I've done it twice and might need to do it again. The first one I did in 2005, lasted 7 days. The second one I did in 2012 lasted 17 days.

When I did it, they didn't just take me off my medication, but also sleep deprived me. I think the sleep deprivation part was the hardest.

On both occasions, it was believed that I had some form of temporal lobe epilepsy. However, now it is believed that I actually have insular-opercular epilepsy.

I think the thing what you should do is ask your doctor how certain they are the seizures are actually originating where they are. This is specific to me, but insular/ insular opercular epilepsy is known as a great mimicker, so my scalp eeg might show seizures in my temporal lobe, but the actual starting location might be the insula area, which is connected to many parts of the brain. It's just that back then the technology wasn't really there to explore that deep in the brain.

Good luck!

It sounds like a VEEG. I had one back in 2000. They took me off my meds. They only let me sleep from 10 pm to midnight. They had me ride a stationary bike for 15 minutes then lay down and hyperventilate for the next five. I had four seizures and from the wires they had attacked to me, they found they all came from the left temporal lobe. This made me a candidate for surgery.

How long you are there depends on the number of days your neurologist wants you to stay. You will be weaned off of your medication. because they want to see your seizures. There will be other tests done during your stay until they are able to record your seizure and save some data. The best thing to do to get through the days is to have puzzles, music to listen to and a couple of books you can't put down. No worries, you will be fine. Good luck.

Being monitored bring things you like reading, books, magazines. Your phone charger especially! Button down shirts easy shorts bring a few of each. I brought crocheting and knitting. Things that make you comfortable. A journal about what’s happening. I have been single rooms and dbl rooms. Ancient times a 4 bedrooom.
I wish you the best!

@A MyEpilepsyTeam Member I will be having continuous video and EEG monitoring to see if they can localize where my seizures are initiating from. This will determine if I would be a surgical candidate if medications are not effective. I’m on my 4th medication trial since November 2022 when I was first diagnosed. primarily focal seizures but have had several that progress to bilateral tonic clonic seizures. Have not gone more than 3 weeks without a seizure. Had one this morning.

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