Depression revisited

[Raydean]

I found the following article interesting in regards to the treatment and the cranial nerve #10 Vagus.
With larger tumors more of the cranial nerves are involved.  I wonder of any disruption to the 10th nerve during treatment could account for part of the depression that is often mentioned following treatment.

Best to all
Raydean

Source of article Komo tv, Seattle Washington



 

Swedish Hospital First To Use New Depression Implant

October 28, 2005
 
By Rachelle Murcia

 
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SEATTLE - "I wake up in the morning and as I'm coming awake I think, 'Oh, I'm still alive. I have another day to face," said one woman who didn't want to be identified, so we'll call her "Marsha."

She suffers from severe depression.

"Simple things like taking a shower everyday, or grocery shopping are just immensely overwhelming," she said.

Marsha's had these feelings for over 20 years and even tried to commit suicide. She says she's tried about a hundred different medications, and even shock therapy. But nothing's worked.

Now she's putting her hope into a new treatment.

Dr. David Dunner heads the UW's Center for Anxiety and Depression. He's conducted studies of the latest breakthrough, called the Vagus Nerve Stimulator.

It's a stopwatch-sized battery that sends impulses to the vagus nerve in the brain.

"It does produce signals that affect chemicals in the brain like seratonin and norpanephrine, chemicals that we think are important to depression," Dr. Dunner said.

At Swedish Hospital in Seattle, Marsha is the first patient to get the implant since the FDA approved it.

Doctors place it between the left collar bone and breast bone. There's a second incision in the neck where the wires run to the nerve.

But there can be side effects.

"They can become hoarse while they are talking and they can have some neck pain while the current is on," Dr. Dunner said. "And some people could have some shortness of breath."

It can take up to a year before patients see results and they must continue other therapies, but marsha says it's worth it.

"Anything has got to be better than where I am now," Marsha said.

Dr. Dunner says more than half of the patients see very little results or no results at all. Only patients that have had four or more other therapies without success can qualify for the device.


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[nannettesea]

Very interesting.  Thanks.
Nan

[Kathleen_Mc]

Yes certainloy it can have something to do with the depression some of us experience, brain surgery in itself whether it involves this particular nerve can alter the chemicals within our brains and cause a chemical shift causing depression that may never rebalance.....that compined with the lopss of function to the 10 th nerve, the change in body image and associated decrease in self esteem, the possible social isolation due to loss of hearing (face it no matter what we do in social situation we often miss the boat) and then heap on the possible post traumatic stress disorder that some experience due to a near death experience (syptoms including depression and anxiety)......holy moly I'm surprised we go on the function at all....b ut there is help as mention in the article we can have our brains played with more now, the old fashioned "lying on the couch talking" therapy, we can take medications that can be highly effective for some and live with the side effects, I don't think a doctor would give someone who's had brain surgery shock treatment unless all else has failed but maybe that's worth a try.....whatever form of treatment we choose (or if we choose not to have treatment) life goes on and we are lucky it be alive, let's just pray (or cross you fingers or whatever) that the darn thing doesn't grow back. Kathleen