Does EEG capture seizure that occurred one hour prior??

[k2s4ever]

Hi all. I had my first EEG yesterday, the initial part of the evaluation process with regard to whether I am having simple partial seizures. My lone symptom is a smell distortion that triggers on suddenly every morning. It triggered yesterday about one hour before the EEG started. Assuming that the smell onset is in fact the signal of a seizure in my case, then is the EEG going to capture some semblance of an abnormal spike, or is an hour already too late?

[doclotus]

The short answer is maybe. The brain is a pretty resilient thing and can return to normal activity pretty quickly with that type of seizure (from what I understand of it). If nothing turns up, I would talk to your neurologist about maybe doing an ambulatory EEG. They wire you up in the afternoon and you go about your day and you sleep with it til morning (or whatever schedule they dictate). Mine turned up negative but it sounds like that might be a good method for catching yours.

[Meetz1064]

ambulatory EEG can be for several days.......I've had them for as long as 4, so if you reallllly want to press the matter........you can.

[k2s4ever]

Thanks. Considering the fact that my triggering on occurrence is daily now, with the occasional exception, an ambulatory EEG for literally one day, one time would have a very good chance of catching it. If I am having the partial seizures, hopefully then the EEG caught a hint of a spike at least. Because the smell remains all day, I have no way of knowing whether I would also be having additional seizures or not. And of course, at this stage, none of this is a confirmed diagnosis yet, so I don't know whether seizures are the issue, though the neurologist definitely suspects it.

[ziggidypoo]

Welcome!! Out of 50 yrs of epilepsy, that I have actually been told of, I've only had 1 epilepsy type EEG out of a zillion, including the type you wear for 24 hrs, and sleep studies, etc. Could it have something to do with WHERE in the brain the seizures are occurring? Such as in the hippacampus of the temporal lobe which is very deeply embedded? Just a question. From what I've searched on the web a very larger % are never caught on EEG or scans. The doctors (in the late 1980's) were actually doing the EEG to check me for Narcolepsy and stated it was not that but epilepsy and showed me the spiking on the EEG. Hmmm, back then, the lead wire ends were practically concreted to the head - with the easier route of a goo and tape, I wonder if there has been a decrease in accuracy?? Just another ponder.

[k2s4ever]

Well, I got a copy of the EEG report and it was within normal limits with no focal or epileptiform abnormalities seen.
Not surprising since the initial trigger on episode of the smell had already occurred. Would be nice to think that hey, maybe my issue is not seizures, but one normal EEG does not rule this out of course.
I found an article online that talks about smell distortions and seizures specifically where the sole symptom noted is the sensory one of the bad smell, but further testing via magnetic resonance specroscopy showed elevated lactate levels consistent with simple partial seizures.
That article describes me to the letter, quite literally. Because I'm a new user, I cannot post links yet, but it's a very interesting article written out of the Taste & Smell Clinic in DC.
So I will not be surprised if the neurologist still concludes that this is my issue even with a normal EEG.