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Brief, severe spatial disorientation

There is this weird thing that happens to me sometimes- it is a complete lack of spatial orientation that lasts for just a few seconds.  The last time it happened was yesterday.  I was walking to the bathroom at work, when suddenly this feeling of disorientation came over me and I couldn't remember how to get to the bathroom.  I literally could not figure it out- I was thinking, "Did I come the wrong way?  Where is the bathroom?"  I stood in place about 5 seconds or so until it passed, at which point I realized that I was standing RIGHT in FRONT of the bathroom- I mean I could literally see it less than 10 feet in front of me.  

This kind of thing happens fairly frequently (about once every couple weeks or less).  Or, for example, I might be in the car, at an intersection, and I suddenly can't figure out which direction I need to look in to see if it is safe to go.  I can see the cars, but I can't figure out the direction they are traveling relative to the direction I want to turn, and I have NO idea how to figure out when I can go.  Again, it lasts just a few seconds, but it is a very odd feeling (and I guess potentially dangerous, since it happens when driving).  I actually have a nonverbal learning disability, so that I have trouble with visuospatial processing and memory anyway, but this total lack of orientation is definitely different from my normal getting-lost or getting-turned-around.  At least when I am lost, I can still see what is in front of me and make spatial judgments.  Could this be some kind of weird seizure?

I should mention that when it happens I don't feel dizzy, or any other kind of unusual sensation.  It's just that I lose all sense of where I am, where things around me are, and how to get where I want to go.  There is no history of epilepsy in my family though.  I also don't have any neuro issues except the nonverbal learning disability and Chronic Motor Tic Disorder.  The only other weird thing I used to get is that when I was a teenager (I'm 25 now), I used to sometimes get a strong burning feeling in my leg, localized to a small area, almost like an itch but so intense that it burned, and then a few seconds later my leg would jerk very strongly.  I remember one time it happened when my teacher was checking my homework paper, and my leg jerked and bumped my whole desk up- so embarrassing!  But that at least doesn't happen anymore.  Any thoughts?  Thank you for any responses.
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Avatar universal
Thank you so much for the advice.  I will definitely talk to my doctor about this.
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1 Comments
Very interesting you have described a situation that occurredto me this morning when I was driving from work to home!!!I was so confused that I had to park my car on the side of the road rested for a minute then used my GPS to go home!!!It was a strange and puzzling feeling that lasted for a few seconds but it scared the he'll out of me.I do not know if a concussion causes this too because I got a concussion a few months ago !
Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi,
You may be experiencing Seizure activity. Seizures are of  different types. It is not necessary that the person may lose consciousness and have severe jerky movements during all seizures. Absence seizures present with an interruption to consciousness where the person experiencing the seizure seems to become blank and unresponsive for a short period of time (usually up to 30 seconds). Slight muscle twitching may also occur. You may have experienced seizure activity in the past also when you had a leg jerk. That type of seizures are called Myoclonic seizures. They involve an extremely brief (< 0.1 second) muscle contraction and can result in jerky movements of muscles or muscle groups. Please go for an MRI of the brain and consult a neurologist for the management. Hope this helps you. Take care and regards!

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