Glad to hear that I could help you Steve! I took full advantage of my 14 years working at Treadwell Library as Massachusetts General Hospital, thus I have read many books and journal articles with regards to Epilepsy, among other things. I am not a licensed doctor, so I cannot officially diagnose you, but if you are not going to find a neurologist, then at least find sources to read more about the "blanking out". Here is one to start with:

"An absence seizure causes you to blank out or stare into space for a few seconds. They can also be called petit mal seizures. Absence seizures are most common in children and typically don't cause any long-term problems. These types of seizures are often set off by a period of hyperventilation."
This is the site this is quoted from: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditio....

@A MyEpilepsyTeam Member Is there no other available neurologist in your area?

The "blanking out" is probably a mutation of your seizure into possibly a complex partial seizure. As I pointed out from my personal research when I was working at Treadwell Library at Massachusetts General Hospital is the fact that seizures and even simple partial seizures (auras) can mutate over time and do so again and again.

Back in 1980 (my personal assessment based on what I know now), when I was having deja vu (aura) and then "passing out", I was having full seizures (with only one of them witnessed as having convulsions too). And I was having other times when I was just having the auras. Over time, they shifted to being Complex Partial Seizures along with the auras. And 7 years ago they became Complex Partial Seizures without any aura along with auras without any seizure. In the last 2 years, the full seizures returned to be alongside the complex partial seizures with neither coming with an aura and the auras coming along and in clusters. And finally, in May, I reached my current state where I occasionally have the auras but am not having the complex partial or full seizures.
NOTE: Since the complex partial seizures are absence seizures (conscious mind not active), they are like a full seizure in terms of "lost time". The difference is that you do not have to go unconscious like a full seizure, but rather your subconscious mind takes over with your conscious mind at rest in the background, thus it is "lost time" because you have no memory of what happened.

And people who have achieved long periods of being seizure-free can suddenly have them return after a significantly stressful event (death of a family member or friend, particularly a child or something near as significant) or a major blow to the head, etc.

If you get a good neurologist, you can talk with him/her and find out even more details about these facts and more importantly be told what the cause of your "blanking out" is.

Keep hydrated and eat well meals , stay away from caffeine

@A MyEpilepsyTeam Member. I have been on the Keto diet since December. It's done nothing for my seizures but I will stay on it because I do like the weight loss. I never do it as strictly as it should be

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@A MyEpilepsyTeam Member Hi Gabapentin is a very common drug in Australia. Lyrica is the generic name. it is an AED but it is more used for neuropathic pain rather than seizures. Its great. I have been on for pain and my neurologist has told me he has found that it is pretty useless for seizure control. It definitely not a first choice for epilepsy only in desperation even then my Dr couldn't be bother prescribing it. It generally is his first choice for pain. Never know though a person might be one of the very small minority.