Well I met my new neurologist today, finally!
And I already like him better than my old one.
First, instead of staring at a computer screen for the entire appointment like most doctors do (including my old neuro), he asked me to tell him my story, and he faced me and took notes and asked a lot of questions about my experience. This is completely different from my old neuro. Dr K asked more questions in this one appointment than my old neuro did in three years.
I told him that I want off of the Keppra because it makes me exhausted and depressed, but that I'm happy with the Topamax. He said no problem. He said we will try one called Vimpat. It's a relatively new one on the market but does not have the mood side effects like the other ones I've been on in the past, and I also shouldn't have the big physical reactions as well. He said most likely I will just get some dizziness in the beginning but that will go away. The other big thing with this med is that it's expensive but he's going to put in the paperwork to get it covered under Fair Pharmacare for me since I qualify for that, having already tried four other meds and failed. So I can't start it right away, until that is cleared (it will be a few days to get that processed, apparently).
He is also going to send me for more testing. He wants me to do a sleep-deprived EEG. My previous EEG was just the short, regular one. This one will be sleep-deprived (meaning I have to stay up all night the night before). He's also going to send me for another MRI, but with a more powerful machine than the one I had before at the Lionsgate Hospital; this one can pick up stuff that the other one might have missed. So if there are anomalies or scar tissue or whatever in my brain that was too small for the other MRI, this one could catch it. I'll be on a wait list for those tests so they may be a few months.
Now for the bad news. He told me that every time I change my meds, I have to stop driving for three months. I didn't believe this because no other doctor has ever told me this, and I've had several different doctors change my meds (not just my old neuro, but hospital neurologists as well--none of them ever told me to stop driving each time!). He said it's the law, and actually showed me the page on the BC provincial website. So why is this the first time I've heard this??
Of course that's not what I want to hear... but I want off the Keppra more than I want/need to drive, so I'll go with it. Also I'm not working right now so it's not the end of the world. I can go back to transit/foot for awhile.
In any case, I'm not starting the new med until the Fair Pharmacare thing gets processed, so in the meantime I'll stock up on groceries and any other running around I need to do. :P
