Tuesday, October 16, 2007

EEeeeeeg!

Another Day another Medical Procedure.

I had to get up at the crack of dawn this morning and head on over to Mercy for my long-awaited EEG. Hey, it only took 10 months to get this scheduled!

Mercy is an older hospital and parking is at a deficit. I ended up on the roof of the parking structure and when I left, there was a line of cars completely blocking me in, two of which had to be moved so I could get out of my parking space. I told the toll booth attendant I wanted 10 minutes cut off my parking fee. He laughed in my face. Laughed in my face, I tell you!

But first, I parked and raced over to the hospital and went up to the EEG department, which was locked up tighter than a drum. I had to wait for someone to come along and put in the little keypad code to open the door and then I was told I had to go back downstairs and register. Nobody tells me anything! Fortunatly, registration is quick and I was back upstairs in 15 minutes flat.

The EEG tech was such a sweetheart, and she explained the procedure in depth before we got started. I was suprised to learn it takes about 20-30 minutes for the test itself. I got to lay down on a comfy bed and close my eyes while she glued 27-29 little diodes on my head using school paste. I'm not kidding, this isn't the gel stuff they use for an EKG, this is actual glue. She warned me I'd have to go home and shampoo when this was over.

She then explained I'd open my eyes and shut them and then do some slow breathing for 3 minutes then lay perfectly still for 15 minutes and then she would turn on some flashing lights for 3-5 minutes and then we would be done. The whole thing was soothing except for the flashing lights which were very uncomfortable.

When all this was completed she took the thingies off my scalp and earlobes and forehead and then did a little scrubbing to get the most obvious glue off and then handed me a comb and told me to look in the mirror and fix my hair.

I wish I had a photo of the fright that I confronted in the mirror! My hair was sticking out like Brillo Pad Weeds! I had to crack up, because although I never consider myself fussy, my friends say I am quite vain. There was no way to salvage this mess and I was wishing for a hat or a burkha.

As I was driving home I put my hand on my scalp and felt little dollops of sticky glue all over the top and back of my head! Ewww! So I raced home and shampooed before that stuff could dry on there.

Now it will be weeks before I hear any results, alas, but at least this test was finally done!

2 comments:

SmilingsMyFavorite said...

Now, because I get so confused over all of your medical conditions... Was the EKG for your fibromyalgia? Is something else entirely?
Sorry about the mirror... I've heard of another superstition that if you run to a dollar store within 24 hours and replace the one you broke, you make for 6 of the 7 years.

Miss Pink Ponsonby said...

The EKG is for heart attack and also before my eye surgeries I had to have one. The EEG is for siezures because of the weird 'black out's that I have. I really want to run to the 98 cent store for a mirror but I know I wouldn't get out of there for less than 20 so I'll have to wait until I HAVE 20 to go there! :0)