it is a little of both... but mostly the drs. most patience don't get the hole story.... so it is hard to find the drs symytoms. but the patience did not know. on the flip side, some drs just are too busy or about to retired or something so thay quick resaults. that and i don't know all the 40+ epilepsy types... drs do. that is why i say research, trust your gut feeling, and trust a trusted dr.

Just take your medicine, go to sleep on time , no smoking at all , eat health, exercise and trust you won’t have anymore seizures also believe and pray in God for this disorder watch what will happen.

I’m glad you started doing your research to stay on track with your health because we are our best advocates, it’s just a matter of having physicians inquire about what we experience and hearing about our symptoms. If they don’t know the answers stop acting as if the symptoms are not real. From the beginning of this epilepsy journey I was never told about auras, memory issues or just feeling so exhausted due to side effects of medication. So unfortunately my faith in the medical field has been disappointing to me, which is why I still rely on my religious faith to get me through it all😉

As I said before, I was raised to question everything.
Even as I worked in Lab Medicine for 10 yrs, there were many issues, from false positives, drug misdosages,

I had high expectations as my mom started knew my 1st doc, why question Mom?. After each neurologist that I move on from they all have the same answer "They were proud that they kept you under control", At which asked them "At what cost", as I found out later there were issues caused by the treatments / medications I had taken that have changed my life forever, It's not the life I wanted, but go figure. I wanted a loving wife, maybe 4 kids, a nice job w/ a company that I could retire from, etc. you all know can relate, and YES, there are a great many extremely hard struggles even for those who have that. (So NO, this is not a pity party, as I call it). All of these things require work, we do not deserve to have them given us, as is the case so many today believe.
Yes, if you go to a MD you expect to get quality care.

But I have to be thankful for the life that God has given me.

I am thankful these struggles have brought me closer to Him. Yes there are those times I scream out "Why God", but I know the what the answer will be, I refer God's response to Job when he asked "Why God" (Job 38-42), or simply want to runaway from Him, but I can truthfully say He has walked w/ me. When you're in the midst of these struggles , especially dealing w/ crappy MD's very few benefits of those times, if nothing more than to be vigilant, question them & look for better medical care. I know all of you have been there.

Yes my GP's were great, they made mistakes, & we got past them. My Neurologists were great for "the most part", but over the years I have learned to question their every move, especially over the last 10 - 15 yrs.
And there are also those MD's I wouldn't trust w/ a "Q-Tip"
The ER doc who, after a major accident claimed to be an epileptologist & insisted she knew what she was doing force feeding me Keppra IV, despite allergic reactions. Luckily I regained some conscientiousness, was able to get an attending MD, to intervene & saved the day. She obviously didn't know of the interaction of high power pain killers & many drugs, that the pain killers can reduce efficacy / absorption of many medications. Eventually an I just pray she didn't kill someone else. That is one such incompetent MD that passed through the cracks often bc of relaxed standards of medical education or simple stupidity.
This is a slightly different take on what you're asking.

@A MyEpilepsyTeam Member I believe we all start out w/ high expectations to some degree, they have their MD, correct? Not so fast, epilepsy, neurology, medicine in general, & yes, medical insurance especially medicare & medicaid have changed a lot since I was diagnosed w/ a left temporal focus in 1968.
In 1996 medicare was paying 13 cents for every dollar charged, at least in the US, so many of the "good" MD's have dropped out of it and went private practice. Those MD's left spend less time w/ the patient, trying to find out what has changed in their life that may have caused an issue & relying more on what's on a screen, often overlooking for what's NOT on the screen & thus not getting the full picture. That screen only contains the tangible documentation of lab tests, & MD's notes. I could go on forever, but will stop here

Personally I don't trust the MD's in the ER's especially on weekends & after hours. In Missouri, It was & still is a practice to staff them with Med Residents (they have their MD, but are still in training) & an Attending Physician. The last time I was in the ER they diagnosed a fainting spell as a stroke & totally screwed up my insurance. My GP for the most part deals with the "tangible" (physical stuff) & my neurologist deals w/ the "intangible" (brain / neural) stuff. collaborating when need be.

Regarding the question of should you recall an incident that may have been the cause of your epilepsy:
Mine started when I was 5yo, do you think I'd be able to recall an incident? I just tell everyone it was bc my brothers pushed me down the stairs.
You may not relate an incident to the cause, why would that be your fault?
On the flip side, an MD (Neurologist) may not get the full picture possibly bc of what I stated earlier. I'd say that unless you walk into the hospital just after after an accident or someone whacked you upside the head (TBI) w/ a golf club 🏌️(very tangible), an MD will not be able to pinpoint the exact cause unless it is physiological if you are unaware.
Example (Senator Mitch McConnell, feel, had a concussion, then on TV froze up for 20 seconds. My 1st thought was it looked like an absence seizure, but that's a couch diagnosis )

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