At Home VEEG

  • Post category:EEG / Infantile Spasms
  • Reading time:3 mins read

This was quite the experience. James had an at home video EEG (VEEG) over the past couple of days to record his seizure/infantile spasm activity. He is currently on 4 antiseizure meds to control his seizures and spasms which make him sleep most of the day. We’re hoping that we can eventually get him off some of them so he is not so sleepy all the time. So, let’s get to the fun of doing an at home video EEG.

On Wednesday we took James to a local sleep clinic to have all of the EEG wires put on his head and brought home a portable camera/computer that recorded his brain activity over the past two days. If you have ever had an EEG or seen someone taking an EEG, you know how many wires they attach to your head. Then, to make sure all the wires stay in place, they wrap your head with gauze. In a hospital setting this usually isn’t an issue…you are laying on a hospital bed and don’t need to move much. After James had all of the wires put on and his head wrapped, we had to get him home. And since James is unable to hold his head up as it is, we had to take extra care with his head with the extra weight on it. I really wish we had taken a picture of James in the car, but we didn’t think to take one. So here is what James looked like when we got home (sorry it’s a bit blurry):

 

James lies on a pillow decorated with cartoon monkeys on a blue background, wearing glasses and resting quietly. His head is wrapped in gauze that holds multiple wires in place for an at‑home VEEG, with leads extending from the wrap. A couch and nearby wooden surface frame the scene, capturing a calm moment during home neurological monitoring.

 

You can’t see all of the wires attached to his head because of the gauze, but all of those wires come out the top of his head as a single cable, which was nice:

 

James lies on a blue blanket decorated with cartoon monkeys, his head fully wrapped in white bandages that secure multiple monitoring wires for an at‑home VEEG setup. Nearby medical supplies sit on a wooden surface, creating a quiet scene of careful neurological monitoring in a home environment.

 

That cable was attached to a device that recorded his brain activity:

 

Close‑up of a DigiTrace medical monitoring device displaying patient information for a child named James, with a coiled cable attached and the screen showing time and measurement data.

 

And then that device was attached to the camera:

 

DigiTrace video camera and recorder used for at‑home VEEG monitoring, with a built in video display, and a coiled cable connected to the unit.

 

It was quite a setup. You can imagine how much fun we had getting James and all of his equipment up the stairs and getting it all setup. Here’s a pic of Stacy holding James on the couch after we got him all hooked up:

 

Stacy sits on a red couch wearing a gray T‑shirt while holding James on her lap. James’ head is wrapped in gauze securing multiple wires and sensors for an at‑home VEEG, with cables running to medical devices resting on the couch next to Stacy. Stacy supports James gently, creating a quiet moment of care during home neurological monitoring.

 

Today we had the fun job of taking everything off of his head so that we could return the computer/camera and all of the wires. This is what it looked like when we took the gauze off of his head. All of those colorful wires connect to that black box (which was also under the gauze). The single black cable that I pointed out in an earlier picture comes out of that box.

 

James lies on a striped towel with the head gauze removed to reveal the EEG electrodes secured to his scalp with medical tape. Colored wires run from the electrodes to a small monitoring device beside him. He rests quietly, patiently waiting for the elctrodes to be removed.

 

Whatever they use to attach the EEG leads to the head is very sticky so we did our best to wash it out of his hair:

 

James rests in a dimly lit room, his dark hair freshly washed after EEG electrodes were removed. He wears a light outfit with blue trim and circular patterns. A yellow pillow with colorful cartoon prints sits nearby, and an orange extension cord lies coiled on the carpet, creating a quiet, intimate moment at home after medical care.

 

I don’t know who was more tired from this experience, James or his parents:

 

Jeff sits in a chair with eyes closed while James sleeps face‑down on Jeff's chest. James wears a white onesie with blue, brown, and gray polka dots and blue‑and‑white striped socks. Jeff is dressed in a dark shirt and plaid pajama pants. A colorful dinosaur blanket drapes over the back of the chair, with green curtains behind them, creating a quiet, intimate moment of shared rest.

 

We’re not sure how long before our neurologist gets whatever was recorded and has time to go over it, but hopefully we’ll get the results soon.