January 12, 2009

Glue


Gluehead
Originally uploaded by Citizen Rob
Schuyler had a good weekend with her ambulatory EEG. She made the best of her cyborg status, even putting together a little headwear fashion show yesterday. She was a real trouper, and when we went to the neurologist's office this morning to have the gear removed, we though the worst was over.

Yeah. It turns out that the tape in her hair wasn't what actually secured the sensors in place. No, that would be the glue.

Glue.

After washing her hair for about an hour and using everything from clarifying shampoo to dishwashing soap, Schuyler still has a sticky, persistent mess in her hair, stuff that reminds me in its consistency of the glue we used to use to put together model airplanes when I was a kid. It's not coming out easily. A call to the unfriendly tech who put this crap in her hair in the first place was no help. ("Did you try running a comb through it?" Really? Really?) Helpful friends on Facebook and Twitter, many of whom have been through this themselves, have suggested conditioner, oil-based washes, fingernail polish remover, Goo Gone, peanut butter, rubbing alcohol, peppermint oil, vegetable oil, mineral oil, baby oil, tea tree oil and a concoction involving aspirin, shampoo and Seabreeze. All of which we'll no doubt end up trying before this is over.

I'm annoyed. I am, in fact, profoundly annoyed, because I cannot imagine that in the year 2009, the very best way to secure EEG leads to a child's head is with glue. (For that matter, is there really no other way to measure brain activity that this? Isn't this technology from the 1970s? Is my kid's brain activity being monitored by machinery that predates the 8 track player?) We're nearing the end of the first decade of the 21st Century, popularly known as The Future. Really? Fucking glue?

The answer, I suspect, is of course they could develop something better, something with a bond that could be easily broken with a specific chemical compound design especially for the purpose. I wouldn't be one bit surprised to find that just such product already exists.

But why bother? Those of us who have been immersed in medical procedures for years learned long ago that while there are a lot of very caring doctors out there, the medical industry as a whole still struggles with the concept of the patient as a human being. This is especially true of pediatrics, where psychological and social development is particularly vulnerable.

Schuyler had her ambulatory EEG performed by pediatric neurologists, after all. You might think that this meant they were especially sensitive to the issues involved with children, including the social and psychological effects of the treatment and studies being undertaken. But when no one sees a problem with putting glue, and lots of it, in the pretty hair of a nine year-old girl and then sending her back into an ugly world that's already not very nice to a kid who is different, that's because no one's considering the psychological and social issues that might come as a result. Not even "pediatric" neurologists.

It's not a huge issue, not in the big scheme of things. We'll get all this crap out of her hair somehow, and if we don't, it'll work its way out, or it'll grow out. The larger issue for me is that once again, we are witness to yet another example of how Schuyler and her fellow broken children are marginalized by the medical industry.

It's one of the reasons I do what I do, and write what I write. Because Schuyler is more than a transportation unit for a scientifically interesting brain, and she's more than a case study to which an insurance payment claim may be attached. She's wondrous little girl, and putting glue in her hair because it's the easiest way to accomplish your medical task diminishes you and your industry, not her.

So yeah. I'm pissed. She's not too pleased, either.

8:15 pm

Update:  We went the all-natural route, working in coconut oil and peanut butter and letting it sit for a couple of hours.  She's in the bathtub now, and it seems to have mostly worked.  Her head smells weird but appears to  be glue-free.  So now we know.

61 comments:

Cecily said...

I had a 48-hour eeg a few years ago. Mayonnaise and a really long bath eventually got the glue out.

Carole said...

Rob, that's an awful situation. I can totally believe you'd all be pissed.

However, try WD-40. It dispatches all kinds of glues and adhesives very easily.

And the best detangler I've ever come across is a product called Cowboy Magic, which is a (human-safe) product used to detangle horse manes and tails.

Good luck!

Betsy said...

I struggled to get the glue out of my hair after a 6 hour EEG (part of a sleep study) - can't imagine what they must use for a 48 hour ambulatory one! No suggestions, just empathy.

Anonymous said...

