the small stuff coming back — laughing at a podcast, wanting to cook dinner. Those felt bigger than the depression scores.
Same here. I cried during my session 18 because I realized I hadn't had a suicidal thought in over a week. First time in years.
My partner noticed before I did. He said 'you're humming again' around session 16. Made me cry.
Six weeks post-course. The plateau between session 10 and 18 was brutal — I thought it wasn't working. Then it clicked.
How long did it take before you noticed the shift? I'm at session 12 and still waiting.
Did anyone go through a 'TMS dip' around session 6-8? My provider warned me but it still surprised me.
@above — yes, dip around session 7 was real. Lasted 3 days, then I bounced past my baseline.
@above — for me it was around session 20. Don't lose hope, the back half is where it really clicked.
I'm a year out now. Did one round of maintenance. The biggest thing TMS gave me wasn't relief — it was the energy to actually do therapy.
This thread is the reason I scheduled my consultation. Going in next Tuesday. Wish me luck.
Reading every reply on this thread before each of my sessions. Down to session 11. Thank you all.
If TMS helped you, please consider posting your own thread. The good stories save lives — I'm proof.
Six months post-treatment and I'm still doing well. The maintenance sessions every 6 weeks have been worth it.
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