This happened to me. I begged my doctors for help for years and told them I was terrified to drive my car because I had all these really obvious symptoms of seizures. They diagnosed me with anxiety and attention seeking. No one would even test me. One doctor wanted to put me on a forced psych hold. They wrote notes without any kind of evaluation that it was likely PNES.

I gave traditional Chinese herbal medicine a try out of desperation and I went into remission in about two weeks. Been seizure free ever since.

The pharmacology of what they use to treat seizures is fascinating. For example, scorpion venom is being studied by pharmaceutical companies because it is full of anti epileptic peptides.

When I finally found someone willing to give me an EEG, I stayed up all night the night before (no one told me to do this) because it lowers my threshold for a seizure, and the EEG lit up like a Christmas tree. I did it for my own closure. I will never trust another doctor after those experiences. I’d wake up with blood all over my pillow, bite marks all over my tongue, postictal aphasia and confusion. There were times I had fallen and cracked my head.

It’s impossible for me to receive any kind of meaningful medical care, because of all of the incorrect, disparaging and straight up character assassination doctors wrote in my chart. For asking for medical help. For a life destroying medical problem.

It’s awful. I’m sorry.

She may find some relief in seeking out alternative care while you have to fight the system.

Women and minorities are always written off when it comes to getting care.