Which EEG?

Which EEG did you have

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Jeannie2249

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I have been reading some threads on EEGs. I might be going for one soon. Is video EEG the best type to get and if not which EEG did you have and was it thorough/detailed enough? Thanks.
 
I've had all but the ambulatory EEG. None of the EEGs showed any abnormal brain waves, but during the video EEG I had my typical night-time events. It was based on the video (and confirmed by 3 epileptologists) that they were consistent with frontal lobe seizures.
 
I have had the video EEG and the sleep deprived and regular. My impression is that the VEEG can yield a lot of information depending on the physician reading it. I may be wrong about that, but that is the impression I have. On both the others, there were disagreements about the interpretations. All of them showed that there was SOMETHING to interpret!
 
Thank you both. My neurologist could never tell me what type of seizures I have when I asked him. I just wish I could find a neurologist/doctor that is good and that I trust. Again thanks for the feedback.
 
I think video and ambulatory EEGs are intended to pick-up seizure activity (particularly partial seizures) that may not show up on a shorter-term EEG test. In general, for any kind of EEG, sleep deprivation can often help trigger seizure activity or other brainwave patterns that are associated with epilepsy susceptibility.
 
Since the history of my seizures is anything but consistent, and I've had so many plain ole EEG's (sleep deprived, strobe lights, hyperventilating) with zero activity, I like the VEEG. Sit you in a hospital and watch you for a few days and in the rhythm of the day they may see something significant.

My issue with the short ones is that they would not be during times I was having auras - they were during the hospital's schedule, and only for an hour or two. It seems they assume that if you have e, you would always show something on an EEG in an hour or so's time. Just not true for me back in the day (I've had e for 49 years).

When they were first diagnosing me, they told my mother to bring me in as soon as she saw me have a seizure. The car ride was probably 20 minutes. I don't know how many times it took before they saw activity via the EEG, if they did. But I got to know that they were going to stick those needles in my head again, and I wouldn't tell her I'd had one. She started sticking to me like glue and hauled my butt in once she saw me have one.
 
And NOW after all that, you get to be a GRANDMA!!!Apparently EEGs have improved some. I say that because last winter the neurologist thought there would be evidence of a seizure a couple of days after the event, which involved me slamming my head against a wall. It was the same old story, of course. The EEG did not show anything other than the fact that I did not have a stroke. There was no evidence of a seizure. But as I say, the neurologist DID hope to find some evidence and it WAS several days after the fact.
 
It's like the snarky comment that people like to make, that the doctors all own the companies that make this equipment and they keep having to come up with reasons we have to use it so they make more money!

I know, it's not really that way, but just once, I would love for them to get out of their head long enough to realize that what they are thinking isn't logical! :D Optimistic of me, no?
 
Dear Pinkattude! Why do you say that "it's not really that way..."? IT REALLY MAY BE THAT WAY! How would we know? Doctors get hauled off to jail as often as politicians do! I happen to be thinking that way because I was just thinking of popping pills that are safe, maybe safe, should be safe, might do good, might do a little harm to some, could be LETHAL, etc. I am going in for a VEEG on Thursday as you probably know and I am going to enjoy carrying in my huge bundle of pills that has a very expensive bottle of CBD oil included. I only took a couple of doses of the stuff because I did not want it to interfere with this VEEG. If I continue to take it, I will do so after the testing. So I am bringing in the bottle in order to be honest and I just know there will be flack. [ And I am going to enjoy it.] But what do you bet it is going to be stolen?
 
Um, I was making reference to my own comment mostly because I hate to categorize all peoples into the same "bad" or "good" or "whatever" box. I have my own strong opinions/intuitions about certain people and certain situations, but I try not to project them onto all people just because they are in the same profession/gender/race/etc.

When I had my video EEG recently, they took my drugs from me and put them in the pharmacy's vault until I left. They wanted full control/knowledge of what went into my body and when for their records. I had no intention of taking the drugs I'd brought, I just wanted to let them see the label because some idiot at the pharmacy company made the decision to change them from "100mg" pills to "2 1/2 grain" pills which is about 97.4mg and confuses the willies out of anyone not as mathematically quick as I am. But they freaked out and locked them up!

So, you may want to either plan on how you'll sneak them or, if you know your Dr will be cool with it, get him/her to okay it ahead of time.
 
Pinkattitude, I am so embarrassed that I posted that message. It did not say what I meant. I was making a very confused effort to be funny. Your response was very nice and alerted me to how really out of it I am. At any rate, I am not sneaking anything in! When I was talking about popping pills I was thinking of my daily routine medications-- my blood pressure pills and statins and epilepsy meds, etc. I think I am a pain in the neck! I loved your response anyway!
 
Michael, I feel sure I agree with you 100%. When I think of your experience as you have described it I think they need some improving in the communication department, too. It is preposterous that intelligent people end up in an IT IS SO ... NO, IT IS NOT conflict with the physician. It seems like a return to the dark ages.
 
Bidwell,

I decided to delete my post because I realized I was not answering Jeannie's question. Thanks for your reply anyway.
 
Pinkattitude said:
Um, I was making reference to my own comment mostly because I hate to categorize all peoples into the same "bad" or "good" or "whatever" box. I have my own strong opinions/intuitions about certain people and certain situations, but I try not to project them onto all people just because they are in the same profession/gender/race/etc.

