When Ryan was 8 years old he started having absence seizures. His eyes would roll back and he would be unaware of what was happening around him for 5 to 8 seconds. If someone was talking to him, he wouldn't remember what they said. It is a form of epilepsy. He has seeing a neurologist and taking medication for just over 6 years. Most kids outgrow this condition when they go through adolescence.
Once a year, and more often in the beginning when he was first being diagnosed, he has a sleep deprived EEG. He can only have 5 hours of sleep. Delwyn stays up with him until 1 am. When he was younger they would play board games and do jigsaw puzzles. Now that he is older, he just wants to play video games. He can eat snacks during this time, just limited sugar and no caffeine. I wake him up at 6 am and the test is usually at 9 am.
Last year he had 1 seizure and 1 fragment, so we were really hoping that he would be able to go off the medication this year. It is a liquid that is very nasty. He plugs his nose while he drinks it, and has a glass of water ready for an immediate gulp. I realized I haven't taken any pictures of him getting this test, so I wanted to get some this year, especially since we are hoping this will be the last time. I forgot my camera, thank goodness phones can take pictures! I prefer my camera, but phone cameras work in a pinch.
It takes about 30 minutes to get all the wires glued to his head. He also has a few on his chest. The technicians are always friendly and talk to Ryan.
Done with that part!
Then they wrap gauze around all the wires.
He gets into bed for the test. He wasn't too happy about all the pictures I was taking.
For the test, he has to pant for 3 minutes. When he was younger, they would have him blow on a pinwheel as hard as he could. Now that he is older, this year he just panted. Three minutes is a long time! It is hard as a parent to have to watch him get so out of breath. Then he closes his eyes and they flash bright lights off and on just a few inches away from his face. That lasts for about 5 minutes. Then they tell him to go sleep. The wires are hooked to a computer and it measures his brain activity while he is sleeping. After 30 minutes, they wake him up and he is done! It takes a few minutes and a lot of scrubbing to get all the glue out of his hair.
Dr. Benjamin Ross is Ryan's doctor and his office is right next to the hospital. We have an appointment right after the EEG to get the results. Ryan had a couple of abnormalities, but no seizures, and so he is going off the medication and we will see what happens. Happy Day for Ryan! He is probably the happiest kid on the planet today. I am thankful for the technology we have and I am thankful for those people who want to study medicine and the body so they can take care of us! We always to go to lunch afterwards, today Ryan chose Café Rio.
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