Your Patient Journey
One out of every 100 people experiences epilepsy. Two-thirds of these patients experience relief through medication alone, while the remaining one-third require treatments that may include surgery.
Although general neurologists and even primary care physicians can effectively manage many cases of epilepsy, patients with complex cases — particularly refractory (drug-resistant) epilepsy — or individuals considering surgery can benefit from consulting an epileptologist. An epileptologist is a neurologist who has extensive training in diagnosing and managing epilepsy, and optimizing drug treatment plans.
UC Davis epileptologists and neurosurgeons with expertise in epilepsy care collaborate to offer the latest surgical treatment options, including minimally invasive procedures such as laser ablation, robotic-assisted surgery, and neuromodulation.
Your Patient Navigator
The Comprehensive Epilepsy Program is among the UC Davis Health clinics that have launched an Integrated Service Line. That means epilepsy and seizure disorder patients like you, have access to a patient navigator who will be available to guide you and answer questions about the various diagnostic and treatment processes that you may encounter.
Right after you schedule an appointment with the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, our patient navigator will be available to help make sure that you have all the appropriate records, tests and lab results you’ll need before your appointment. That will help avoid delays and enable your doctor to make more timely decisions about any tests that you may need.
You can ask our patient navigator to check into your insurance eligibility, help verify authorization from your medical insurer, and help coordinate scheduling of any tests and appointments with clinicians. The navigator will remain available throughout your journey as you and your clinical team pursue solutions for your seizures and other symptoms. The navigator also helps coordinate various procedures for patients who enroll in clinical trials.
Your Comprehensive Epilepsy Program patient navigator will be available to answer your questions and guide you throughout your journey, the ultimate goal of which is freedom from seizures.
Preparing to visit the UC Davis Comprehensive Epilepsy Center
When you schedule an appointment with the UC Davis Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, you will recieve a thorough and holistic evaluation by one of our specialized team members.
Your epileptologist will start by exploring your detailed medical history, paying particular attention to your seizure experiences, potential triggers and overall health. Your evaluation likely will include diagnostic tests, such as an EEG or imaging studies. During the appointment, you’ll be asked to describe your seizures to the best of your ability.
We encourage prospective patients to keep a seizure diary documenting:
- dates and times when your seizures took place
- what you were doing before the seizures occurred
- any warning symptoms beforehand
- any triggers you suspect or have identified (such as food, alcohol or insufficient sleep)
- what the seizure looked like
- seizure length
- how you felt afterward
- your recovery time
What happens next?
After evaluating your test results and making a diagnosis, your epileptologist will meet with the full multidisciplinary team at the UC Davis Comprehensive Epilepsy Program to discuss all aspects of your wellness goals, diagnosis and potential treatment options, which can encompass lifestyle modifications, medications and possibly corrective surgery or implanted brain stimulation devices. The team will develop a personalized long-term monitoring, support and management plan for you.
Once your epileptologist has collaborated with the full team to create the best plan for you, they will meet with you again. At this appointment, the epileptologist will review proper medication management instructions with you, including how and when to take it, dosage, and potential side effects. They will provide information about any surgical treatments that may be right for you. Your epileptologist also may give you educational materials, and perhaps recommend community resources.
If your treatment plan includes the possibility of surgery
This plan may include exploration of surgical treatment. To operate effectively and safely, doctors must determine both the specific kind of seizure a patient experiences and where it originates in the brain.
This medical detective work is completed when the patient stays for several days and up to a week in an epilepsy monitoring unit.