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Are Depth Electrodes Painful???
Sat, 10/26/2013 - 21:19Topic: Surgery and Devices
I was just researching on the Internet about depth electrodes and from what I read, it sounds pretty painful. I'm not down for too much pain in my head. So I might need a whole box of tissue right next to my bed when I get this done. Lol. I can just picture myself crying like a baby. I'm nearing the end of my Epilepsy surgery testing and this is the last test that I have to take other than meeting the neurosurgeon. I just wanted to know what were you guys experiences with the depth electrodes study. Any comments would help. Thank you. :)
Comments
Re: Are Depth Electrodes Painful???
Submitted by beetle on Sun, 2013-10-27 - 07:08
I have had monitoring with depth electrodes. I found the worst of the pain was over after the first 3 or 4 days. The headaches were well controlled with pain killers. I was given morphine for the strongest headaches that were not helped by panadol or panapeine. Once I was given a shot of morphine the pain was gone soon after. When I felt a headache was starting, I told the nurse right away before it got too strong. If I caught it early enough, I just took a panadol. After the worst of the pain was over, I was up out of bed and doing exercise which I found was also doing me good because after lying in bed doing nothing for a few days, I was to feel a little weak. I was then only having weak headaches now and then. I was then taken back to surgery for temporal lobectomy. I only had headaches for a couple of days after temporal lobectomy, but they were not as strong as the headaches after the surgery for depth electrodes. When you get a headache don't be shy to say something before it gets worse.
Re: Are Depth Electrodes Painful???
Submitted by MichaelK on Sat, 2013-10-26 - 22:39
I've only had Sphenoidal electrodes done. They hurt like the devil. Subdural and more invasive techniques I am am unsure of, and sometimes the same information can be obtained by the use of a catheter inserted into the vein of the patient that goes up to the patient's brain, giving finer camera-like information that subdural and PET scans cannot. You will have a VEEG and be sedated for this procedure. Other people have had the subdural depth electrodes and they main complaint is that they have 2-3 holes in their skulls that do not heal.