Forcing a seizure in hospital?

[mommymela]

I am currently in the hospital for the 3rd day. I'm hooked up to a monitor with several electrodes on my head and chest and was taken off my seizure medication (lamictal). They have also only been letting me sleep a couple hours per night in hopes to induce a seizure. They tried the flashing light test and deep breathing exercises too, but nothing is working yet! I just want to have a stinking seizure so they can check it out and do whatever they need to do so I can leave, has anyone here been through this and have any tips? My seizures are usually stress induced and it's not too stressful laying around in bed watching tv, reading, having food brought to me, and hanging out with my man lol. It almost seems like a break since I'm not home taking care of my two lil ones and taking care of the house. Anyway...wow...I ramble...ideas?

[Nakamova]

Skipping meals? Aspartame? Those are triggers for me. Try not sleeping at all -- not even a few hours a night -- to see what happens.

[mommymela]

Yep, skipping meals would probably help, I think I'll just have a little salad for dinner and stay up all night drinking diet cokes lol. I don't know why I didn't think of that, thanks!

[Nakamova]

Good luck! I wouldn't wish a seizure on anyone, except in this situation....

[mommymela]

Right! I just want it over with so I can take a real shower and be released from my multiple leashes so I can be with my kids! Everyone has been so nice to me and had such positive attitudes here, so I really can't complain. movie marathon minus the popcorn tonight!

[momof3boys]

I had my first video EEG last year and the day and night i had no seizures. I was on carbatrol and keppra. I remember being all hooked up that morning, (monday morning) and by noon my dr was in to tell me he was completely taking me off all medications. I was very suprised and thought, "OMG! Ive never been taken off all medications like this before!". I was ok the first day and by the next mid morning, the seizures started coming on. Anyways, yeah, I would try staying up all night if you can. My first night, my dr gave me a "pass"... the second night, I had to stay up til 3am. talk about a long night! I had seizures on day 2, 3 and 4. Put back on the medication on the evening of day 4, and released on day 5. hang in there!

[huskymom]

Yep, been there, done that. It is very hard since you are in such an artificial setting. I had regular meds on the first day and night, then no meds day two and sleep deprivied until 3am...still nothing. It wasn't until day 4 that stuff began to happen. They told me that is the usual case. Hang in there!! When they take those leads off, head for the shower! They brought towels in with them when they removed mine. A little tip though..be careful in the shower. Even though you have been in the bed for several days and not sick, when you stand in the shower with hot water, I fainted. Pretty embarassing, but something to be aware of. Good luck!

[Hand of Blood]

... when i had a eeg it took about 30 mins to hour, do they really keep u over night where u are?

[Nakamova]

If the normal outpatient EEG is negative or inconclusive, they'll sometimes schedule a longer (overnight or for several days) in-patient EEG to try and pick-up seizure activity. It's also safer to be in the hospital if they ask you to go off your meds before the EEG.

[Cint]

A little tip though..be careful in the shower. Even though you have been in the bed for several days and not sick, when you stand in the shower with hot water, I fainted. Pretty embarassing, but something to be aware of. Good luck!

When I had my first ever tonic clonic seizure at home, it was on my way out of the shower. As I fell, I hit the hot water spicket and lay under the hot water, seizing, long enough to suffer 2nd and 3rd degree burns on my arm and back. They saw my nude body with ugly skin hanging off me and my screaming, craziness as they rushed me to the hospital. And they said I attacked the attendants, but I don't remember. Talk about embarrassing.
I was in the hospital for 2 long months.

So fainting is nothing to be embarrassed about if in the hospital, IMO. That's the point. They've seen it all!

And when I had my week long EEG in the hospital I was taken off meds the 1st day and had a seizure my 3rd in the hospital. After that, I had several and by day 7, I was home again.

[no.guru]

Hi, Mel. Normally I wouldn't wish a on anyone, but I'll make an exception for you. Hope you're home again soon.

[Cordero]

Do you know what your seizure triggers are? Some of mine are too much caffeine, lack of sleep, missing doses, etc. I remember though that when I was hospitalized like you are I was having too much fun with the nurses and just being around people that it made it hard for me to have a seizure. Hope it works out for you and that you get clear results.

[mommymela]

My seizures are usually brought on by stress/drinking (the next morning)/lack of sleep/not eating. I ended up sneaking out of the hospital yesterday because I was having panic attacks and nothing was happening on day 4 of being there. I am pretty sure they were planning on releasing me last night though because they unhooked me from everything and took all the glue off my head. I had a bad headache that they wouldn't give me anything for except tylenol and that doesn't work for me...plus I was just frustrated with nothing happening and the doctors seeming like they didn't know what they were doing. I also felt bad that my boyfriend had to miss so much work when we have a lot of bills piling up lately and I really missed my kids. I have a history of skipping out of the hospital early, I'm such an impatient bitch sometimes. They wouldn't give me my xanax either so that didn't help. I feel kinda dumb for leaving now...I just stayed in the hospital 2 hours away for 4 days for no reason...I'm sure my neurologist is going to give me a lot of shit when I see him next week. Fml. I have a feeling this makes no sense, it's going to take a while to catch up on my sleep. At least I'm back with my little boys :-)

[mommymela]

fuuuuck I feel so stressed out I wish I wasn't out of xanax!!!! I wish I didn't need it...I feel like a crazy person I'm all over the place and can't even focus on anything right now

[Eli]

Welcome home! Figures we seize when we desperately don't want to and can't seize when the drs want us to.

During one of my ER visits, after a very bad seizure spell, I was dilerious and whispered to my husband..."tie sheets together and drape them out the window and i'll slide down to escape this place". And I was serious, i'm sure.

[Fedup]

mommymela

Would not wish a seizure on anyone but in your case I understand and Hand of Blood's right EEG'S used only take about 20 minuets max when I started getting them, they are up to about an hour now, did I hate that glue but I always fell asleep. I figured out a new trigger for me is orange juice.

[Endless]

It's really normal for people to have panic attacks during or after a seizure. Especially after, so no worries. Nurses & doctors in epilepsy centers are used to how people feel and behave when they've been having seizures.

A quick comment. Some health insurance companies won't pay for a hospital stay if you leave AMA (against medical advice). That means if you had a $50,000 stay and you walked out before the doctors told you that you could, you may have to pay the whole $50,000 bill yourself. It may be a good idea to check with your personal health insurance and find out if this is the case for you.

The really tragic part is SOME health insurance (certainly not all) will not only not pay if you leave AMA to go to a better hospital, the health insurance company may not pay for the transport, or the care at the new hospital. Once again, check your insurance. It's only some insurance, not all. This is one of the ins. rules where it pays to know ahead of time, whether you think you'll ever need it or not.

[mommymela]

OH fuck. I have tricare prime. Do you know if this insurance is one that would charge me? I have left ama from a military hospital before but I signed a paper stating that. They didn't charge me. But in this case I didn't even sign anything. Maybe I should call the hospital and see if it's too late to sign papers....

[no.guru]

Some health insurance companies won't pay for a hospital stay if you leave AMA (against medical advice). That means if you had a $50,000 stay and you walked out before the doctors told you that you could, you may have to pay the whole $50,000 bill yourself. It may be a good idea to check with your personal health insurance and find out if this is the case for you.

The really tragic part is SOME health insurance (certainly not all) will not only not pay if you leave AMA to go to a better hospital, the health insurance company may not pay for the transport, or the care at the new hospital. Once again, check your insurance. It's only some insurance, not all. This is one of the ins. rules where it pays to know ahead of time, whether you think you'll ever need it or not.

The first policy I can understand, and it's probably effective in getting patients to stay.