About a year ago, after working a night shift, Adrian was unable to sleep and decided to take his dogs for a walk before going to bed. When he woke up, he was tired and sore all over. Five days later, he became suddenly dizzy and nauseated and could feel his head involuntarily tilting to the right as his eye began to twitch. The next thing he knew he was waking up with bites on his lips and inside his cheeks and a broken glass on the ground. Three days after that, a friend watched helplessly as Adrian’s speech became slurred and he became unresponsive as he again lapsed into a seizure.

With a brain MRI, three EEGs and other testing all coming out “unremarkable” Adrian was diagnosed with complex partial seizures and started on medication. About two months after the initial episodes, his medication was giving him unpleasant side effects and, as he had not had any further episodes, he stopped taking it. Yet what had happened remained a mystery to him and he felt increasingly unsure if he was doing the right thing.

“I didn't know anything about Best Doctors until I spoke to colleague at work about it. I then made sure it was a part of my health insurance policy and gave them a call. Right from the start, they were brilliant."

“When you speak to Best Doctors, you really get the impression that they are just genuinely nice people. My Case Manager and Case Nurse were absolutely wonderful."

Best Doctors consulted a leading epilepsy specialist to review the case. Reviewing Adrian’s detailed history, she confirmed his diagnosis yet felt that it was important to rule out other causes, such as infection or trauma.

 

With this in mind, she urged Adrian to re-examine the circumstances leading up to his seizures, as well as any family history that might be significant, providing him with indications on what he should be looking out for. The expert also suggested explanations as to why he seemed to be fine off medication and why his MRI had been normal, as well as more information about the nature of the condition, its trigger factors and the likelihood of recurrence.

“The Best Doctors report was easy to read and not full of big words or medical terms that no one understands. I also liked that they sent the images of my brain MRI scan to the expert"

The expert recommended that Adrian undergo a 48 hour ambulatory EEG, screening for sleep apnoea and, if the latter was present, a polysomnogram (PSG). As for treatment, Adrian could remain off medication provided that he was aware of the risks, which the expert carefully explained. Finally, Adrian was provided with advice on episodes, symptoms and testing results that he needed to watch for in future, at the same time as he was encouraged to work closely with a local treating team with experience in seizure management.

Adrian is now back on track and feeling better able to cope with his condition, crediting Best Doctors with giving him expert advice and support when he needed it most of all.

“It was such a stressful period in my life. Best Doctors did so much to make me feel relaxed and confident.."

 
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