Had EEG. Interesting experience

[elderwanda]

I introduced myself a few weeks ago and said I've been having some strange events that might be seizures. It's a bunch of subjective, "aura" kind of stuff, that it impossible to explain to anyone. I'm not sure, but I think the stress of having to explain the unexplainable to 20 different people is starting to take its toll.


Anyway, today, after getting the run around from my doctor's office and insurance, I FINALLY got to go in for my EEG. I'm sure nearly all of you are well-acquainted with EEGs, but I'd like to share my experience anyway, if that's alright.

Once I was all hooked up, one of the first things I had to do was hyperventiate for the technician. She told me to not be worried if I feel a little tingling in my hands and feet, but to just keep breathing that way. Okay, fine. But as soon as I started breathing funny, my hands and feet started to tingle for a bit, and then it got worse and worse. I can't remember everything I felt, except that it was just about unbearable, and my hands began to feel like the muscles were contracting really, really tightly. I couldn't see my hands, or really feel what was happening, because of the numb/tingling feeling, but it felt like I was clenching my hands into grotesque, unnatural positions, tight enough to injure myself. It was really uncomfortable, in my whole body, but mostly my hands. When I was allowed to breath normally again, it took a long time (I'm guessing five minutes) for my hands to feel normal again. Later on, the technician commented that it was interesting that that had happened. I have never had any kind of seizure that involves a movement like that. I've had a few little jerks here and there, but mostly what I experience is just the "aura" kind of stuff, like feelings dissociation (is that the word?)

Then the technician did the flashing light thing. That was pretty cool. I was surprised that some of the frequencies made me twitch a bit. With one of the lower frequencies, where you can discern discrete flashes, my left arm went flinging up in the air. LOL! The higher frequencies seemed to make me shudder and shiver a bit, or make my legs vibrate. I was supposed to keep my mouth open, but I kept seeing these beautiful patterns on the insides of my eyelids, and then a really pretty purple when it stopped, and that made me smile. She had to tell me to try not to move my mouth. (I assume the pretty patterns have nothing to do with seizure activity, but are just optical illusions that anyone would get.)

I'm really looking forward to hearing what the neurologist has to say about it all. I'm very curious. Unfortunately, the neurologist won't be speaking to me, but to my regular doctor. I'm hoping that he won't leave things out.

All in all, it was a pretty good experience, but man, that hyperventiating thing was AWFUL. When the technician was sand-papering little patches off my scalp to stick the leads on, she said, "Don't worry, this is definitely the worse part", so I suppose most people don't react the way I did with the hyperventilating, because even though I'm pretty sensitive, I'd take the scalp-scraping any day. Still...it was interesting.

Just wondering, was my EEG experience similar to anyone else's here?

[Crazy Monkey]

I have had several eegs over the years, but I cannot remember ever being asked to hyperventilate, in actual fact quite the opposite, I am normally asked to sit back, close my eyes and totally relax my body.

I have a real dislike for the flashing lights, they never fail to get my seizures going, generally I see spots for the rest of the day.

I hope your eeg results help you to find your answers