We continue to be committed to providing a safe and healthy experience for all of our patients and staff. To ensure this, we will be asking all patients to wear a face-covering to their in-office appointments. We have also implemented increased safety precautions to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

If you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, please call our office at (651) 241-5290 to cancel your appointment or reschedule your Telemedicine visit.

The post COVID-19 Update appeared first on Minnesota Epilepsy Group.

During the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we have implemented a screening process to help combat the spread of the virus.

At the time of check-in, you and those accompanying will be asked if you have a fever, cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat. If you or those accompanying you have any of the symptoms listed, we will reschedule your appointment for a TeleMedicine visit or an in-clinic visit at a later date. We will make every effort to get you seen at the earliest feasible date. For more information about our TeleMedicine appointments, please follow this link: TeleMedicine Visit Guide

The post TeleMedicine Visits & Coronavirus (COVID-19) appeared first on Minnesota Epilepsy Group.

Fast forward to June of the same year.  We were coming home from Bemidji…and I felt off the whole ride.  I just thought I was getting sick or carsick or something.  I’d later realize I was experiencing an aura.  That night after we got home, I experienced my second seizure…again a grand mal. I learned afterwards that it was one of the scariest things my parents and brother had ever experienced. Again, the passing out and ambulance ride and sheer confusion followed. It was recommended that I visit with a neurologist.

Enter Minnesota Epilepsy Group.  I remember my first EEG…I hated it.  And I hated my second too. But I also remember meeting Dr. Jason Doescher, I was impressed by how congenial he was.  How he could take all these hard to understand concepts and help explain them to a scared 15-year-old. And how he could tell me that everything will be okay.  I had epilepsy…and that came with a lot of rules and restrictions, but it was okay.  For someone who was learning how to drive, it didn’t seem okay when I learned I couldn’t do that for a while;  for someone who loved being on the swim team, it was hard to hear that swimming was probably the most dangerous sport I could compete in; for someone who was on the football team, but secretly hoped this would be my ticket off the football team, it was hard to hear that football was probably the safest sport I could compete in…but Dr. Doescher made it all okay.  And we went a few years, and everything was okay.

A few years later, we’d try to take me off my meds…and it didn’t work, so there goes the driver’s license…my senior year of high school no less…but I got right back on the meds and everything was okay.  But as I got older, I didn’t need a pediatric neurologist anymore…it was time to start seeing an adult neurologist.  I had to say goodbye to Dr. Doescher, who helped get me through the first three years of this journey.  But he was certain I’d get along with Dr. James White.  And get along we have! Except for the yearly requests to get my blood drawn…but we’re working on that!

College was hard for me; I’m not going to lie.  While it seemed like everyone else was out partying, I was afraid to do that due to the complications that might arise.  I was fortunate to find a few friends who weren’t into that scene and were cool about my epilepsy.  And it turns out when you can explain your situation to people, you know what, they aren’t going to pressure you into drinking like a fish, so by Junior year, I had a lot more friends at school than I ever thought I would.

And now at 28 years old, I consider myself fortunate.  My epilepsy was under control with the first medication we tried.  I haven’t had a seizure in 13 years. I haven’t had a close call in 10. I graduated college and made tons of friends.  I got a great job at a great company. I bought a house. I’ve been able to fulfil one of my lifelong dreams of being on the school board. I met a girl I love.  Epilepsy has gone from something that scared me to something I’ve learned to live with.  I’ve been lucky.  I see so many people out there who aren’t so lucky.  They struggle finding the right meds to control their seizures…or they can’t ever control their seizures.  I pray that someday everyone with epilepsy will find the right meds or some solution to their problem.  I pray that those in our community won’t live in fear of another seizure. I pray that everyone can be as lucky as I have been. I’m thankful for Dr. Doescher and Dr. White, for all the nurses and technicians, and staff at Minnesota Epilepsy Group.  I know I don’t speak on behalf of all your patients, but the work you all do is amazing, and you’re always there to help us out.

