Dr. Janet Choi, MD

She forbade me to drive for six months if I missed even a single pill -- whether or not I had a seizure. She recorded the exact date I missed it, and counted down six months on her calendar until she said I could drive again. She always said she was reporting it to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Bottom line: I did not drive for most of three years. Last year, the National Epilepsy Foundation had its first patient education conference, where I learned this is out of line with standard practice, which allows driving 48 hours after missing a pill. (If you have an actual seizure, then yes, the rule is six months.) I also learned that reporting to DMV is not required. ( I'm pretty sure there's not even a mechanism for doing this.) I also learned how mild my symptoms are compared to others at the conference. So now I am re-evaluating with another provider.

Doesn't return calls or messages for weeks/months and mostly doesn't return them at all. You are on your own to manage your epilepsy.

Unresponsive to inquiries Took 4+weeks to read EEG

She spent close to an hour with my Mom and we related all of her symptoms, such as dizziness, vertigo, leg weakness, difficulty walking and hallucinations. Her advice was for my Mom to drink more water. (????) Never even brought up the possibility of Parkinson's. And this Doctor claims to be a neurologist? Felt it was a total waste of time.

Dr. Choi was nice, but seemed disinterested in identifying the root of the problem. When questioned about what we could do to find the problem and heal the root cause, she answered "I treat symptoms." She feels like a very typical "mask the problem with drugs" kind of doctor, rather than being interested in finding the issue and helping you recover. She also never responds to any messages you might need to send her in the online portal.

I see 16 specialists, Dr. Choi being one of them. She is extremely calm and rational. She takes her time and makes sure my treatment is truly a treatment I am comfortable with. Dr. Choi is prompt with responding to emails and has no problem consulting with my other specialists. I have complex diagnoses that don't respond to traditional treatments- she is not afraid to think outside the box and not afraid to say if she isn't sure. That, to me, speaks volumes.

Out of all of the neurologists I've seen, Dr. Choi seems to be the least empathetic to my condition and defers responsibilities to other physicians.