Invasive EEG

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I just completed 4 days of EEG and video monitoring of my complex partial seizures at the Cleveland Clinic. They said all of the the seizures that I had showed up on the EEG on my left temporal lobe. But there was also some additional abnormal EEG activity on 2 occasions on my right temporal lobe (when I was not having a seizure and having no abnormal activity on the left side). Because of this, they may need to do invasive EEG (requiring them to drill holes). Yikes! Has anyone been through this? How does this compare with the actual surgery? Is it risky? I haven't had the PET scan yet, but I'm hoping that maybe that could eliminate the need. Thanks, Rosalie

Comments

Re: Invasive EEG

Submitted by mommy2kyra on Tue, 2007-05-01 - 22:26

The invasive EEG is intracranial monitoring. It is done after PET scan, MRI, IQ, WADA, and *usually* vision tests. After completing these tests, and you are still a possible candidate, then they do the intracranial monitoring. If you go onto e.com, professionals, and look up that term, it gives a very detailed explanation of the procedure. emedicine also has very descriptive articles regarding the surgery and outcome. I needed to have the intracranial monitoring before a decision was made on whether or not my focus could be removed. I was prepared intellectually, as I read all about it beforehand. It is a *major* surgery. My head hurt sooo bad and I was vomiting (only making my head hurt even more), thank God for those meds! Some people have been blessed to have their pain totally controlled. I had my intracranial monitoring surgery Tuesday, and woke to seizures early Wednesday morning. Later that morning, the neurosurgeon came in to tell me that I was an excellent candidate for focus removal. They immediately gave me my phenobarb back and I was to undergo surgical removal the next day. The next thing I remember is waking to seizures again very early Thursday morning. As time passed, the seizures got more intense and long-lasting. The next thing I remember is waking hours after my surgery...in pain. The PET scan is nothing to be afraid of. Piece of cake (although I remember being afraid of that too). It is a long road of tests and emotions. Best of luck to you! Heather *refractory seizure surgery on left temporal lobe 03/06*

Re: Invasive EEG

Submitted by fish29 on Tue, 2008-09-09 - 23:18

I will be going the 18th of this month and am very scared. I have had all the outside of the brain stuff done and this is my last option. If I don't do this I will take Medicine for the rest of my life, not work, drive, or have a family. If anyone has any additional information I will gladly accept it. Thanks and best of luck to anyone else Whitney

Re: Invasive EEG

Submitted by johnny on Thu, 2008-09-11 - 16:57

Whitney , I have some insight for you on the sub-dural depth electrodes. It is the best way that you can have the brain studied ! The only thing I was shook up about was being taken off all my medications and having seizures, but by doing this they had discovered alot that the other tests could not . I was taking 3 different medicines, a total of 4500 mgs a day and all that medicine was'nt cutting it. The other tests had let the doctors already know that I had right temporal lobe problems. The electrodes gave them more accurate readings and had found some tissue damage on my left temporal lobe as well. I was having at least one gran-mal seizure many types of complex seizures every week . . . but this had to end. For a week they studied me and let me know that i needed to have some damaged tissue removed from my right side . the damage they found on my left side was minor and the medications were doing there job on my left side when taking them.

To make a long story short , those electrodes didn't hurt to much. I had some headaches that pain medication did away with fine. I found out i was a candidate for surgery on my right temporal lobe and had the tissue removed. So it was worth doing it ,because I have not had any more gran-mal seizures. My seizure activity from my left side has been to a minimum and can deal with those simple partials . I did leave the Cleveland Clinic's employees some thing to remember. My seizures were so brutal sometimes I would do some off the wall things while having one. For example while I was being tested and was connected to the monitors I had a seizure late at night. I tried to escape from the hospital ! While you sleep they keep you tied down so you can't move much, which does work for patients. But me I managed to get untied and before the nurses could act quick enough they unplugged me from the monitor and had to chase me down the halls holding those wires close so they did'nt get pulled out. Fortunately for them and me,there was a construction crew working on this floor. It took 4 workers to catch me and hold me down so they could get me back to my room and induce to me back to sleep. I might be the reason since then they are being more cautious about securing the patients from moving out of there bed. So don't be mad if they watch you like a bird real closley , because it's all my fault !!!