The post Jake’s Story appeared first on Minnesota Epilepsy Group.

Dr. Penovich has been an integral part of MEG for the last 27 years and we are beyond grateful for her guidance, leadership, and dedication towards care of patients with epilepsy. In her illustrious career to-date, she has made a huge impact on care of women with epilepsy of childbearing age. She has also contributed to and co-authored multiple reports from the landmark studies (NEAD and MONEAD) on the developmental outcomes of children with in-utero exposure to anti-seizure medications and the effects of medications and seizures on pregnancy. These studies have made a paradigm shift in the field of epilepsy. As a neurologist with training in pharmacology, she was one of the principal investigators in most of the clinical trials that produced the new anti-seizure medications since 1984. She has been a prolific speaker on epilepsy and related topics at both local and national levels and presented clinical research nationally and internationally. She has been active with the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota on the Board and more recently on the Professional Advisory Board. She has been actively involved in the education of epilepsy among trainee physicians and leads the Neurology Resident Scholar Program. Dr. Penovich has been a vocal patient advocate and worked closely with national societies and patient groups in turning the spotlight on how epilepsy and the stigma attached to the diagnosis affects patient and their family’s lives.

In the next phase of her career, she plans to focus further on education and training for the next generation of neurologists and epilepsy specialists as well as contributing to advocacy efforts and guideline development. Thank you Dr. Penovich for your commitment to our patients, our mission, and to the field of epilepsy. You serve as the guiding light for all of us.

The post Dr. Penovich Retires appeared first on Minnesota Epilepsy Group.

Right before my senior year in high school, July 1996, I had a grand mal seizure. I was at my older brother’s for the week and my brother did not know about the funny feelings I had been having for years. The ER doctor didn’t have this history and he said I must have fainted and bumped my head which caused the seizure. Back at home following up, my primary doctor didn’t seem too concerned about this either. They did order the EEG and MRI testing as recommended by the ER doctor. My mom didn’t push to get the results even though I asked her about it all the time. I was at the Perpich Center for Arts Education for my senior year in high school. After the grand mal seizure I still got the funny feelings and they seemed to be more frequent. I started working with the Health and Wellness Counselor at school and with her help I was able to see a doctor, finally find out the results of the EEG and start a medication. Six months after the grand mal and years of having auras I was diagnosed with epilepsy and started a new journey to find the best treatment.

Through college and years after college I worked with my doctors to find the best treatment. I think I was on just about every medication possible and dealt with numerous side effects. Around 2004, the neurologist I was seeing mentioned that surgery could be an option. They were not ready to look at that yet, but he wanted to let me know about that option so I could be prepared if it did come to that. At that point there were still medications to try. In 2006 I had to change clinics due to insurance changes. The new doctor I was with for a year didn’t seem to get what I was dealing with. Her goal of 0 zero seizures was great but it came at the expense of overmedicating me. In the year that I was with this doctor the seizures were not stable since she kept changing my medications. Through this experience I learned that it is best to stay with a medication treatment long enough to give it time to work. Changing to a new medication each month does not give enough time to see if it will help you. It wasn’t really a new medication each month, but it felt like it since I was having the small particle seizures all the time. Also the doctor you are with needs to understand your type of seizures. My options were to be over medicated to achieve 0 seizures a month or realize that I may have a few break through seizures with the goal of keeping them small.

In 2007 I started seeing a doctor at Minnesota Epilepsy Group. I was glad to find a doctor that seemed to understand what I was dealing with. The summer of 2011 the number of seizures 1 increased. They were still small particle non loss of consciousness, but I was having 1-2 a week instead of 1-3 a month. When I saw my doctor in August I could tell she was frustrated. Things were not changing enough to warrant more testing, but something was going on. In September 2011, I had another grand mal seizure. That was the prompting we needed to get me in for more testing. In October 2011 I was in the hospital for intensive video EEG testing. A seizure was finally recorded on EEG, up to that point I had never had an actual seizure recorded. The week in the hospital recorded enough testing to show that surgery could be an option. My case was reviewed by the group that reviews surgery candidates and I was approved to have surgery. In January 2012 I had a Right Temporal Lobe Resection, meaning the trigger spot was cut out.

