Last week was crazy and weird.
On Thursday, Eliza had to go for a 23 hour EEG. It's the same test that she had before, only overnight. I tried to prepare for the test by searching online to see what it would be like, but I could find nothing. So we went to Children's Hospital not knowing what to expect.
Just like last time they put electrodes on her head, but this time they used extra skin glue to secure them for the night. It smelled really bad. Eliza was good for this part just relaxing on the table looking at her daddy who was keeping her entertained. She even laughed once. Then they wrapped her head with medical gauze. She HATED that part and screamed and screamed. She probably wondered what we were doing to her. Then they used medical tape and covered her head with it to keep the gauze on good. She had the chords coming out from behind her head. She looked like a mummy again.
Then we headed up to our hospital room. The staff were very nice. They had a crib set up in her room. She needed to stay around her bed so that the video camera could watch her while the computer recorded her brain waves. I requested a regular bed because I knew she wouldn't sleep well in the strange crib by herself. Especially with the giant mummy head and chord coming out from the back of her head (hello strangulation hazard!!). So reluctantly (and with a signed "It's not our fault if you suffocate your child by accident" form) the nurses let us get a regular bed for us to sleep in. We put the sides up on the bed and wah-la... a giant crib for mummy and mummy's mommy to snuggle in.
Eliza almost immediately fell asleep worn out from the mummifying process and after we napped we awoke to dinner service. Only.... the hospital thinks that an 8month old can eat hamburger and macaroni and cheese. That was kind of odd. They kept sending her food she couldn't eat. But it was OK cause Kase and I ate most of it.
Eliza had to stay on the bed so that her mummy chord didn't get tangled up and so that she could stay within the camera's vision. So we played with toys on the bed. All. Evening. Long. She kept falling over because her mummy head was too big. It was a blessing that she can't crawl yet. She also enjoyed several games of "let's throw this toy off the bed and watch daddy pick it up." That was fun.
The neurologist, Dr. K, came by. She is a very nice lady with a thick polish accent. She said that if Eliza didn't have one of her episodes she might have to keep us longer than one night. After she left, Kase and I tried to get Eliza to "pose." She did a few times but they were half-hearted. Her mummy head kept throwing her off and the fact that she was out of her element was a bit distracting to her too. Hopefully they got a few good examples though.
Finally, it was bed time for all mummies and mommies. We snuggled up and settled in and fell asleep.... until nurse #1 of a bagillion came in to take her blood pressure and tempurature. Yes, the nurse visits started around 8 and didn't stop until midnight. One nurse needed to check her eyes, one her temperature, one needed to know what she ate and how many diapers she had, and one wanted to see if I needed any breast pump parts. One nurse just wanted to see if we needed anything. YES We need sleep!!!! I know it is their job- and they were very nice- but really? It was ridiculous how many people came in and out and were loud when my 8 month old was trying to sleep while her head was stuck to the bed from all of the medical tape. Finally, at half past midnight, we got a break... until 6 am.
The next morning Eliza was brought eggs, toast, and grits... more food she can't eat yet. Only this time, they brought me some too. Since I was a nursing mother they started feeding me as well. That was nice of them. We hung out and waited for the neurologist to come visit. We played with lots of toys and were bored to death. Finally, Dr. K came in and said we could go home. We won't know the results for a week or 2 and only then if she sees that something is wrong. Otherwise, we meet with Dr. K at the end of March.
After Dr. K left the EEG techs came in to remove Eliza's mummy helmet. They cut off her mummy helmet and then had to put acetone on the skin glue to get the electrodes off her head. Eliza screamed and screamed. It was painless (I think) but scary to her. Finally, we had our little Eliza back, mummy-free. We celebrated by eating the hospital lunch they brought for our mummy. Grilled chicken, potatoes, and corn. Yum.
We were all glad to get out of there.
Former Mummy head... now glue head:
I am so grateful for Eliza's health. I felt so bad seeing families at the hospital who have been there for weeks and months and who are seeing their children suffer illnesses and diseases. There was a little boy in the room next to ours. He had no hair and a surgical mask around his mouth. It was his birthday. My heart goes out to these families. I cannot imagine what that must feel like to see your child suffering in that way. It makes me grateful for what we have and it makes me admire the strength of these people.
I am glad that we have that over with.
Other happenings:
- My jeep's transmission is dying. 218,000 some odd miles. Sad day. I will continue driving it until it croaks.
- Eliza is getting her 8th tooth.
- We visited my parents this weekend. It was fun.
- Eliza did not sleep through the night one time (see above "getting 8th tooth" also mummy flash backs).
- We are glad to be back home now.
- Eliza still has glue in her hair.
- I do miss having the hospital bring me food.
