@A MyEpilepsyTeam Member, I've had it a long time from the worse to hardly have seizures any longer. Went through hard times but never hesitated to go to a different Dr. if didn't feel was being helped as much as should.
Never hesitate to do the same. Some are out there whom do better than others.

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A MyEpile...

I have had epilepsy since I was 12. I've been on every med there is. I had VNS for a couple of years. But, it didn't help. I was in the DBS study for epilepsy. It is helping some. But, I'm still having 7 or 8 focal seizures a month. They don't know, what to do? But, my epilepsy could be a lot worse.

Years ago when had been in the accident,had been to a Dr. who saw me during that time. Had referred my seizures as anxiety attacks.

In 2018 I fell off my guitar stool during 2 bar gigs on two different occasions, in front of a LOT of people and didn't know why, or even remembered what happened. I should mention that this particular bar owner always made sure I had a bottomless glass of Jack and Coke next to me, and I blamed that. I found later that alcohol is indeed a trigger. After that second gig I was unusually spent afterward, then later at home, I had apparently tried to get up out of bed during another seizure, and I hit everything on the way to the floor, nightstand, dresser, and the bed frame. I got an ambulance ride to ER and got my diagnosis. My seizures are "impaired awareness", and that second night I had a cluster of them, not becoming aware until morning. I had classic focal awares for some years (I didn't know the "spells with smells" were seizures) before they progressed, but these were different. Not only do I have no warning, no aura like the focal awares, but for me I have no memory of them, as if they never happened, except for witness accounts, a bitten tongue, chipped tooth, bruises all over me, and such. I'm so confused coming out of a seizure, I want to get back up and fight as if I have been punched in a barfight, knocked out and just coming to, because post-ictally, that's exactly what it feels like for me. The Dr. didn't like that behavior, and aggressively started shouting in my face about my trash-talk verbal response and rage. How could a neurosurgeon not recognize post-ictal behavior? I thought I was in the middle of a barfight forgodsake. Had I not been restrained to the bed I'd have hurt him, and regardless of having spent time practicing full-contact martial arts, I'm more than capable but that's not me at all, I'm a gentle soul. I just thought I got punched in the face and was waking up in time to continue fighting. Normally, with a single short seizure, I just zone out, drop my arms, smack my lips, unaware, but that particular cluster was over the top.