Since then I have been seizure free and able to lower my medications. I had been on really high doses of two medications and I have been able to eliminate one all together and lower the other one.

Encouragement to others – realize it can take time to be diagnosed as well as find the right treatment. Don’t give up after trying one medication, realize that it may take trying a number of types to find the right treatment. Be sure to honestly communicate with your doctor on what is going on. They can’t help you to the best of their ability if you do not speak up and tell them what is going on. If the medication has weird side effects tell the doctor. You can work together to find the best treatment for your case.

The post Mary’s Story appeared first on Minnesota Epilepsy Group.

The Minnesota Epilepsy Group, PA congratulates Dr. Agarwal for being recognized as Top Doctor Rising Star for the third consecutive year.
Minnesota Epilepsy Group (MEG) is one of the nation’s largest and most inclusive, NAEC level IV epilepsy centers, providing, state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment options for individuals of all ages, from infants to older adults. “Our focus is not only to treat seizures with the cutting-edge technology and medications at our disposal, but to understand its far reaching effects on patients life and support them throughout their journey,” says Dr. Agarwal.
In addition to providing various new surgical and neuromodulation options for severe epilepsies across the ages, MEG continues to provide personalized education, counseling, and the opportunity to participate in clinical research trials to our patients. Our dedicated and committed team of epilepsy board certified adult and pediatric neurologists, nurses, neuropsychologist, psychologists, and social workers, all with specialized expertise in the field of epilepsy continue to put our patients first while keeping MEG at the forefront of epilepsy care in the country.

The post Dr. Agarwal – Rising Star 2019 appeared first on Minnesota Epilepsy Group.

There are many different types of genetic tests available to doctors treating epilepsy. Some of them are easy, low-cost tests that are less likely to find the cause of seizures. Some are much more expensive but are much more likely to get answers. When doing genetic tests, most epilepsy doctors start with the lower-cost tests first. If these do not find an answer, they often will order more expensive tests until an answer is found. We do not know if this is the best approach.

READ MORE

https://n.neurology.org/content/92/5/e523

The post Genetic testing – Do doctors have it backward? appeared first on Minnesota Epilepsy Group.

Using SEEG (Stereoencephalography) technology, Dr. Agarwal and the surgical team at Children’s Hospital of MN were able to locate where the seizures were coming from in Nicole’s brain. After her SEEG,  Nicole had surgery and has been seizure free while slowly weaning off some of her medicines.

“At her last appointment she was brighter and more engaged,” said Dr. Agarwal. “She’ll continue to see improvement as medications are  decreased over the coming year or so.”

In partnership with Children’s Hospital of MN, Minnesota Epilepsy Group is the only Level 4 Epilepsy Center in the state using SEEG and ROSA robot technology.

Read the full story here

The post New diagnostic technology makes seizure-ending surgery possible appeared first on Minnesota Epilepsy Group.

Epilepsy can affect anyone. In the US approximately 3.4 million people have epilepsy and 1 in 10 people will have a seizure in their lifetime. Join us and the Epilepsy Foundation to raise awareness about epilepsy this month!

onein26.org

endepilepsy.org

The post November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month appeared first on Minnesota Epilepsy Group.

We’ll cover:

• Types of surgical options
• Benefits and risks of each surgery
• How to get started with the patient evaluation process
• Your questions

Class is led by Jim White, MD from Minnesota Epilepsy Group and Abbott Northwestern’s Neuroscience Institute.

When: Thursday, October 18, 2018

Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Where: Abbott Northwestern – WestHealth
Plymouth Conference Room
2805 Campus Drive
Plymouth, MN 55441

Cost: FREE

Register: Call Ethan at 612-863-1406

Brochure

The post New Surgical Options for Seizures – Epilepsy Education Class – Thursday, October 18, 2018 appeared first on Minnesota Epilepsy Group.