Hi Southie, (this is Boston's Southie?)

Yes, the falling is atonic in nature. I don't really experience the fall from the start like you do when you trip, I just realize that I'm almost on the ground and then I am on the ground. I do NOT lose consciousness, I do not lose bladder control, I am not confused, I don't have a headache. I can get right up and go on. BUT it its very very unnerving and I am emotionally upset by the experience.

I have literally collapsed, even if I'm holding on to something, I just let go and down I go.

I also have jerking for brief periods, always on my left side, sometimes my trunk, and left shoulder or head, too.

The myoclonus is the jerking part of what happens.

Once I was holding a full coffee pot (Mr. Coffee) and the jerking started (I'm left handed) and I couldn't let go, and coffee (hot) went everywhere. I had also broken a piece out of the bottom with the jerking.

So there are two pieces to my weird 'things'. Falling (atonic) about once a month and Jerking (myoclonic) very often.

At this point, since I've had lots of EEGs, I think my problem may because of temporary lack of blood flow to parts of my brain. I have some plaque in my arteries in my brain and some areas that are damaged by lack of blood.

This shows up on MRI's and is called glosis in the white matter. I am almost 75 and this is a common problem for older people. The brain begins to have problems from lack of blood supply. I guess eventually I'll have dementia?
But right now that is the best I can conclude from my research.

It leads to several problems, and since it is worse on the right side of my temporal lobe, it probably affects my left side. I have no idea, really.

But my husband is a research immunologist and taught in medical school for 25 years and knows a lot. this is his theory.

I take Gabapentin for the pain of neuropathy and it is an anti seizure drug. It doesn't help at all with this problem.

At this point I don't know what to do next. The epilepsy doctor says it is NOT epilepsy and I tend to agree, He thinks it is autonomic, and there is a clinic at Duke where I can be tested, but I'm not sure it really it autonomic.

I would like to go to the Mayo, to find out what true experts decide...but is it worth all the trouble for something that probably can't be fixed? And at 75?

So I watch TV series, and play Words with Friends, and read books. And try not to think too much about this. But that doesn't work too well, does it?

Hugs, Elaine