Being a surgeon with epilepsy

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olilivia

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I have been diagnosed with epilepsy 8 years ago. I was on therapy for 5 years then I wasn't for 3 and now I'm back on therapy and using Keppra. I want to go to medical school and become a neurosurgeon. I am 18 and haven't had any seizures for 8 years. I am also photosensitive and I only had 4 seizures. Can I be a surgeon despite this disease?

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This will get bumped to pre-allo. Most likely a bad choice of specialty though. As a fellow epileptic, I can tell you the risk would be too great. A grand mal can leave you pretty incapable of doing much of anything for 24-48 hours if you are anything like me. As a neurosurgeon, you might be the only operating surgeon in a given area, or may be one of only two on call for a given hospital. If you have a seizure an someone comes in with a stroke and requires a crani STAT and you are either out due to a seizure, or you have a seizure, not only will that person probably die, but your career will very likely be over. That is if you even survived residency.

The other thing you need to keep in mind is that you may be a photosensetive epileptic, but as an epileptic, you have a lower seizure threshold than most. It might usually take some pretty powerful strobing to get you to drop, but if you're sleep deprived, your threshold will likely drop, and the hospital screen saver could end up sending you into a grand mal for all you know. Neurosurgery is the most grueling residency out there, very unforgiving of faults and failures, and unlikely to keep you on board if you had a seizure (or possibly even take you if you have epilepsy, as they might claim it is impossible to make reasonable accommodations for your condition). Be careful in choosing your specialty, for other lives can and will depend on you. You should pick a specialty in which a seizure and the resulting haze will not likely impact patient care, such as one with more physician coverage, less overnight/late call, etc. Good luck, and I feel your pain.
 
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Don't they hand out driver's licenses if you're seizure free for like one year? It sounds like you're lightyears ahead of the curve considering the risk of taking out one person in the OR vs dozens on the freeway combined with the 8 year streak you have going.
 
This will get bumped to pre-allo. Most likely a bad choice of specialty though. As a fellow epileptic, I can tell you the risk would be too great. A grand mal can leave you pretty incapable of doing much of anything for 24-48 hours if you are anything like me. As a neurosurgeon, you might be the only operating surgeon in a given area, or may be one of only two on call for a given hospital. If you have a seizure an someone comes in with a stroke and requires a crani STAT and you are either out due to a seizure, or you have a seizure, not only will that person probably die, but your career will very likely be over. That is if you even survived residency.

The other thing you need to keep in mind is that you may be a photosensetive epileptic, but as an epileptic, you have a lower seizure threshold than most. It might usually take some pretty powerful strobing to get you to drop, but if you're sleep deprived, your threshold will likely drop, and the hospital screen saver could end up sending you into a grand mal for all you know. Neurosurgery is the most grueling residency out there, very unforgiving of faults and failures, and unlikely to keep you on board if you had a seizure (or possibly even take you if you have epilepsy, as they might claim it is impossible to make reasonable accommodations for your condition). Be careful in choosing your specialty, for other lives can and will depend on you. You should pick a specialty in which a seizure and the resulting haze will not likely impact patient care, such as one with more physician coverage, less overnight/late call, etc. Good luck, and I feel your pain.
This will get bumped to pre-allo. Most likely a bad choice of specialty though. As a fellow epileptic, I can tell you the risk would be too great. A grand mal can leave you pretty incapable of doing much of anything for 24-48 hours if you are anything like me. As a neurosurgeon, you might be the only operating surgeon in a given area, or may be one of only two on call for a given hospital. If you have a seizure an someone comes in with a stroke and requires a crani STAT and you are either out due to a seizure, or you have a seizure, not only will that person probably die, but your career will very likely be over. That is if you even survived residency.

The other thing you need to keep in mind is that you may be a photosensetive epileptic, but as an epileptic, you have a lower seizure threshold than most. It might usually take some pretty powerful strobing to get you to drop, but if you're sleep deprived, your threshold will likely drop, and the hospital screen saver could end up sending you into a grand mal for all you know. Neurosurgery is the most grueling residency out there, very unforgiving of faults and failures, and unlikely to keep you on board if you had a seizure (or possibly even take you if you have epilepsy, as they might claim it is impossible to make reasonable accommodations for your condition). Be careful in choosing your specialty, for other lives can and will depend on you. You should pick a specialty in which a seizure and the resulting haze will not likely impact patient care, such as one with more physician coverage, less overnight/late call, etc. Good luck, and I feel your pain.


Is this applicable to nocturnal epilepsy as well? I only had two. One year has past since the last one. Senior in college
 
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