EEG Question

[chop456]

My daughter had an EEG done - at my request - to compare to her original "classic JME" EEG from 2.5 years ago. The results? Normal. No spikes. Paige said they had about 15 different strobes on her and had her hyperventilate. It was a short EEG - maybe 45 minutes. Of course we know she has JME - myoclonus and the recent tonic clonic. Should I request a longer EEG just to see what is going on? Or do I leave well enough alone?

 

[jenagade]

If she is still having seizures I would push for another EEG, they do sometimes come up as normal. I have had 2 abnormal standard EEGs, 1 normal sleep deprivation EEG and I'm about to go in for a week long video EEG, so it doesn't necessarily always pick up on them and more investigation is required.

 

[epileric]

The only reason I can imagine asking for another EEG is if the neurologist says that your daughter no longer has epilepsy when she does.

You know she has seizures, the previous EEG probably told you & the doctors what you need to know. If something in your daughters brain were to change it would take more than 2 1/2 years to do so & I therefore wouldn't expect any reason to find anything different.

I think that we often ask for tests to satisfy our own anxieties or in hopes of finding something we didn't know before (just in case) but I tend to believe that when it's done just to satisfy our stresses that they are often uncalled for.

 

[chop456]

Thanks for the replies. I was not sure if a longer EEG would show anything. But seeing or not seeing spikes on her EEG will not change anything re. her diagnosis.

 

[jenagade]

Contrary to what I said earlier, most of my diagnosis was based off symptoms rather than the EEG, although the initial one did show mild seizure activity. The continued EEGs are more because the seizures aren't being fully controlled by medication

 

[Mr.21T]

It's very possible that your daughter didn't allow herself to be as tired as she was in the EEG. I've faked out many an EEG test as a teenager by taking an early evening nap on the day before a scheduled EEG.

I'm not a doctor but I have done it before with success to play high school sports and attain a certain independence

 

[petero]

I've had an EEG that came back as normal, but I have seizures. Often I wish I had a positive EEG result for my OWN sake. Often I feel like others are faking my epilepsy ONTO me, and it can really affect my thinking, in that it'll often feel like people (and NOT the seizure) had done something TO me. Heck, I was unconscious anyway - how would I know the difference?
I would ask your daughter what she feels like she would like doing. Getting many contradictory EEG results might muddle her belief set and cause a lot of grief.
I'd like to have a personal positive EEG, but then again, I don't want to put up with all of the hassle or stress.