After having a few sleep studies myself, I've got to say that I actually enjoyed picking the glue out. It's like peeling Elmers glue off your hands, or labels off beer bottles. I'm sure my friends were concerned about my constant picking at my hair, and were just too polite to suggest lice shampoo. It probably took me about 2-3 days to clean it all out. But, it took only 1-2 shampoos to make my hair look decent.

Elizabeth said...

I'm forwarding this to the organisation I work with that is trying to make improvements in healthcare for children with special needs. I'm the Parent Co-Chair for the epilepsy collaborative, and I know the glue all too well. And I've always been struck by the grave disparities in medical technology (needle sticks vs. PET scans, etc.). Thank you for articulating this so well and I'll keep you posted on the response!

Karen said...

I guess they figure it's no different than the kid who puts gum in their hair. Small comfort though that is. I'm sorry.

Monroegirl said...

This bites. Not the end to the 48 hours of hell you had envisioned, I'm sure. You are of course, absolutely correct in that there should be a better way to get that crap out. Equally correct in assuming the EEG techs don't care. The vast majority of medical "folk" really don't. Care, that is. They just do their portion of the assembly line process, tell you to "feel free to call if you have any questions," even though if you do call, there will be no one there to take your call or even answer the phone. Amazing how much they can charge to be perfect dweebs. Here's hoping your online community can help. I was also going to suggest Goof Off or WD-40...I see someone beat me to it. Parents of a "normal" kid would tell you now that this is going to "build Schuyler's character"...at which point you grab the nearest bottle of super glue and start smearing into their hair. All the while, telling them that "God will only give them what they can handle." Yeah, you touched a nerve! Hugs to Schuyler and here's hoping someone has the answer!

pixiemama said...

Sorry for your glue woes. This is an inconvenience you certainly didn't need.

I'm chiming in to tell you that I think we are among the many who are pissed at the medical industry.

I have a son with a brain tumor. He's doing well and we believe that in the long run, he will be just fine, but he has this pesky (nicest word I can think of right now) little part that keeps growing back. Each time I review his MRI scans, I think "really? this is the best technology we have? In an era of iphones and laptops as slim as a manila envelope, this MRI picture is the best you can do to determine what's going on inside my son's precious skull?

I'm pissed too.

Anonymous said...

Ah poor schuyler :( I know what you mean, medicine does seem to be more interested in helping its own pocket rather than the patients some times. i would also recommend WD-40, it got gum out of my hair! When do you find out the results of the test? Hope you find a hair solution soon!

Corinn said...

The closest I can think of to a positive coming out of this is if somehow a nearby salon is your best bet for getting it all out!

Ugh. Best of luck getting rid of the last few traces of that little nightmare.

Julia O'C said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
little.birdy said...

It is so hard to study brains. (Understatement of the year, no?) I'm guessing direct and secure contact with the skin is important to get accurate measurements, and glue is the only way the sensors will stay put. However, I would think the medical eggheads would be a bit more discriminating about what kind of glue to use, and provide some instruction as to the glue removal. Also, could they maybe put some powder or something on the glue that is not touching her skin so hair won't get so tangled in it? It's rather silly.
I would be a bit vary about WD-40 and Goo Gone in large amounts. They might irritate her scalp, and the fumes so close to her face might make her a bit goofy. Just my 2 cents. :) I hope it comes out soon!

little.birdy said...

By "vary" there I meant "wary." Speech student, fix thyself!

Anonymous said...

Don't know the answer, but I just sicced the Bryn Mawr alumnae email list on the question. Between the artists, scientists, medievalists, science librarians, and diaper-blowout-prevention specialists, we may be able to find an answer. (Did you know that finding a girl scout camp for your child and getting the plumber to come is harder than rocket science? Emperically determined by a NASA scientist...)
I must say, even with glue in her hair, Schuyler looks stylish and trend-setting.

Anonymous said...

Don't know the answer, but I just sicced the Bryn Mawr alumnae email list on the question. Between the artists, scientists, medievalists, science librarians, and diaper-blowout-prevention specialists, we may be able to find an answer. (Did you know that finding a girl scout camp for your child and getting the plumber to come is harder than rocket science? Emperically determined by a NASA scientist...)
I must say, even with glue in her hair, Schuyler looks stylish and trend-setting.

Loves Pickles said...