When I had my video EEG recently, they took my drugs from me and put them in the pharmacy's vault until I left. They wanted full control/knowledge of what went into my body and when for their records. I had no intention of taking the drugs I'd brought, I just wanted to let them see the label because some idiot at the pharmacy company made the decision to change them from "100mg" pills to "2 1/2 grain" pills which is about 97.4mg and confuses the willies out of anyone not as mathematically quick as I am. But they freaked out and locked them up!

So, you may want to either plan on how you'll sneak them or, if you know your Dr will be cool with it, get him/her to okay it ahead of time.
Click to expand...
Pink,
How long was your video EEG? Did you have to stay overnight in the hospital? I haven't been for an EEG since I was a little girl so I really don't know what to expect and if this will hurt or harm me. Meaning if my tests come back abnormal or shows seizure activity, can they take my driver's license or stop me from working, etc?
 
Bidwell said:
Dear Pinkattude! Why do you say that "it's not really that way..."? IT REALLY MAY BE THAT WAY! How would we know? Doctors get hauled off to jail as often as politicians do! I happen to be thinking that way because I was just thinking of popping pills that are safe, maybe safe, should be safe, might do good, might do a little harm to some, could be LETHAL, etc. I am going in for a VEEG on Thursday as you probably know and I am going to enjoy carrying in my huge bundle of pills that has a very expensive bottle of CBD oil included. I only took a couple of doses of the stuff because I did not want it to interfere with this VEEG. If I continue to take it, I will do so after the testing. So I am bringing in the bottle in order to be honest and I just know there will be flack. [ And I am going to enjoy it.] But what do you bet it is going to be stolen?
Click to expand...
Bidwell,
Are you really going for an EEG this Thursday? If you are I would really appreciate if you let me know how it is, if you don't mind. I don't want to invade on your privacy. But if you don't mind I'd appreciate if you could give me some details about the test and what to expect.
 
Jeannie, I will let you know. I am packing up right now. Will be sure to let you know!
 
Jeannie2249 said:
Pink,
How long was your video EEG? Did you have to stay overnight in the hospital? I haven't been for an EEG since I was a little girl so I really don't know what to expect and if this will hurt or harm me. Meaning if my tests come back abnormal or shows seizure activity, can they take my driver's license or stop me from working, etc?
Click to expand...

Hi Jeannie,
These new VEEGs are statistically a better test, in my not so humble opinion (my degree is in statistics). They didn't really define how many days I was going to be there exactly in the beginning because their goal was to see what my brain was doing during my seizures.

So I went in on a Monday morning, they hooked me up to the EEG, an EKG, and a heart and blood oxygen level monitor. I stayed for 4 nights partly because my seizures were not consistent. The first time the neurologist told me, he said one had come from one side of my brain and two from the other side. I think they wanted more data to see which side was the predominant culprit. But he said that the fact that they were inconsistent was a sign that my med (which has been my main drug for 49 years) just isn't working any more.

Then they wanted to start me on a different drug and observe me for another day to be sure I didn't go haywire on it. I ended up going home Friday afternoon. So I was there for just a little more than 4 full days.

And I've never been so happy to have stuff taken off my head! I swear I was still finding sticky goop from the EEG electrodes and from the EKG sticky pads a week later!

But I'm very happy that they did it because it was more thorough, and now they really saw what happened. I was having seizures as I fell asleep, as I woke up, and during the day before I went in.

The Lamictal is doing the trick at this time - although I'm finding that I'm trading seizures for headaches. But I see the neurologist tomorrow, so I will discuss this with him. I think I'm getting close to having seizures again, so I'm fairly sure we'll increase the dose. Hope these headaches are only during the "getting used to the new drug" phase, and they go away!

And I don't think they can take your driver's license unless you actually have a seizure. Even people without epilepsy have "seizure activity" in their brains occasionally.
 
Bidwell said:
Pinkattitude, I am so embarrassed that I posted that message. It did not say what I meant. I was making a very confused effort to be funny. Your response was very nice and alerted me to how really out of it I am. At any rate, I am not sneaking anything in! When I was talking about popping pills I was thinking of my daily routine medications-- my blood pressure pills and statins and epilepsy meds, etc. I think I am a pain in the neck! I loved your response anyway!
Click to expand...

:hugs:
Please don't be embarrassed! It's all good, really!

I get to rambling sometimes, and, thank goddess, I then look at what I'm about to post and think, "Oh My, no one will understand a thing I say." And then I delete! :roflmao:

I've saved you all from some really bizarre posts that way, so I'm sure I've accidentally slipped and posted them, too!

Let us know how your stay goes! I hope you get amazingly nice nurses - they make all the difference :)
 
Pinkattitude said:
Since the history of my seizures is anything but consistent, and I've had so many plain ole EEG's (sleep deprived, strobe lights, hyperventilating) with zero activity, I like the VEEG. Sit you in a hospital and watch you for a few days and in the rhythm of the day they may see something significant.

My issue with the short ones is that they would not be during times I was having auras - they were during the hospital's schedule, and only for an hour or two. It seems they assume that if you have e, you would always show something on an EEG in an hour or so's time. Just not true for me back in the day (I've had e for 49 years).
Click to expand...
Yeah, I've never had one show anything but normal either. Since mine are nocturnal, they tried to get me to do a command performance by giving me a sedative to put me to sleep during the daytime. Nothing happened of course. My poor brain was so zonked out and confused.
I would love to have a VEEG but my HMO won't do one.
 
Thank you everyone for all your information and help about the EEGs! I had mine done on Tuesday. It was a 24hr video EEG and the technician came to my house and set up everything. I was a lot less anxious and because of all the information you guys provided and I'll be getting my results. Again thanks :)
 
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