A TikTok creator says a chance comment from a stranger led her to question symptoms she had long dismissed.
After someone recognized her behavior, Brooke Fontana began researching the condition and realized several of her own unexplained symptoms could be related.
Fontana described the interaction in a TikTok video from Jan. 22, 2026. “I'm like, are you talking to me?” she recalled. “Like, am I unaware that I'm having a seizure?”
Confused by the comment, Fontana rushed to Google to find out more. She discovered one very specific symptom of focal seizures that resonated with her—tongue injuries from involuntary chewing or jaw clenching.
“I was like taking chunks out of my tongue during my sleep, and so that was on there,” she said, referencing a list of seizure symptoms she found online.
Fontana explained she has had lacerations on the sides of her tongue for two years. Her doctors previously blamed the injuries on anxiety and tried to sell her a $500 mouthguard to sleep with, but she now suspects the wounds are caused by focal seizures.
“I just, randomly, like, twitch and I thought it was just an anxious habit,” she added. “So I will be updating the hot girls to see if I am actually having seizures.”
Fontana visited her primary care doctor to learn more. The doctor was reportedly dismissive and condescending but ultimately referred her to a neurologist for testing.
Fontana’s predicament resonated with people suffering from mysterious health issues whose experiences are often ignored by doctors who refuse to take them seriously.
The response to her story emphasized the importance of open communication about health.
Fontana said connecting her symptoms with the stranger’s tip was “just a whole missing puzzle piece, cause I've been trying to figure out why that was going on for so long.”
Commenters urged her to advocate for herself and find a new doctor who will listen to her.
Spoiler: The doctor's visit didn't go well
Fontana posted an update on Feb. 27, 2026, after she saw a doctor about her symptoms, which included daytime fatigue, tongue wounds, and episodes like the one that a stranger witnessed and recognized as a focal seizure.
When she inquired about focal seizures in relation to her fatigue, the doctor replied, "You don't think that's why you're feeling tired all day…"
Fortunately, however, she walked out with the referral she needed for neurological testing.
"I will find out what's going on... I'm gonna get that 3-day EEG,” Fontana said.
Brooke Fontana did not immediately reply to the Daily Dot's request for comment via TikTok.
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