I personally wouldn't suggest putting any more chemicals on her sensitive head. I'd opt for the heavy oils, like mayo, tea tree oil (smells awesome), baby oil, and the like. You don't want the remedy to be worse than the glue! I use a tea tree oil spray on my dry skin/scalp (it's also great on razor burn) that I got for $4 at Walgreen's in the African American hair products section and it rocks; it's very oily and I would expect that it would ease the glue out nicely. There's also a very intense coconut conditioner in the same section that is quite oily, and might also work.

The tech's insensitivity is total shite. I think you have the right to tell the person exactly what you've said here: this is a human child you're dealing with, not some experiment on a stick, and if they don't shape up and treat Schuyler with as much respect as THEY would expect from THEIR doctors, you'll become very unpleasant to deal with!! What arsefaces.

I'm glad to see Schuyler looking upbeat and dealing with all of this with as much chutzpah as ever. I'm sending good ju-ju :)

Niksmom said...

You nailed it, Rob. I can't tell you the number of times I've left some medical office or the hospital with my hysterical son and thought "WTF?? Do these people really have no clue??" Ah, that would be a big fat negative.

Another possibility to try on the glue is PAM. Yes, PAM. Side note: You know the gooky residue that builds up on a pan after you've baked a gazillion things in it (well, maybe you odn't)...PAM removes that, too. Kinda makes you a little afraid to cook with it, eh?

Ann said...

What really bugs me here, besides the fact that they don't have a better product for this purpose, is that you have to go out to the internet to find the answers. Surely this question has been asked and answered. Surely the tech should have known the answer. Surely you should have been told the answer as part of the preparation process. Just ridiculous. Keep up the fight.

Loves Pickles said...

Here's a few links:
http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=301666&navAction=jump&navCount=2&nug=VPD&skuid=sku399970&id=prod399969

Similar to the one I've got:
http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=301666&navAction=jump&navCount=2&nug=VPD&skuid=sku399970&id=prod399969

Coconut Conditioner
http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=301666&navAction=jump&navCount=6&nug=VPD&skuid=sku2137693&id=prod2138215

WriterGrrl said...

Sorry you had a sucky experience. I had a 24 hour ambulatory EEG right before Ike hit Houston. Like, the guy hooked me up on Thursday and returned on Friday, the day of Ike, to unhook me. And he told me, in case he couldn't get to me, to have nail polish remover on hand, because the primary ingredient in his remover was acetone. My guy was super nice -- left me his cell and told me to call anytime with problems or questions. Truth be told, I was so preoccupied by the hurricane that I didn't care too much about the bits of glue that were still coming out a week later, but I'm not a 9-year-old in school. THANK GOD.

Impy the Painter said...

If anything, maybe you can use what glue is left to give Schuyler an awesome mohawk.

Hm. *looks around room* Only thing I got is Tupernoid.. but that's like.. paint remover.

Maybe some real good, gritty soap? Give her a nice head massage and work it in and then wash it out.

Anonymous said...

I am always astounded when professions whose reason for being is only to serve humanity, seem to be so unconscious about what it is to be truly humane. How dare!

Jeanine said...

Is it that rubber-cement-y stuff?

Yeah, f*ckers....

Sara said...

Been there done that.

My tech that put it on said to get a bottle of finger nail polish remover and soak my scalp in it (be careful for her eyes) then wrap head in towel for 5 minutes or so.

Then shower and put on conditioner. Leave conditioner on for 10-20 minutes the longer the better.

Then shampoo and condition as you normally would.

IT worked very well for me.

Anonymous said...

I don't know if this would work, but my daughter put Vaseline and Vicks Vaporub through her hair and nothing worked, until my hairdresser recommended Redken Hair Cleansing Creme
http://www.redken.com/products/haircare/specialty-products/hair-cleansing-cream-shampoo
- it's designed to get out all the hair cement products. It worked a treat with the Vaseline and Vick's, maybe it will help with the glue too!

I'm so sorry that the saga continues.

Mary said...

