@Wild Coyote and @Phoenix_1, thank you so much for sharing these stories. They may have had a sad beginning, but the endings make me feel happy.

Wild Coyote, I can't believe you had to endure 20 EEGs and then still have no result. I'll just hope that finally means you don't have TLE. Or if you do, I do hope your current medications help. That's all that really matters in the end. As you may recall from my story, my diagnosis was called "not definitive" by the epileptologist I went to. At least my "weird" symptoms, as I call them, disappeared. I don't say I never had simple partial seizures, but I don't assign that diagnosis to myself anymore. I just don't know. I'm just so happy those symptoms are gone. I still deal with bipolar disorder, though. That has been present my whole life, and is present in many of my family members'. Was there a relationship between the two? Heck, I don't know! All I know, is though I only had four EEGs, I understand the stress of multiple tests and doctors. I had multiple MRIs, the PET scan I mentioned, and just oodles and oodles of doctors appointments for various things. I refer to all of that as my "psychiatric and neurological avalanche" period. There sometimes comes a time when all of it is just so overwhelming. I understand when people want to stop (medications, doctors, tests, and therapy). I quit some, but have left the ones that keep me at least where I am now. My psychiatrist prescribes my Tegretol XR and beta blocker. Two meds that could have been also prescribed by two other doctors.

I agree that people should have full medical workups before being casually diagnosed with a serious disorder, with serious medications. I remember during my first psych hospitalization, I had a full physical, lots of blood tests, and a very long interview with the hospital psychiatrist. He was wonderful! Later down the line I started going to him privately. He was the one that initiated many other tests. Life has not been a bowl of cherries for me, but I haven't been hospitalized in almost 8 years, and have made very good progress over this time. Some may think it not enough, but I know where I've been. I've made good progress.