EEG and the Results

(click on the picture to zoom in)

So how did it go? Better than anticipated. :) Mason stayed awake the whole drive in, thanks to Judy, who kept him quite entertained in the back seat. She had to pull out the heavy equipment at one point as he started to get dozy. The wet face cloth, the best tool to keep someone awake. It turned into a game with Mason fake sleeping. He went to sleep at 12:30 last night, and I woke him around 6:30ish. The boy was actually quite happy all morning and had fun with Noah who came to play (and help keep him awake).

The EEG went well today, as far as EEG's go. Just before we entered the room, Mason saw the wires and stuff and turned around to 'leave'.... kicking, screaming, and attempting to run. But I'm still stronger than he is! I picked up all 83 pounds of Mason and carried him onto the bed. Renee (yes we got our favorite technician!! She did Mason's first ever EEG) got out the big, full body velcro straps and we wrapped him up, screaming and fighting the whole way.  I lay across his chest, and Judy lay across his legs. Renee did a good job of following wherever his head went.  First she marked all the spots with a red marker. Then she put something on each spot with a Q-tip - I think it must have been alcohol. Then she put a little blob of paste on each spot to which she attached a lead (26 in all). Those on his face needed to be taped as well. One on his chest to monitor his heart rate. He really did not like the mesh toque she pulled over his head to keep all the wires in place. Mason watched one of his favorite shows the whole time, SpongeBob. I didn't check the time, but it didn't take long for him to fall asleep. He got a 20 or 30 minute nap, I think. (my watch battery died this morning)

Mason did not have any seizures during this time. He was quite cooperative while Renee took the leads off and cleaned his hair. He knew it was almost over. He was, of course his normal, happy, friendly, self as soon as he got off that bed. He even said thank you. 

The appointment with the neurologist was at 4. We've known her nurse, Kelly, since Mason's second stay in the hospital, one month after the fist one. So we always have a good chat along with the business at hand.

Two things have resulted from today's appointment.

1. 

We're starting a new medication. It's actually an old one that was more commonly used for absence seizures, which Mason does not have any more. It was one I had not heard of before. They are seeing some positive results with it in other forms of Epilepsy. It also has positive behavioral side effects. I did not hesitate to say yes to Dr. Connolly's suggestion!

2.

The EEG was similar to the last one over a year ago. There is still a lot of abnormal electrical activity on the left side, but she seems to think it's more related to behavior than seizure activity. There also seems to be more of a focal point - the origin of the seizures. So she wants to do another session of intensive monitoring. So we may be doing that in Fall or Winter. That is basically a continuous EEG and video for the span of a day or two, or more, depending on how many seizures they capture. It also means that Mason has to stay in the hospital bed for that time because he has to remain on the video all the time. The purpose for this is to see if he could be a candidate for another brain surgery. If they can localize where the seizures are originating, they would remove that portion of his brain in hopes of stopping the seizures all together. The surgery he had 3 1/2 years ago has settled his seizure so much that his brain is not such a mess of nasty electrical activity.

We did all this testing many years ago which revealed abnormalities in too many areas of his brain. They need to be on one side for the surgery to be most effective. Even then, nothing is guaranteed. So we'll see. Brain surgery would be scarier next time because we're not as desperate now. Things are not nearly as bad as they were before the Corpus Callosotomy. Yet if there is the possibility of stopping the seizures...... Anyway, I have learned to not get too excited when we start thinking of another treatment. We'll just wait see what comes of it all.

In the mean time, there is another appointment with the Autism clinic at Sunny Hill in Vancouver  on July 16. Then some kind of psychological assessment, probably in August. We are moving in August -  we get possession of our townhouse on August 19 and we have to be out of our house August 29. That gives us time to install central air and hardwood throughout the main floor, hopefully cutting down on Mason's allergies and to make for easier leaky diaper clean-up. Daryl and I installed the hardwood in our current family room a couple of years ago, and we did a good job and had lots of fun! Well, I had lots of fun ... don't ask Daryl what he thought...

Well, I shall head off to bed. I'm hoping that Mason will sleep in really well all night and late into the morning! Who knows, though. :) At least it went better than expected today! :)

Thanks for praying!!!!!!!!!!