new member needs advice re boyfriend's TBI
 

adamsr,

It sounds like a seizure like event. Since they do not manifest like any of the garden variety seizures, the neuro is in the dark.

I have had similar episodes. Sometimes, I am just confused while full functional from a motor control perspective. With me they manifest at two extremes. One is like an anxiety attack. Everything is just too chaotic and I can't focus on any of it. The other extreme is when I feel like a zombie and nothing is 'clicking.'

It will help for you to figure out how to recognize when they happen. He probably has a lost look in his eyes. Sometimes, my wife will notice me staring with a clenched jaw.

If you can recognize them, try to note what is happening just before. Maybe a noisy environment, maybe visual chaos, maybe bright or flashing lights or an emotional shock.

I can get triggered by fabric patterns, especially checkerboard patterns or patterns that have an optical illusion style (fade from one look to another)

Sometimes, fast motion will trigger a space-out, like riding in the car with a picket fence on the side of the road.

Hope this helps.