Sorry to hear of the hair nastiness, I am a nurse and also have a ridiculously hard time removing the paste from my patients (I work in the newborn ICU so we don't do many EEGs). However, I have had luck with hospital grade adhesive remover. It is made for use on skin/hair, even near wounds, so is safe to use. The problem is you still have to soak the area and then gently comb out the glue, it just helps it release. Some nurses use that junk to put bows on the babies' heads, which ends up being a bow that lasts for weeks on end because no one wants to have to pull it off. The adhesive remover comes in little pads like alcohol wipes which would be pretty much useless for Schuyler but it also comes in a bottle of just the liquid also. You might try calling a pediatric unit in a hospital, they are usually sympathetic to this kind of thing and might be able to sneak you a bottle.

Danielle said...

This doesn't get at the over-arching theme, I know. But our mega hospital refuses to make parents leave with that crap in their kid's hair. After any EEG (even in clinic) the nurses use adhesive remover pads (or a bottle like mary said) to remove all the glue. They will even wash and dry the kids hair, if it is cold out.

So, there are better ways to do things. You just have to find the place that will take the time.

Loves Pickles said...

Unbelievable that they couldn't just, like, give you some of that to bring home? Oh, that would make a 9-year-old's life just too easy, right? Ugh, I still just can't see how putting a kids head in nail polish remover is safe at all....eek. Not to mention one false move and boom-blindness. But this is coming from someone whose dad doused her in gasoline after getting into a sticky situation with some gum. Yeah, gas, real fiasco. He couldn't be bothered to use just plain old peanut butter.

mooserbeans said...

Oh, I hope you can get it out without putting nail polish remover on her head. If you can't get it out before she goes back to school, can she wear a hat or scarf? I know they can't in our school (it's a gang thing). Good luck. You have every right to be annoyed. Poor thing!

Anonymous said...

Rob, I found that a lemon juice rinse worked on the glue in my daughter's hair (but be careful not to get it in her eyes). It was a pain though. We followed the wash with Mane & Tail (which is a leave-in conditioner and a very, very good detangler.) If you can't get your hands on the hospital stuff, you could try our method.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry you guys have this crap to deal with on top of everything else. One of my biggest worries about the research I do with special-needs kids is that we'll get so caught up in the cool science that we let kids or parents come away feeling badly about the experience. I hate to hear about that happening.

We don't do EEG but I think one of our MRI techs used to, and might have good suggestions. I will see if I can get in touch with him tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

Oh yah. Try a week with that crap on and several re-applications for video EEGs. Actually, I hope you never have to go there.
Please do not be putting WD-40 on your daughters head or some of the other strong stuff.
I share your frustration with the glue. The adhesive-remover pads only do so much and with longer hair - It just takes tons of washing, the heavy conditioners and some good long wet with conditioner and then again dry pickings and combings until the last yucky speck is gone.
Try doing that on a child with a shunt and scars from 11 brain surgeries. HA!
I hope your post sparks some engineer somewhere to come up with something else. Until then - pick on.
-Kathleen (Becca's mom)

Anonymous said...

The last time my daughter had an EEG was a long time ago.
Luckily, we had some human techs who offered to help get the glue out and wash and dry her hair before we lefft the office.

The glue they use is similar to Crazy Glue. Acetone will cause Crazy Glue to come loose so you can comb it out. Finger nail polish USED to contain Acetone, but most is acetone free these days (I think they changed it avout 5-6 years ago). If you can find some with Acetone, that should work.
I know in the hospital where I work, the adhesive remover we have is basically acetone.

Good luck. I remember how hard it is to get out.

Nightfall said...

Whoo-hoo, glad you found a solution. And a resounding boo-urns for all the heartless pediatric med folk out there.

Anonymous said...

didn't they used to do open heart surgery on newborns and just immobilize them, but not put them under? and it surprises you that they don't care if you can't get glue out of hair? hell, i'm surprised they don't just shave their heads so they don't have to be bothered with the hair at all. nothing the medical profession does surprises me. glad you found something to get it out.

Anonymous said...

I know this is the least of your worries but I'm curious - will she be allowed at school with residue from peanut butter in her hair? Or will that be washed out with something else, that will then be washed out with something else, etc. until you're back to normal shampoo?

I know a lot of schools are really, really strict about the peanut thing. Like, they don't let kids eat peanut butter for breakfast before school, never mind AT school.

Robert Hudson said...

The peanut butter has been washed out. It's the coconut oil that's persistent.

Galen said...

