EEG

Zach had his EEG this morning. After the boys entertained the entire waiting area with their antics and lack of inhibition when talking to strangers, we went up to a rather regular-looking hospital room. There was a hospital bed with a computer next to it, and decorations in the window, and that's all that was different. Jared got a coloring book to occupy him, and he also gave Luke a bottle while I tried to help Zach relax.

I shouldn't have worried about Zach. He loves meeting new people, so he did great with the two nice ladies who did the test. They had this "sandpaper" gel that they rubbed where the electrodes needed to go. He didn't like that. But he didn't mind the electrodes or getting his head wrapped in gauze. Then one of the ladies sat on the bed with him and helped him hold still and told him when to close his eyes, etc. If you know Zach at all, you know that holding still and closing his eyes is something that only happens when he's asleep! He tried so hard to do as he was asked, but ended up squinching up his face with concentration, which sent the brain waves on the monitor into over drive. They laughed quietly (so he'd stay calm) at all the faces he was pulling.

Still, they said he did great for his age.

All I know about seizures and EEG's is that epileptics get spikes on their EEG's, and if a person were hooked up to an EEG during a seizure, it would show one giant spike. I, of course, have no idea what constitutes a spike vs. a brain wave. So watching the monitor really didn't give me any clue as to how the test would turn out.

Our pediatrician said the results would take 3-5 days, and Zach has his regular 4-year old check up on Monday, so I guess we'll find out then!