Sleep deprived, drug deprived EEG over 7 days

[woolyinoregon]

Hey Guys and Gals,
  Have any of you ever had a long term "sleep depreived,drug deprived EEG " over a long period?....I am going to a hospital in Portland oregon on the 10th of November thru the 18th to have this study done.  This is an odd experience for me and very awkward.  My Neurologist got me in somehow for this study, she tells me that I'll be watched 24 hours a day via a video camera to watch my facial expressions, I'll have my head wired up the entire time, have to eat hospital food and not smoke ( God help me ) I can only surmise that I'll have a nervous breakdown and run screaming out of some plate glass window on the 4th floor and land on top of an ambulance.....and then they'll sue me for damages....hahahaha. I should be so lucky.  My siezures havent gotten really worse or more violent as much as they have changed into really bad short term memory though I do still have the siezures.  In trying to describe my siezures and ailments to my doctors,(regular doctors and ER doctors) all they do is look at me with a blank, baffled look on their faces. No doctor here with exception to this new Neurologist has any concept that what I'm going through is anything other than some "drug crazed" episode suffered by "the doctors alone".....this is getting old and annoying, if I had the money i'd move out of Oregon to some state where mecicine is a serious business rather than a break in a golf tournament............Right now I'm taking 4Mg xanax, 400 Mg dilantin, 30 Mg flexeril, 300 Mg metformin and benedryl and aspirin, though I have serious damage to my body from siezures (especially to my head and I'm in pain 24 hours a day?.....my doctors will not give me any pain meds to speak of.( not that I care about opiates)......anybody have any comments on this?

[woolyinoregon]

Just got home from the hospital and the EEG thingy. stayed the entire test period, two sessions of sleep deprivation, I showed up 24 hours previously sleep deprived anyway. Thye whisked me away to a room, wired me up like frankenstien and made me sit in bed the entrie time in front of a camera. On the other hand, despite the uncomfortable situation, they fed me 24 hours a day like a calf being fatted, waited on me hand and foot as well as my housemate who was there with me (Lisa)....everyone there including the doctors.....INCLUDING the DOCTORS were wonderful.  I have this incredble fear of hieghts anyway,.....the hospital sits atop a 900 foot cliff overlooking downtown Portland ( a huge town)....I was on the tenth floor with a panaramic window ( which I didn;t go near )......I had a view of My Hood and the river flwoing through the town down to the harbor.......it was really cool once I had the nerve to look........the food was well above average compared to other hospitals and if you dont like the menu, you can order from the hospital cafateria......I was pretty much treated like a king there. sitting in the bed the whole time made my hip problem flare up and they gave me a lido-derm patch and Morphine,...."as much as I wanted".....the assigned me a pain specialist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, ask me if I'm happy!....(yeah boy).........anyway, I am very pleased, I recommend this place highly.

[Tiff45]

Hi Wooly,

I had one of the first of those 'studies' every done.  Back in the 90's at UCLA prior to having a left temporal lobectomy.

I had another of the same long term sleep deprivation (blah blah blah) about 4 years ago.  It was 14 days before I had a seizure which is what my neuro wanted to see on video was exactly how my seizure hit, how long, extreme, etc.

It's a little stressful, but very tiring.  But just hang in there, have people come visit, play games, etc.  Anything to distract you during the 'wait'.

Good Luck!

[missy1029]

hey are you in for some fun!!!  I had that test done Feb of this year. It wasn't to bad, i got a patch instead of smoking don't bother. I know what you mean about drs just looking at you like your crazy, one of my nuros said I was just day dreaming! I have complex partial seizures so I get spacy before i pass out. Thats the best way to explain it. But really the test wasn't to bad. First they do all the paper work (gotta get their money) Then they wierd my head, that ws pretty bad the smell is awful, and it left blisters on my head. I have really long hair so it took about three mths to get all that **** out. Anyway so then you just lay there! The camra is there but after awhile you forget about it. It's there maily to watch you if you have a seizure and if you do come help.You can't leave the room, you are stuck in there with only a bathroom. Bring lots of stuff to do because if you do fall asleep the nasty nurses will come in and wake you up. Let me tell you they are not nice about it at all!! Also make sure your doc tells them no special diet, then you can get better food and choises, I actually had people bring me food brekfast lunch and dinner! I was only there for 7 days, so my doc let me go but said i would have it done again in a year. Stop my meds sooner, but really there is some good info you can get from this test. My doc did let me sleep but for only 4 hrs at a time. But we did learn that I was having seizures in my sleep that caused me to be so tierd all day. So really not too bad,  oh one more thing no showering! sorry hope all goes well let me know. michelle