Glad you found the all-natural solution...and her hair should be in FABulous condition!

Zazzy said...

Oh wow, do you bring back memories. But I have no idea how we got the glue out. Glad you've found a way.

Anonymous said...

The glue they use on the scalp is called Colodian, and they are supposed to get it out at the actual office with acetone. So the person who suggested finger-nail polish was right.
I'd like to stress, however, that THEY are supposed to get the colodian out completely before you go home, exactly because it's impossible to get out on your own. EEG techs at hospitals do this routinely to their Epilepsy Monitoring patients. I work on EEG equimpent, and that's what any of my clients who are worth their salt do. Unfortunately, there can be some real hacks in the business.

I couldn't find any specific best-practice guidelines about this on ASET(American Society of Electroneurodiagnostic Technicians)'s web site, but you might want to go to www.aset.org, contact them and see what they can do about it. They don't have as much influence over individual doctors as over hospitals, but if your neurologist has rights at a hospital, well then...

I'm very sorry, and good luck!

Anonymous said...

Having been through several of these myself and also my son, the best way to remove the glue is to just pick it out as someone suggested. She may even enjoy picking it out herself. I have never once even tried to wash it out even though that was the recommendation per the tech. They say they have to use that glue (which I feel is more like a plaster) since it is able to conduct the waves, not to mention it will hold the leads in place as you are well familiar. I know I am adding this a bit late to the game, but hopefully this will help for the next go around, provided that she is not overly sensitive to having it picked out. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Oh No! You were done so wrong in this! When our two children (one with PMG) had their EEGs done.....the nurses actually gave us a solution to take home to wash their hair out with! It took it right out and didn't leave their hair harsh or smelling bad.

It's the same as the nice little wipes that take off adhesive....alot of places won't offer it unless you specifically request it!

Naomi said...

My "what the HELL is wrong with these people?" moment came when my mother-in-law had to be hospitalized for dialysis. She had end-stage kidney failure and required dialysis three times a week to stay alive; she had to be hospitalized because she couldn't receive dialysis at the dialysis center, because she kept passing out unless she was lying flat.

You know, in a bed.

The dialysis center didn't have any, so she had to go to the hospital for this radical, hard-core, cutting edge technology. A bed.

My husband took her for dialysis a couple of times when we were visiting out there, and he said you've never been in a more miserable, oppressive environment than the dialysis center. I couldn't help but wonder if dialysis centers would be more pleasant if kidney disease disproportionately affected the wealthy, rather than the poor. (Though MIL was quite well off, and her dialysis center was in a rich suburb of a major metro area, so maybe that wouldn't help, either.) The bottom line is that you're going for dialysis it's because you'll die without it, so there's no point in making the centers remotely pleasant or tolerable because you'll be back in three days whether they're nice to you or not.

Kyla said...

I remember going through this with KayTar, but haven't a clue how we got the stickiness to go away. I think perhaps they put that hand sanitizing foam they have all over the hospital in her hair after removing the electrodes. Maybe.

Glad you figured it out!

Anonymous said...

I've had several EEGs and sleep studies as an adult, and a long hot shower with two washings with Neutrogena shampoo did the trick, no problem.

Anonymous said...

I will never forget, after my 3-yr-old son had his tonsils removed and was in TREMENDOUS pain, how he fought against taking the liquid painkiller the doctor prescribed. He would beg to take his "other" medicine instead (a liquid antibiotic), not getting they were for different reasons. After two conversations with his doctor asking if there was an alternative medicine and getting a negative answer, I read something on the internet (posted by a pediatric nurse) about how the alcohol content in the liquid painkiller can really burn the raw spots in the throat when it's swallowed. Lightbulb! I called my doctor again, and do you know what he said? "Yeah, I've had some patients' parents say that, but I don't really belive it." WTF??? Patients, and especially children, and most especially children who are unable to verbalize, are most definitely NOT human to many of these doctors. They are not pediatric specialists because they love children - it's because it's more challenging to them intellectually.

Anonymous said...

I just had a sleep study done and I had a heck of a time getting that glue out. I was mortified and angered that they kicked me out of the room without allowing me any time to try to wash it out.

