Epilepsy and Surgery

[kiril89]

I'm not sure where this question goes, but seeing as that I'm pre-college I'll put it here. So, several years ago my younger brother started having seizures, grand-mal seizures. After his first one, no one thought anything of it, but then he started to have them frequently; now, he is on anti-epileptic medication and sees a neurologist on a regular basis. It has been several years since my brother last had a seizure, but he's still on the medication. His neurologist and him both agree that it's under control. My brother wants to be a doctor, one that has a specialized, surgical background, but my mother thinks that the medical board or whatever won't allow him to operate because of the chance that he might have s seizure during operation.
Is there any doctor that works in surgery and is epileptic? Or does anyone know if he'll be able to work in surgery?

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[OddNath]

I'm not sure where this question goes, but seeing as that I'm pre-college I'll put it here. So, several years ago my younger brother started having seizures, grand-mal seizures. After his first one, no one thought anything of it, but then he started to have them frequently; now, he is on anti-epileptic medication and sees a neurologist on a regular basis. It has been several years since my brother last had a seizure, but he's still on the medication. His neurologist and him both agree that it's under control. My brother wants to be a doctor, one that has a specialized, surgical background, but my mother thinks that the medical board or whatever won't allow him to operate because of the chance that he might have s seizure during operation.
Is there any doctor that works in surgery and is epileptic? Or does anyone know if he'll be able to work in surgery?

From what I understand, there is no physical or disclosure of medical records required when applying for residencies (surgical or otherwise). If he's well controlled, it shouldn't be an issue.

However, sleepless nights (on call) can lower the seizure threshold and make seizures more likely for some people. If this turns out to be a problem for him, then any call-heavy specialty (you know, most of them are during residency except for maybe pathology) could be problematic.

Also, your little brother isn't even close to starting college yet, and will need to see how his interests grow, how well he does in college, how much he enjoys shadowing, etc. It's a bit premature to be so set on one particular medical specialty (most medical students change their mind at least once).

 

[Depakote]

From what I understand, there is no physical or disclosure of medical records required when applying for residencies (surgical or otherwise). If he's well controlled, it shouldn't be an issue.

However, sleepless nights (on call) can lower the seizure threshold and make seizures more likely for some people. If this turns out to be a problem for him, then any call-heavy specialty (you know, most of them are during residency except for maybe pathology) could be problematic.

Also, your little brother isn't even close to starting college yet, and will need to see how his interests grow, how well he does in college, how much he enjoys shadowing, etc. It's a bit premature to be so set on one particular medical specialty (most medical students change their mind at least once).

I wouldn't avoid pursuing medicine simply due to the above medical condition.

Students change their career decisions frequently. If he does wind up in medicine, the chances are good that he'll alternate between a few specialty choices before settling on the one he likes (which may be something that has no relation to surgery).

 

[Shinobiz11]

As long as he takes his medication he should be fine.

My sister had an AVM (arterial-venule malformation) in her brain and had one seizure, but she had it surgically closed and now she is fine.

 

[Winged Scapula]

There are no generalizable restrictions to becoming a surgeon just because one is epileptic. The medical board has no jurisdiction in deciding what specialty someone trains in.

All residency programs will ask, as will licensing bureaus, if there are any medical problems which will interfere with the practice of medicine. Most medical schools will inquire about this as well. How detailed the question is and how much the relevant program, licensing bureau, school looks into it, is HIGHLY variable.

As noted above, having a seizure disorder should not preclude your brother from going into medicine. He may find that he will not enjoy surgery at all (the vast majority of pre-meds who say they're going to be surgeons, never get anywhere near that) or that the call, long hours exacerbates his epilepsy. All you call tell Mom is that he should pursue his dreams of becoming a physician and that as long as his epilepsy is well controlled, he should not be refused any residency of his choice, even surgery.