I have recently been put under the care of a neurologist at the request of my physician. We have exhausted every reason for me to be suffering from "near syncope", which is a fancy way of saying that I almost pass out or actually zone out at inopportune moments, such as driving.

I have had 2 major concussions:

1. I was dropped on my head at around 2 years old. According to my mom, I sounded like Donald Duck and was disoriented. I was taken to the chiropractor and nothing else was done.

2. I smacked the base of my skull into a breakfast bar at 18 years old. I wasn't taken into the ER or the doctor's office. I saw stars and felt pain in the front of my head in addition to the obvious pain in the back of my head.

I have many different problems that I never attributed to these traumas:

1. Light sensitivity
2. Sound sensitivity
3. Near syncope
4. Dyslexia when tired
5. Lack of coordination
6. Balance problems when tired
7. Orientation problems when I am tired (also presented when I was pregnant all the time)
8. Easily disoriented and nauseated on carnival rides or winding roads (if I am not driving).
9. Depth perception when it is dark

This covers the major issues.

I would love any feedback, comments, and support. This is a scary journey. I am banned from driving and have been told that I either have epilepsy or a brain tumor.

Kanna,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to here you are struggling.

Your near syncope sounds like the petit mal seizures I had in high school. I would lose awareness of my environment for a few seconds. I was put on phenytoin (Dilantin) and switched to phenobarbital after my gums swelled up. I went off the meds after 2 years and was fine.

I had an EEG but it was inconclusive.

How often do these events happen ?

How long have you been experiencing these other symptoms ?

You say 43 years post TBI. Does than mean you are 45 or 61 ?

Age can cause symptoms to start to manifest.

You may benefit from a comprehensive hormone assessment. You'd be surprised what poorly cycling hormones can do to cause strange symptoms. If you are in the US, https://www.womensinternational.com/..._referral.html can be a good resource to find a women's hormone specialist.

The carnival rides and winding roads issues is something I understand well. A recent thread listed some research about C-1 and C-2 instabilities being contributors to dizziness. Many of us have subtle upper neck injuries, often undiagnosed for many years.

Please feel free to tell us anything. We have heard it all. We are here to support you in your struggles.

My best to you.

Age clarification - I am almost 45 (the 29th).
Symptom clarification - I have been having "zone outs" as long as I can remember. My mom states that she has also noticed my eyes spasm on occasion. I don't even notice the eye thing and she says that I have done it since I was 2. The episodes of the "zone outs" varies each day I can have none or I can have 30-40. My symptoms vary due to levels of fatigue and stress, mainly.

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.

With the frequency you have them on your bad days, I would be bet that a good EEG protocol, possibly sleep deprived, would show what is going on. Hopefully, the neuro will get some good diagnostics ordered.

Yes, definitely. Given the frequency of your seizures, I can't imagine how you're managing. I hope you get a diagnosis and a treatment plan that helps get things under control.