Our appointment was for 3 PM. When we got there, Stuart put on a button-down pajama shirt and stretchy shorts. Then he got on the bed and the nurse began to place the electrodes on his head. Each electrode is a a metal disk about 1/4" in diameter with a 3-ft-long coated wire attached. There were about 20 electrodes in all. They are attached to the scalp and forehead, right over the hair, with a strong-smelling glue and a little square of gauze. The glue is dried with an air gun, which sounds a lot like the air-sucking gun you see at the dentist. It was pretty loud, and might be scary for little kids. The worst part to Stuart was the Q-tip with cleaning fluid which was rubbed on the scalp first to pre-clean the spot; he said it was scratchy and hurt a little. After the electrodes were all on, the wires were bundled together with a cloth tube and attached to a 5x8" box. This box was connected to the computer by a long, heavy cord. The cord was about 15 feet long, which allowed him to pick up the box and carry it to the bathroom. There is a shoulder strap on the box so he could be "hands free". He also got and electrode or two on his chest for his heart.
Once he was hooked up, he was free to do what he wanted as long as he stayed on the bed. He enjoyed playing a Play Station video game, which we don't have at home. We brought DVD's and books, snacks and playing cards. My husband and other son came to visit around supper time, bringing me some food. (The hospital fed Stuart well, but not me.) I had a recliner to sit and sleep in. There was a refrigerator, microwave and coffee pot at the nurse's station. I also had access to pillows, blankets, and towels. Plenty of reading material and some needlework kept me busy, along with the TV on Closed Captioning once Stuart went to sleep. Neither of us slept well because of the nurse's TV out in the hall and the phone ringing and talking. The door was kept open, with the EEG read-out computer facing out into the hall so the nurse could monitor it. Also, we had to keep a light on Stuart so the video camera still could be used all night. The video camera and microphone were mounted on the cart that had the computer on it.
In the morning, Stuart watched TV and a movie and played solitaire with his cards. His least favorite aspect of the whole thing was having to ask for help to get out of bed, with the wires, to go to the bathroom. But he also really disliked the acetone that was used to dissolve the glue and get the electrodes out of his hair. Getting them off was a little faster than putting them on. His hair was a mess when we left the hospital about 1 PM the next day. They gave him a hat to wear, presumably to cover up the mess. Washing his hair when we got home didn't help much. I had to hold a nail polish remover-soaked cotton ball to the gluey places, and comb them with a fine-toothed comb. After that, it still looked like a terrible case of dandruff.!
In all, this was not a bad experience. It was a little stressful for him because of the discomfort of sleeping with wires, the limiting of his freedom, and the camera. But he had a good time playing games and missing school!
Once he was hooked up, he was free to do what he wanted as long as he stayed on the bed. He enjoyed playing a Play Station video game, which we don't have at home. We brought DVD's and books, snacks and playing cards. My husband and other son came to visit around supper time, bringing me some food. (The hospital fed Stuart well, but not me.) I had a recliner to sit and sleep in. There was a refrigerator, microwave and coffee pot at the nurse's station. I also had access to pillows, blankets, and towels. Plenty of reading material and some needlework kept me busy, along with the TV on Closed Captioning once Stuart went to sleep. Neither of us slept well because of the nurse's TV out in the hall and the phone ringing and talking. The door was kept open, with the EEG read-out computer facing out into the hall so the nurse could monitor it. Also, we had to keep a light on Stuart so the video camera still could be used all night. The video camera and microphone were mounted on the cart that had the computer on it.
In the morning, Stuart watched TV and a movie and played solitaire with his cards. His least favorite aspect of the whole thing was having to ask for help to get out of bed, with the wires, to go to the bathroom. But he also really disliked the acetone that was used to dissolve the glue and get the electrodes out of his hair. Getting them off was a little faster than putting them on. His hair was a mess when we left the hospital about 1 PM the next day. They gave him a hat to wear, presumably to cover up the mess. Washing his hair when we got home didn't help much. I had to hold a nail polish remover-soaked cotton ball to the gluey places, and comb them with a fine-toothed comb. After that, it still looked like a terrible case of dandruff.!
In all, this was not a bad experience. It was a little stressful for him because of the discomfort of sleeping with wires, the limiting of his freedom, and the camera. But he had a good time playing games and missing school!
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