reminder email the day before her EEG and MRI appointment that restated the restrictive instructions and added a warning: Failure to comply would result in the appointment being rescheduled and a $50 same-day cancellation fee.
To avoid the penalty, Lewis emailed the facility with her concerns and attached photos.
“I got kind of worried, and I sent them pictures of my hair thinking that it would go well, and they would be, like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s fine. We see what you see,’” Lewis shares.
Soon after, she received a call from the facility and was told she would not be able to get the procedure done with her hair in the twists. After the call, Lewis posted a TikTok video detailing the conversation. She expressed her frustration and felt that the person on the phone was “close-minded.”
“As a Black woman, that is so exclusionary for coarse and thick hair. To literally have no product in your hair and show up with it loose, you’re not even reaching my scalp with that,” Lewis said in her video.
@sadenaima update: someone else from the medical center called me & suggested i show my hair to/talk with the technician so tbd i guess … It’s 2023, this makes no sense that the technology isn’t inclusive or that the practioners aren’t educated / prepared for diverse experiences. Not too much on the appearance 😂 #migraine #eeg #eegblackhair #blackhair #nyc #neurology #racialbiasinmedicine #racialbias #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound – Sadé Naima
The comments section on Lewis’ TikTok video is full of people sharing in her frustration and confusion or recounting similar experiences with EEG scheduling.
West 14 Street MedicalArts declined to comment for this article.
The New York medical center is not the only facility with similar EEG prep instructions. The Neurology Center, which has several locations in the Washington, D.C., area, provides EEG pretest instructions for patients reading, “Please remove any hair extensions or additions. Do not use hair treatment products such as hair spray, conditioners, or hair dressing, nor should you fix your hair in tight braids or corn rows.”
Marc Hanna, the neurophysiology supervisor at the center’s White Oak location in Silver Spring, Maryland, has more than 30 years of experience performing EEGs. He oversees 10-12 EEG technicians at the facility.
Hanna says the hair rules are meant to help a technician get an accurate reading from the test. “The electrodes need to