another failed EEG attempt

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We tried to get an EEG done yesterday with sedation and failed miserably. We had tried a sleep deprived EEG in January with my 5 year old son and that did not work well, either.

In January, we only allowed my son to sleep for 3 hours and then took him in for the test. He could not sit still enough to do the test and would not fall asleep. It was very frustrating. After about 2 hours, we gave up.

The pediatrician (whom I do trust) felt that an EEG was necissary (sp?) and ordered it with sedation. 4 months later we finally found a hospital that would do it, but it did not work. My son was given chlorahydrate because it is the only sedation (per the pediatrician at the hospital) that does not interfere with the EEG reading. It made him tired, more clumsy, "loopy," but he did not fall asleep. His legs just kept kicking and he would shake his head from side to side. He couldn't tolerate being held or touched. He could not calm enough to fall asleep. I felt terrible, frustrated and sad.

I had said to my husband that I didn't feel the test was necissary, I wanted to cancel it. I should have gone with my instinct. I drugged my child and it didn't work anyway. We have no new information and I don't really think the EEG would have shown us anything anyway. The MRI didn't.

Anyway, I just needed to vent. I just want to move on with the dx we have and learn all I can on how to deal with it so that my son can continue to have a happy life.

I understand the need to vent. It's a good place, this site, to do it.

Would it all right if I ask why the doctor wants the EEG? Also, I don't know what an EEG is....? I'm way older, figured out I had asperger's just a few years ago (what a relief to understand why I do what I do). My husband and I see stronger traits in our son and my dad.

Excuse me while I put on my nurse hat for a minute: An EEG is a tracing of brain activity. The patient has a bunch of electrodes placed on his head and the electrodes read the energy from the brain. It is often used to diagnose seizures and to pinpoint where in the brain they are coming from. It is a lot like an electrocardigram (EKG) of the heart. It will tell you if all of the parts of the brain are functioning "normally." (I don't like the word "normal" anymore-my son is "normal" for him, isn't he?)

The pediatrician ordered this to "rule out" any deformities of the brain an any abnormal brain activity, such as seizure activity.

An EEG was suggested for my son when he was originally referred to the neurologist, at 2 1/2. They described the procedure to me and I asked if it was definitive, helpful or necessary. The response was something to the effect of "if you can do it, great, if it's too much trouble, don't worry about it". End of story, no EEG. I knew that I couldn't subject my son to torture like that.
The rare blood tests were bad enough.
I don't understand why doctors will set you up like that, tell you of these procedures and it isn't until you keep asking about them, that they will admit they are not necessary or even helpful.

Z has had three EEGs, but they were looking for epilepsy, two one-hour sessions and one 24 hr one when he came home looking like???? someone from the Wrong Planet? He shows a predisposition but nothing definitive. One of my Scouts had his first siezures when he was about 16 so we are still keeping our eyes open. He was about 7 for the first one, no problem but he was fascinated by what was happening to him and full of Questions. If Dylan doesn't need it for his dx and there aren't any other reasons for it tell the doctors NO

I have done three "normal" EP EEG's and two sleep-derivated 24h EEG tests. They was not fun and I looked like a chicken with a hairnet of rubberstrapping over my head.... Reason is induced EP after a hit to right frontal tin lobe smashing out me with a two metre flight when operating a garage door... no more about that...

This is common procedure to rule out other specific brain damages.

Jessrn:

The amount of sedation needed to sedate my childrens for intestinal biopsies was way out of scales, and my ex is the same, all of our three kids is surgicaly delivered, two acute, last planned due to the earlier complications, and last time she just asked "when are you going to sedate me?". First time they just increased the sedation until she fell asleep and in the journals it was enough to sedate a cow.

We've been given special interest from a lot of researchers, due to our very special kids and their allergies (we're not better as parents either), and it's almost fun. But the crossmatch for allergenes between us five is to long to take here.

But you can bet some food can seem weird in a "normal" perspective that we see as normal. I'm just glad that the last delivery whent so well that my ex finaly got her son on her chest instead of being instantly sedated **DEEPLY** for emergency delivery.

My ex is NOT a cow. She has NOT the BODY of a cow. She's neither SIMILAR to a cow.

It's just that the sedatives didn't work with her methabolism so she got a dose that could easily drop a cow in less than a second.

Can I ask why your son needs to be sedated during the EEG?
Has he had one while awake?
There was no talk of sedation when I had mine done and it was possible to rule out epilepsy with one EEG.

I remember when I was a kid my parent took me to get several EEGs because of my epilepsy. I distinctly remember that my parents tried to make me stay up all night but I eventually fell asleep. I never fully fell asleep during the EEG even though I was supposed to, they never sedated me that I remember (if they did it didn't work). I have always been somewhat of an insomniac and I just couldn't fall asleep on that uncomfortable table with all that weird feeling stuff stuck to my head. This is probably a common issue for aspies in EEGs with our hypersenstivity.

What was the intended purpose of the EEG? (what was it looking for)

I wonder what the pinetree you're talking about Read again. I'm used to a dyslectic threesome.

Naah, We only have the option of having the boys on amphetamine or having them sedated. There's a discrussion about giving amphetamine and derivates to kids, I know that, but we have three ADHD for real and they are not allowed in school almost without medication.

For example my 8y got hands on Q3 arean on thursday, completed it same day (all levels) thought it was to easy so he switched to level 5, completed it the day after, threw him out on a clan training server, explained the situation, and he never ended up last and was offered a clan membership... for gods sake the kid has'nt been owning Q3 for no more than two days so now I'm completely off playing first person shooters with that (#%/#%/#¤&Q¤#&!& kid. Darn, he finished nightmare mode last level with "perfect" grrrrrrrrr!! !! !! !

We tried the EEG without sedation first, but were unsuccessful-my son couldn't sit still. He never sits still unless he is asleep. I think he was to anxious to sleep. I explained it to him the best I could, but he was scared.

Perhaps they could make accomodations so that you could lay down with him so he'd feel more relaxed and perhaps sleep?

I tried that, it just wouldn't work. I tried "shshshing" him, rocking him, holding him. At this point, I really don't think it is a necessary test. I can't imagine putting him through that again. I don't understand why if it is that important, they don't admit him over night and do it while he sleeps at his normal time.

I think you may just need to find the right balance of sleep deprivation through observation and practice, as it's not necessarily how long or little you allow your son to sleep, but the stage of sleep he was in when he wakes, which may matter.
Look up REM sleep and the stages of non-REM sleep and talk about it with the doctor/hospital, though I'm surprised they haven't talked to you about this already.

For example, could you wake your son early enough in the morning for him to need an afternoon nap?
Alternatively, you could also explain to him that he'd be having an EEG the night before, then let him sleep for less hours than usual, but don't make any more effort to make him awake and alert than you need to when you take him, though this is probably easier if you can take him by car.