My name is Lisa Caudill and I’m from Oldsmar, Florida.
What did you suffer from?
I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, as well as PTSD. The depression progressed through life, then I had the passing of my mother which really made my depression go to the most severe point. My anxiety was also to the point where it was really my life and I was at a point of desperation.
Where are you today?
Today I am at the best place I’ve ever been in my life and I owe everything to TMS and to everyone here at TMS Advantage. I have started a new company called Special and Special is here to be a voice for people who do suffer from depression and anxiety. This was an enlightenment that I had during my TMS treatment of wanting to be a voice and being a sense of support for people who are afraid to talk about their depression and anxiety. I am really excited about that and who I am today.
What was your first week of treatment like?
It was a little nerve wracking, didn’t really know the expectation and the first time I sat in the chair and had the device go off it was a little startling. I was asked by my best friend what it was like and I said really I’ll tell you it feels like an angry woodpecker is trying to crack open my head and as horrible and brutal as that sounds, it really wasn’t that bad, just I think in the beginning something that was startling but it was easily adjusted and accustomed to and it wasn’t an issue at all during the 36 sessions.
So when did you start to notice a difference?
That’s a great question. I want to say just over halfway through my treatment. It was interesting because it was very subtle but once I noticed it, it was very profound. I felt as if I had gone to the eye doctor and someone had given me glasses to correct my vision and I had literally walked through life in this fog and then one day I put my glasses on and everything was clear as a bell and it was just like the most exciting thing to me to see and feel the world completely differently.
What did you learn about yourself?
I learned about myself that I really do love life and I love people. I’ve always loved people but this really gave me the insight to wanting to be a voice for people who suffer with depression and anxiety because I found through my course of my diagnosis prior to TMS that it was taboo I was always afraid to talk to people about it but at the end of the day there are so many people that are just exactly like me and that are still exactly like me prior to TMS and have always been to afraid to talk about it. And so what I’ve learned is that I want to let people know it is okay to talk about it, you actually need to talk about it and there is support among people who have diagnosis of depression and anxiety and other issues as well.
What was most significant about TMS to you?
What was most significant to me through my treatment was the support I received from the staff was unbelievable. Walking in and not and not understanding the expectations, walking in feeling desperate, walking in and feeling as if this was my last opportunity to tackle this diagnosis and not live by my diagnosis so that support to me hands down was probably the most significant part of the treatment.
Was the treatment painful or discomforting?
No, it wasn’t painful and there was no discomfort to it. It was a little bit starling as I mentioned earlier. You really did feel anything and it was really just a matter of getting used to the vibrations and the sounds.
But other than that there was no pain whatsoever.
Were you able to go home and do activities afterwards?
Absolutely, I actually came on my lunch break. I went to work right back to work afterwards. There were no side effects, no change in my behavior, I literally carried on my day as if I went to get a physical exam.
What were some things that were recommended to you to do during TMS?
Eat right, get lots of sleep, activity, we have to keep our body going and make sure that our mind rests during our exercise, nourish our body with non-inflammatory foods, making sure we’re feeding our bodies our bodies can our minds can recover through this process.
What did people around you notice about your attitude and mood and how you were feeling?
I think that is one of the most special part about this is I have my best friend who supported me through my entire treatment. She saw me at my lowest of lows and every day we communicated, whether it be a text or on the phone and she said Lisa, it’s so interesting because just reading your text message I can see a difference in you and for me that was wonderful, I see myself on a regular basis I know what I’m doing on a regular basis, I know how I’m feeling and what I’m seeing but to know that somebody can read my words and see my improvement was so exciting for me.
How are you dealing with this current pandemic?
Doing the best I can as everyone is. With my business, Special, I’m trying to be a support for other people who are suffering from depression and anxiety because right now is a really difficult time when we’re by ourselves and practicing social distancing and we’re not able to go do the normal things in life. I’ve been doing Facebook Live videos and just being able to be a support to others and while doing that that’s also helping me. I live alone, I have two dogs, but they don’t talk. Having the opportunity to live video really give me the opportunity to engage with everybody else, gives me the opportunity be a support to someone else but also gives me the support I need during this time.
Would you recommend TMS Advantage?
Absolutely, any day of the week.
So why TMS Advantage?
Great question. I had actually heard of TMS on the radio, with an ad for another company. And I didn’t know really what it was but finally one day I Googled it, read about it and thought gosh I have to do this. So I read the reviews on the company’s whose ad I heard and then I read the reviews on TMS Advantage and by far I am so thrilled that I chose to come to TMS Advantage because of the additional support, because of the fact that you provided a FitBit where they are monitoring your activity, your sleep, your nutrition, you’re not just coming in and having the treatment done, there’s so much more to it. There is that support, there is that constant education, people who are genuinely there to make sure you are successful. On your down days they’re there to help pick you up, to encourage you to provide you , to provide you that additional guidance and support and I am so thrilled that I am part of the TMS Advantage family.
TMS Advantage offers a program found nowhere else in the area – we combine the most sophisticated technology available with cognitive behavioral therapy and personal care (nutrition, mindfulness, and movement) – to provide you with the best possible treatment so you can finally live your life to its fullest.