When you snap back in, are you aware that you've zoned out? Do you feel disoriented?

After my TBI I started to suffer absence seizures. I, as you say, would zone out. When I regained awareness of my surroundings, I'd be really flustered because it was like, for example, people seemed to have just appeared or disappeared out of thin air. The seizures never lasted long, and usually I was unaware.

I say usually unaware because, occasionally, I had a type of seizure where I knew what was going on around me, but I couldn't speak or move.

At first I thought I was going mad. I posted the symptoms here and Mark from Idaho suggested absence seizures. I mentioned it to my doctor, and sure enough, that's what was happening.

Tegretol (carbamazepine) has proved effective in controlling my seizures and I am allowed to drive, again! I live in the boonies, so although I'm restricted to short trips, in familiar areas, getting my license back was huge.