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Normal EEG but continuing seizures
Thu, 04/23/2009 - 13:55Hi,
I have been having e for the past 12-13 years. It was rather well-controlled with medication (phenobarbital) till about 6 to 7 months back, when it started again but with different characteristics. The characteristics changed again about a month back, but my EEG which was sleep-deprived with medication came out to be normal.
Is this possible or could it be because of the mugs of coffee that i had to stay awake? Incidentally, the week i had my eeg, i was seizure free.
Would appreciate if anyone could throw some light on this! :-)
Comments
Re: Normal EEG but continuing seizures
Submitted by Amazon on Mon, 2009-06-15 - 03:55
Re: Normal EEG but continuing seizures
Submitted by pewter on Sun, 2009-06-14 - 19:59
My first standard scalp applied EEG was normal and no one told me not to drink caffeine or not to eat specific foods, etc... and it was before I was put on AEDs
The second scalp applied EEG was a Sleep Deprived and it too was normal and I was on AED at the time and had been for some time. I wasn't told to not take the med or any other restriction other than sleep.
I then had a 3 day Ambulatory EEG, scalp applied and again... normal.
I didn't have any seizures while undergoing any of the EEGs. However, the 2nd and 3rd set... a few days to a week later... I did have a seizure.
I don't have seizures daily or weekly. So, unless I'm literally having one while the scalp applied electrodes are attached... it won't show anything.
The only thing left, according to Neuro, is a Video-EEG in a monitoring unit. I'd literally have to stay nearly a month because when they were not controlled on Topamax, I was averaging 2-3 per month - sometimes I'd only have 1. There is no rhyme or reason to when or why they occur. Hormones was ruled out by Neuro.
I have no job, no money, and no insurance so staying for 5 days much less 30 is impossible. I also have no family or friends to sit with me round the clock in the monitoring unit. It's not that I won't undergo it, it's that it is just not practical or doable for me all so that the Neuro "might" catch one. I simply don't have them daily or weekly.
I've also known of folks who have undergone Video-EEG for upwards of 2 weeks and didn't have a seizure while there. They still were diagnosed with Epilepsy and still treated for Seizures.
My first standard scalp applied EEG was normal and no one told me not to drink caffeine or not to eat specific foods, etc... and it was before I was put on AEDs
The second scalp applied EEG was a Sleep Deprived and it too was normal and I was on AED at the time and had been for some time. I wasn't told to not take the med or any other restriction other than sleep.
I then had a 3 day Ambulatory EEG, scalp applied and again... normal.
I didn't have any seizures while undergoing any of the EEGs. However, the 2nd and 3rd set... a few days to a week later... I did have a seizure.
I don't have seizures daily or weekly. So, unless I'm literally having one while the scalp applied electrodes are attached... it won't show anything.
The only thing left, according to Neuro, is a Video-EEG in a monitoring unit. I'd literally have to stay nearly a month because when they were not controlled on Topamax, I was averaging 2-3 per month - sometimes I'd only have 1. There is no rhyme or reason to when or why they occur. Hormones was ruled out by Neuro.
I have no job, no money, and no insurance so staying for 5 days much less 30 is impossible. I also have no family or friends to sit with me round the clock in the monitoring unit. It's not that I won't undergo it, it's that it is just not practical or doable for me all so that the Neuro "might" catch one. I simply don't have them daily or weekly.
I've also known of folks who have undergone Video-EEG for upwards of 2 weeks and didn't have a seizure while there. They still were diagnosed with Epilepsy and still treated for Seizures.
Re: Normal EEG but continuing seizures
Submitted by rikk on Fri, 2009-06-12 - 00:23
eegs are a good thing if you are seizing. they tend to read as normal in most people. it says nothing other than at that time there was no seizure activity. I had normal eegs for 37 years. then they finally found out that i had epilepsy. They had been treating me and had diagnosed me 37years earlier. they just happened to catch it.
Seizures can change at any time. different spot on the brain can be the sourse of the seizure. Medications can loose there ability to control seizures at any time.
The best is to not have seizure activity. whatever it takes. control is the goal. it just may be time to find a new medication. You and your doc put your heads together and find something that works for you both, rikk
eegs are a good thing if you are seizing. they tend to read as normal in most people. it says nothing other than at that time there was no seizure activity. I had normal eegs for 37 years. then they finally found out that i had epilepsy. They had been treating me and had diagnosed me 37years earlier. they just happened to catch it.
Seizures can change at any time. different spot on the brain can be the sourse of the seizure. Medications can loose there ability to control seizures at any time.
The best is to not have seizure activity. whatever it takes. control is the goal. it just may be time to find a new medication. You and your doc put your heads together and find something that works for you both, rikk