EEGad!

Yes, I know - you love my lame puns. And I love them, too. Today was the second drive to Carson City for the EEG. Oh, huzzah. Last night I had to stay up until 11 pm, then wake up at 3 am, and stay up until the test. I could have no caffeine/nicotine, and I had to limit my sugar intake until after the test.

You have no idea how much that sucked. Or maybe you do. Regardless, let's get right into it.

The ride to Carson? The same boring stretch of Hwy 50 it always is. I'll have to take photos when I go for the next consult with the neurologist so you all can really get a feel for what we drive through. Until then, I have other images I'll share.

This is approximately what was strapped on my noggin. Except this looks all nice and futuristic-y. I also had gel all over wherever there was a sensor - to include my chest (to monitor my heart), my neck, forehead, either side of my nose, around my hairline, and then in every one of those nodule dealies (yep, that's the technical term) that's in the cap. And don't let the sleek swim-cap look fool you.

There were needles in that sucker. That had to be scraped against my scalp until a connection was made. I was terrified that there would be nothing there for them to connect to or that she would try to actually shove the needle through my skull and into my brain. Sort of like this:


I had to. Because quite honestly? The rest of the testing felt much like someone was attempting to reprogram my brainpan. And Firefly / Serenity is my favorite tv show that was never given a chance / movie.

Anyway, back on to the EEG.

There were a few exercises that I was asked to do. Open your eyes, close your eyes. Open your eyes, close your eyes. Now breathe deeply and slowly for three minutes. And then...

OMG RAVE!!

Sort of like that. A strobe had been positioned not too far from my face and at one point during the testing, It began flashing. Slow speeds, then fast speeds. Then random flashes followed by intense spurts of flashing. All throughout, I had to open my eyes, close my eyes. And look into the light. EEGad indeed. (See? My puns are helpful in the future.)

And then came a twenty minute nap. I was told to lay as still as possible, and after all the insanity of the mini rave in the testing room, I passed out. The woman doing the test said that my falling asleep would produce the best results, so I suppose it was for the best that I fell asleep.

Now, mind you, I didn't feel all that bad until she took the cap off. Then the needles broke contact with my skin and it felt like the world's worst sunburn ever. Or like this.


Admit it, you're loving the visual aids. When I went outside into the hot Nevada sun, it felt even more like that, though, as my thick hair trapped the heat right next to my scalp, irritating the points of contact.

At least I didn't bleed. Well, I don't think I did.

Regardless, this was yet another trip that was only semi-productive. We have no results yet. Not even a preliminary guesstimation from the woman who administered the test. Up next is the MRI of my head and then finally, maybe, we'll have answers.

In September when I go back to the neurologist.

I'm trying to keep my hopes up and my faith strong, but struggling daily to do so whenever I'm hit with a dizzy spell. It's a constant fear of, "Am I going to seizure again? Is it going to be a big one? Little? Am I going to have to have Anaya call Marv to come home just to help me off the floor?"

But I am grateful still. I am grateful that the initial diagnosis of BPPV lead to this, that the nerve damage was found in my ear and we are working to correct that. And, though it's difficult - I am grateful that we are moving forward toward answers. It's baby steps, but they're forward steps.

(Image creds: EEG, River Tam, Hellraiser)