See An Epileptologist

I have heard this story too many times: someone has seizures- they go to a family physician- they are misdiagnosed or placed on the wrong drug- they have uncontrolled seizures for years- they don't realize they might be able to optimize their diagnosis and treatment.

The Mechanic Allegory
You get in your car one day to head to work. Upon shifting into reverse you hear a horrific *CLANK*. Being the clever person you are, you have figured out that your car's transmission has just died. So, you need to get your car fixed. You have 3 options: 1) Take your car to the general mechanic around the corner. He doesn't know much about transmissions, but he might get it fixed without too much trouble. 2) Take your car to the "drive-train" specialists down the street. She is a step-up from the general mechanic in terms of expertise, but the drive-train involves many different pieces and you're not sure how much she knows about the transmission itself. 3) Take your car to the transmission specialist across town. They know the most about transmissions and are likely to do the best job.

All other things being equal, who do you go see?

Correct- you go see an epileptologist! (my attempt at a joke)

What is an Epileptologist?
Generally speaking, an epileptologist is someone who specializes in the study of epilepsy. For the purposes of this post, we'll say that it's a neurologist that specializes in epilepsy diagnosis and treatment.

Where are all the Epileptologists?
Unfortunately, my knowledge is fairly limited to the US and Canada. If anyone has links to a list of epileptologists/epilepsy clinics in other countries, please post them below. Here are a few links to places you can find epileptologists.

Canada

United Kingdom

United States*

*The U.S.A. has comprehensive epilepsy care clinics. These are "1-stop" centers that have their own epileptologists, neurosurgeons, nurses, EEG technicians, brain imaging technicians, neuropsychologists/ psychiatrists, dietitians with all their corresponding equipment. Canada is currently exploring the idea of developing epilepsy centres. The closest thing Canada currently has to comprehensive epilepsy centres are The Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, ON), Toronto Western Hospital (Toronto, ON) and London Health Sciences Centre (London, ON).

Take Home Message
If you, or someone you know, has uncontrolled epilepsy and have not seen an epileptologist- then try to see one.

Merry Christmas everyone!
Please feel free to comment, post questions or leave me some ideas for future posts.
Kirk.