What Happens When I Come to the PEMU? (Pediatric Epilepsy Monitoring Unit)

Hi, my name is Stephanie. I love to play games, do art projects and watch movies. My doctor wants me to come to Rainbow for a test called a Video EEG. This test will help my doctor understand how my brain is working. I will need to sleep at Rainbow for a few days and one of my family members will stay with me the whole time. During my Video EEG at Rainbow, I will need to stay in my “bedroom.” I can bring things from home that make me feel comfortable (like my own pillow, blanket and stuffed animal) and keep me busy (like craft projects, my school work, a few movies and some games). At Rainbow, I will meet doctors, residents, fellows, medical students, nurses, EEG technicians, a child life specialist and maybe other people too who will ask me many questions about my seizures, examine me and take care of me and my family.

When I Come to Rainbow for my Video EEG

• My nurse will meet me and my parents and take us to my “bedroom.”
• I’ll unpack the things I brought.
• My nurses and doctors will talk to me and my parents.
• I’ll stand on the scale to see how much I weigh and how tall I am.
• My nurse will take my temperature, blood pressure (a “hug” around my arm) and pulse-ox (a little light on my finger that shows how well I’m breathing).
• My nurse will give me a bracelet with my name on it.

When I meet the EEG technician, she/he will explain and show me and my parent(s) how she/he will put the electrodes (or “leads”) on my head. Before the technician begins, we’ll talk about things that might be helpful to me and also what I can do to be helpful. My most important job will be to hold my body and head very still as the technician does her/his job. I can choose to sit on my bed by myself, have my parent sit next to me or I can sit on my parent’s lap if I want to. The technician will stand behind me as she/he puts the electrodes on my head. I can even watch in a mirror so I know what is happening.

So first, the technician will measure my head with a paper ruler and make little lines on different parts of my head and forehead with a special crayon. This is how she/he knows where to put each electrode. If I had longer hair she would need to gently comb my hair and maybe put in a few pig tails.

1. Now, the technician will use a Q-tip with bumpy soap to clean a spot on my head where the electrode will be placed. I like to watch in the mirror.
2. Then, the technician will put a dab of glue on a piece of gauze (“a mini blanket”) and press it over the electrode on my head. The glue has a strong smell and feels a bit cold. A little “blower” will be used to dry the glue. The “blower” blows cool air on my head to help the glue dry faster. It is also a bit noisy.
   The technician will put more electrodes on my head in the same way – cleaning with the Q-tip then drying the gauze/ glue/electrode with the air. Each electrode will have a wire (“string”) attached to it. Sometimes I will see and feel the colorful wires as the technician is putting the electrodes on my head. I will try not to move my head and will hold my body very still. I can watch in the mirror as she/he continues.
3. After all the electrodes are on my head, the technician will use a little “squirter” to fill each electrode with lotion. The “squirter” may look like a shot but it is not.
4. Once I am all done getting the electrodes on my head, the technician will put two stickers on my chest (or my back). These stickers will help to count my heartbeats.
5. I am almost done. The technician will put a stretchy hat on my head to keep the electrodes safe on my head and the wires (“strings”) gathered together and now I am all done! Watching in the mirror was helpful for me. I also put an electrode on my doll’s head just like the technician did for me!

The technician will connect the electrode wires (“strings”) to a small box and will put the box in a back pack (or bag) for me to carry. I will carry the backpack (or bag) with me wherever I go in my bedroom at Rainbow. I can play, sleep, eat and do all of the things I packed in my activity bag!