I then went back to my parent's house. They were keeping my daughter overnight. I washed and washed and finally my mom had to wash. We got it out, but then my hair was a huge mess of rats. I lost a lot of hair in the process.

Unknown said...

I just finished a 22 hour sleep study & my long, very thick hair is still stuck together in 8 places. The tech told me that it was not a problem, some warm water & a paper towel would get it out! I have a strong desire to go back & put it in her nice thick, shiny hair & then give her warm water & a paper towel. All it did was make it wet & more stuck together. Two shampoo's & counting. I just covered it in Ojon Deep conditioning oil which seems to be breaking it up, but I am going to sleep with it in all night to be sure it comes out with the morning wash. My skin & scalp is already irritated from the abrasive scrub they did before they applied it, so the glue burned slightly all night & now my skin is as highly irritated as I am! I have read page after page about this problem & certainly would not advise going the toxic chemical route of acetone, WD-40 & the like that some have posted which would definitely dry out your hair & scalp even more & put you at risk for more irritation. Ojon nut oil, Olive oil or even Mayo are much safer & healthy for your scalp & will leave your hair shiny & well conditioned. Either way, if they can't come up with something better then they should at least be honest & tell you what your in for. This is the last thing I needed to deal with after being woken up at 5 am & every time I fell asleep after that...all I wanted to do was come home & go to sleep. Clearly the people putting this crap in our hair has never, ever had it in theirs & has no idea how hard it is to get out. So pissed off!

Abiliadmin said...

Hi - I realize this is an old post, but I came across your site researching answers to the same question (your current post then inspired one of my own)! Here's what I've collected so far - note that there is 1 product on the market specifically for EEG glue removal - Mavidon Collodion Remover.

My page: http://www.abilipedia.com/wiki/Q:Remove_EEG_Glue_from_Hair

Anonymous said...

I would like to start off by saying I am a EEG tech, although the glue is annoying and takes time to remove from hair, I would think that maybe you would take a minute to step back and realize that is a small price to pay to record/diagnose your child with a possible life threating disorder. Instead of writing a ten min. blurb about how much it "pissed" you off, that that ten or so minutes and spend it with your child, or even better stop bitching about the problem(glue) and do something about it.

Robert Hudson said...

Yeah. You're an EEG tech. An anonymous EEG tech, which is somewhat less than surprising.

You are one of two things. You are either an anonymous troll pretending to be an EEG tech (live the dream, baby), or you are an actual EEG tech with the same amount of compassion and empathy for your patients as the other EEG professionals we dealt with.

Let's pretend you are actually who you say you are, You are voicing a knee-jerk reaction in defense of an industry that is in serious need of modernization and a re-evaluation of how it treats the children in its care. You have no answer for the problem, but you're pissy because a parent dares to point out that the problem exists. And if you'd read even a few paragraphs of my blog, you'd see that spending time with my kid is definitely NOT one of my deficits, nor is adequately advocating on her behalf against an uncaring medical industry of which you are sadly all to representative.

Either that, or you're just some anonymous assmonkey. Either way, I'd imagine it rather sucks to be you.

Robert Hudson said...

Also, your argument would have more merit if your professional brethren had been able to diagnose more than "something weird's going on at night, but beats the shit out of us what it is, sorry."

Basically, they glued a little girl's hair so they could demonstrate exactly how unhelpful the entire procedure could be. Very impressive.

Anonymous said...

Still "bitching" and not trying to fix the problem. Awsome dude you get an "a" on brainstorming for this. I would bet a hundred dollars, while you got the results from the test from the doctor, you didnt once stand up and say what you said in your blog.

Robert Hudson said...

Way to continue to represent your profession, DUDE.

Tamera, R. EEG T said...

As a formally trained and registered EEG tech for 15 years, I have a couple comments here.. First, I agree the glue is harsh and is a pain to remove. When I was in EEG school we had to practice on each other every day, so yes I do know first hand what it's like. That being said, I have ALWAYS spent extra time removing it from my patients head to make it easier on them at home. Second, unfortunately by virtue of the way EEG works, if the electrodes are not placed on the head properly and do not STAY in place during the test, the test is a big waste of time. I sympathize with the fact that it does take some effort, time and patience to completely remove.. but think about how pissed you would be if your doctor told you the WHOLE test was worthless because the electrodes came unattached?? Lastly, I currently have my own business performing ambulatory EEG's and DO NOT use the glue. I use a different adhesive which starts out soft and hardens over 2-3 hours with gauze wrapped around the head. The patient must be cooperative and not touch their head during that time. This adhesive comes off with WATER!! See, some techs do care :)

Anonymous said...

