Epilepsy Center

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Below are the answers to the frequently asked questions about video/eeg monitoring.

• What will I need to bring to the hospital when I am admitted?
• Why do I need to have a spouse, significant other, parent or friend stay with me in the
  hospital?
• Will parking be validated?
• What time will I need to arrive at the hospital?
• Will my family and friends be able to visit me?
• What is involved in the sphenoidal electrode insertion and will it hurt?
• Will I have an Intravenous line?
• Will having more seizures hurt my brain?
• What else should I know?
  
  
• What will I need to bring to the hospital when I am admitted?
  
  1. Your most recent MRI scan of the brain on CD disk or films if it was performed outside of UCSD.
  
  2. Bring comfort items such as favorite pillow, quilt, slippers, personal grooming items, etc.
  
  3. Games, books, hobbies, etc. to keep your free time occupied during this stay.  You may even wish to bring favorite snacks.  All of the patient’s meals will be provided by the hospital.  Unfortunately, meals WILL NOT be provided for any individual staying with the patient, but they may bring food or purchase meals in the hospital dining area.  In addition, you may bring comfortable clothing (buttons or zip tops-no pullovers) if you prefer instead of wearing hospital attire.  You will be provided with a private or a semiprivate room, Cable TV, VCR and telephone.
  
  4. All prescription medications so the physician can verify the type and dose-but you will not be taking your personal supply of medications during the admission.  The physician will inform the nurse of the medications you are to be given during this evaluation.
  
  
• Why do I need to have a spouse, significant other, parent or friend stay with me in the
  hospital?
  If you do not have a warning of an oncoming seizure, it is recommended that an individual stay with you for safety as well as company and for the purpose of identifying your typical seizures by using a push-button, which will ring an alarm for the nurse and also trigger the computer to mark the event.  Your companion should also bring comfort items, favorite pillow, quilt, etc.  Think of it as a “sleepover” and bring the things to wear for day and night.
  
  
• Will parking be validated?
  No. Parking is $8 per day.
  
  
• What time will I need to arrive at the hospital?
  Please arrive no later than 7:45 a.m. on the day scheduled to assure that you are admitted to your room when the Epilepsy Team arrives to begin the Video/EEG Monitoring evaluation.  Please check in at the information desk located just inside the main entrance of Thornton Hospital.  
  
  
• Will my family and friends be able to visit me?
  Yes.  Visiting hours are very flexible to accommodate everybody.
  
  
• What is involved in the sphenoidal electrode insertion and will it hurt?
  Your epilepsy doctor will decide if special electrodes are needed to record from the “temporal lobes.”  The Epilepsy Team physician will first administer local anesthesia to numb each facial cheek area.  A special electrode, which looks like a fine piece of thread, is then placed in each jaw muscle to record brain wave activity from deeper areas of the brain. These electrodes may cause some soreness and jaw opening may be decreased somewhat.  All other electrodes will be placed on the scalp with special glue.
  
  
• Will I have an Intravenous line?
  Yes.  A small IV will be started in one arm to allow quick treatment if seizures become  longer, stronger or more frequent than usual.  When not in use, it is capped off, and not attached to any lines or drips.
  
  
• Will having more seizures hurt my brain?
  Our goal is to capture examples of your typical seizures without causing harm.  We taper your medication slowly.  In some cases, medications may be stopped completely.  You may be sleep deprived (kept awake until 2 AM and awakened at 6 AM) to promote seizure activity in order that your hospital stay will not be too lengthy.  But as stated above, if your seizures become too long, strong or frequent, medication will be administered via your IV to treat seizures quickly.
  
• What else should I know?
  
  1. The average length of hospitalization is about 5 days.  Some patients stay longer to record a good sample of seizures.  You are encouraged to move about the room to decrease the risk of blood clots in your legs, and you may also find it more comfortable to sit in the bed-side chair occasionally.
  
  2. Your referring doctor will receive a report of the detailed findings.  This may take up to several weeks to prepare, edit and finalize.  You will have at least one followup visit with the UCSD Epilepsy team after discharge to “close the loop” and answer any questions that were not answered during the hospital stay.
  
  3. Laptop computers are ok to use on battery power.
  
  4. You will receive a call the week prior to your admission to confirm and address any questions or concerns that you may have.  If you have any questions before then please call the Epilepsy Center at (858) 657-6080.

ADVANCE For Nurses Features UCSD's Epilepsy Monitoring Unit

In July 2006, UCSD's specialized epilepsy monitoring unit was featured in ADVANCE for Nurses. Read the featured article, Searching Seizure.