Good luck with the testing , you will find out that it was worth it.

Johnny

      Whitney , I have some insight for you on the sub-dural depth electrodes. It is the best way that you can have the brain studied ! The only thing I was shook up about was being taken off all my medications and having seizures, but by doing this they had discovered alot that the other tests could not . I was taking 3 different medicines, a total of 4500 mgs a day and all that medicine was'nt cutting it. The other tests had let the doctors already know that I had right temporal lobe problems. The electrodes gave them more accurate readings and had found some tissue damage on my left temporal lobe as well. I was having at least one gran-mal seizure many types of complex seizures every week . . . but this had to end. For a week they studied me and let me know that i needed to have some damaged tissue removed from my right side . the damage they found on my left side was minor and the medications were doing there job on my left side when taking them.      To make a long story short , those electrodes didn't hurt to much. I had some headaches that pain medication did away with fine. I found out i was a candidate for surgery on my right temporal lobe and had the tissue removed. So it was worth doing it ,because I have not had any more gran-mal seizures. My seizure activity from my left side has been to a minimum and can deal with those simple partials . I did leave the Cleveland Clinic's employees some thing to remember. My seizures were so brutal sometimes I would do some off the wall things while having one. For example while I was being tested and was connected to the monitors  I had a seizure late at night. I tried to escape from the hospital ! While you sleep they keep you tied down so you can't move much, which does work for patients. But me I managed to get untied and before the nurses could act quick enough they unplugged me from the monitor and had to chase me down the halls holding those wires close so they did'nt get pulled out. Fortunately for them and me,there was a construction crew working on this floor. It took 4 workers to catch me and hold me down so they could get me back to my room and induce to me back to sleep. I might be the reason since then they are being more cautious about securing the patients from moving out of there bed. So don't be mad if they watch you like a bird real closley , because it's all my fault !!!      Good luck with the testing , you will find out that it was worth it.        Johnny                                            

Whitney , I have some insight for you on the sub-dural depth electrodes. It is the best way that you can have the brain studied ! The only thing I was shook up about was being taken off all my medications and having seizures, but by doing this they had discovered alot that the other tests could not . I was taking 3 different medicines, a total of 4500 mgs a day and all that medicine was'nt cutting it. The other tests had let the doctors already know that I had right temporal lobe problems. The electrodes gave them more accurate readings and had found some tissue damage on my left temporal lobe as well. I was having at least one gran-mal seizure many types of complex seizures every week . . . but this had to end. For a week they studied me and let me know that i needed to have some damaged tissue removed from my right side . the damage they found on my left side was minor and the medications were doing there job on my left side when taking them.

To make a long story short , those electrodes didn't hurt to much. I had some headaches that pain medication did away with fine. I found out i was a candidate for surgery on my right temporal lobe and had the tissue removed. So it was worth doing it ,because I have not had any more gran-mal seizures. My seizure activity from my left side has been to a minimum and can deal with those simple partials . I did leave the Cleveland Clinic's employees some thing to remember. My seizures were so brutal sometimes I would do some off the wall things while having one. For example while I was being tested and was connected to the monitors I had a seizure late at night. I tried to escape from the hospital ! While you sleep they keep you tied down so you can't move much, which does work for patients. But me I managed to get untied and before the nurses could act quick enough they unplugged me from the monitor and had to chase me down the halls holding those wires close so they did'nt get pulled out. Fortunately for them and me,there was a construction crew working on this floor. It took 4 workers to catch me and hold me down so they could get me back to my room and induce to me back to sleep. I might be the reason since then they are being more cautious about securing the patients from moving out of there bed. So don't be mad if they watch you like a bird real closley , because it's all my fault !!!

Good luck with the testing , you will find out that it was worth it.

Johnny

Invasive EEG

Comments

Re: Invasive EEG

Submitted by mommy2kyra on Tue, 2007-05-01 - 22:26

Re: Invasive EEG

Submitted by fish29 on Tue, 2008-09-09 - 23:18

Re: Invasive EEG

Submitted by johnny on Thu, 2008-09-11 - 16:57

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