I just had a sleep study and used my tried and true remedy for adhesive removal, Crisco shortening, I rubbed it into the glue, let it set for an hour or two while I played video games, went and washed my hair, and out it all came!

Doctor Ernst said...

Just finished a 72 hr EEG this morning. Followed the written instructions for glue removal with about 50% of the glue removed after scrapped, peeled, or ripped out by the roots. Remainder is hard as finger nail polish now, and matted in clumps. Already bald on top and this stuff is not helpful in that regard. There should be a hard rule that the only adhesive allowed for these long term EEGs is the kind that sets up in a few hours and washes out with water. Is compassion for the patient even a requirement at med school?

Cynthia said...

My Daughter has a Huge head of Curls..Massive LONG rings of curls..She had to have the study done as well, Trying to get that glue out of her hair, we tried just about everything..Then I ran across this post on another website about a hairdresser that came up with a solution! I had to triple the recipe, but it did work..She said to, dissolve 4-5 aspirin in a cup of hot water, add 2 good size squirts of shampoo, add 4 tbsp of witch hazel, or sea breeze (either will work) mix, then massage into the scalp and hair leave on for 15-20 min, then comb through the hair. Rinse and shampoo.. All gone! Good luck with your daughter, Hope all is well..

Rain said...

I see this was years ago, but I just got an EEG at Bronson in Kalamazoo. I went in with very nice hair (that goes halfway down my back). The woman who worked on my hair used copious amounts of some sort of foul smelling liquid on my hair (spraying it) and gluing the electrodes to my scalp (and quickly drying it with some sort of machine). She *then* glued small patches of gauze to my hair (gluing hair to hair and guaze). It felt like bird feathers when she was done. I wasn't worried in spite of how odd things were at the time, because I'd had two EEGs at the U of M, and neither had damaged my hair. A day later (it was a 24 hour EEG) I went back in. A different woman took the electrodes off only (and with nail polish remover), and removed *none* of the glue. She told me to soak my head in conditioner and it'd come out. My hair still felt exactly the same and I even still had a few pieces of gauze stuck in my hair. When I got home, a several day nightmare started. I spent hours (and a lot of money) on hair products and olive oil and mineral oil and omg everything to get it out, and in desperation even did the My hair now looks like Garth from Waynes world. It's very broken and I will have to wear scarves for a long time to grow the hair out long enough to cut. It's awful. The worst part is knowing the EEGs don't ever turn out any useful information. The second worst part is knowing if they used proper techniques and hadn't cut corners with products, this wouldn't have happened. I very much recommend to anyone going to such a shoddy hospital (or whose child is) to please purchase Medical Adhesive Remover by Mavidon *before going in*. This whole experience has left me *very angry* toward Bronson (and any hospital who treats people so badly). Best wishes to anyone else who runs across this article. Just remember, even if it takes years, hair will grow back. Mine's going to take about 5 years to get back to the length it was when they damaged it. In the meantime, the damage is bad enough I haven't been able to pull it back in a ponytail or french braid. It took days to get the glue out (and I spent *hours* each day), and I lost large chunks of hair with 1/4 inch globs of glue stuck to it (no joke). Broken pieces of hair were coming off each day (little short inch long sections). I wish I'd have purchased the Mavidon ahead of time, but I never saw this coming. I believe the U of M used the Mavidon. Unlike Kalamazoo, I never saw damage when I went to them.

Anonymous said...

I had a 48-hour eeg a few years ago. Mayonnaise and a really long bath eventually got the glue out.
Ruby Coleman

Unknown said...

Great idea, the only problem is this glue is stick to the scalp, not only to the hair 😔 I'm worried wd 40 would cause a horrendous allergic reaction, especially on kids. My 7y old daughter just finish her 7 days video telemetry. Her scalp covered with hard pieces of glue. I'm trying to find a solution, might try wd 40 as well...