I am a 27 year old male who suffers from epilepsy and for approximately 8 years I have experienced mind blanks when communicating with people. It previously has not been a huge issue as the mind blanks came and went very quickly and I considered it to be me briefly losing my train of thought so I dismissed it as a minor side effect of the medication I was taking for my epilepsy and I was able to lead a very normal life.
Just over 2 years a go I gained employment where I worked a lot more hours, it was more stressful and communication was key. The mind blanks then became far more frequent, lasted for a longer period of time and as a result of this I was unable to do the job. After appointments with my GP and a Neurologist it was concluded that I was possibly suffering from mild seizures that resulted in me briefly being unable to communicate. My GP prescribed me a new drug added to the medication I was already taking to try and combat this. I was a bit concerned about this as I felt my symptoms were not completely consistent with other sufferers of this condition.
Pretty soon after I left that particular job, I gained employment in a job where the hours were similar but while communication is very important, it's not as intense and for a while my mind blanks became less frequent. As I have taken on more work and have been given more responsibility they have become more frequent again and have dictated pretty much every aspect of my life. I worry about them pretty much constantly and even simple things like going to the shop can be an ordeal in case my mind goes blank when I get to the counter. It dictates everything I do at work, I often avoid situations that involves talking to other people in case it flares up and it is making me miserable.
I discussed this with my GP and explained recently my symptoms have felt like less than a passing mind blank but more of a feeling of an attack and sheer panic and terror. She conceded that it may be a case of me suffering from anxiety or panic attacks but could not offer treatment until my neurologist could rule out that it was linked to my epilepsy.
I appreciate this has been a bit of a ramble but I am basically trying to find out if anyone else has suffered from these symptoms, whether it could be linked to anxiety and what they have done to combat these symptoms.
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