Wired Again

In January, Ben had a video EEG at the hospital. In a nutshell, Ben was hooked up to 20 wires for 24 hours in a hospital room with little to no nursing assistance. So when we had the "opportunity" to get more information about Ben's seizures, I figured we would try the Ambulatory EEG. New experiences are good, right? Plus, torture at home has got to be better than torture in the hospital.

All 20 electrodes took about one hour to apply.

 

If you have not done an Ambulatory EEG, I hope this will help. Here are photos of the process and some things we did to make the experience tolerable for all of us.

1. Bring help to the doctor's office. Gluing the wires to Ben's head was difficult again - he knew what he was fighting for this time! I also needed the help for the car ride home - Ben could have done a lot of damage to the wires while I drove home.

Ben was held down by three of us.

2. Keep your regular routine. Once home, we planned activities for Ben to do so the information on the EEG may be more indicative of Ben's lifestyle. We took him to the YMCA in his walker, then to Smelly Cat for a milkshake and then home for relaxing. The activity also helped get his mind off of tearing those wires off his head.

3. Take shifts. Ryan took the early night shift while I slept. Ben fell asleep on the sofa, and I relieved Ryan at 1am. Although I could sleep a bit, Ben tossed and turned so much I kept worrying that he was tearing the wires. He did manage to break 2-3 wires by the end of the 16 hour monitoring.

Ben had his usual at Smelly Cat, the local coffeehouse.

4. Ask for help with glue removal. At the video EEG, no one offered any suggestions on how to get that darn glue out of Ben's hair. Another mom blogger finally gave me some tips after she called their local Epilepsy Center. This time, the technician used a special solvent while at the office and Ben came home glue-free. I was glad, because I was not looking forward to a repeat performance of the the peanut butter concoction my husband used last time to get the glue out.
 

I preferred the EEG at home. It was done on the weekend, so any sleep lost could be made up the next day without the mad rush of school and regular routine weighing down on me. And Ben did have several "events"  - he fell forward a dozen or more times and his eyes fluttered a few times too. So hopefully, he gave the doctor the information she needs to offer options about Ben's care. We meet with the neurologist in May and will get the full report then.