Hi
I was wondering if I can ask you all a few questions about Narcolepsy. I have a family member that said they "have" Narcolepsy, however I'm smelling something fishing. I'd done a brief study of it(Narcolepsy) and it seems they are off on almost every point... They have a history of playing the "poor me card" but I want to know for sure. I don’t get this info directly from” them” ,the info is pasted on by others. It seems as if they have read up on this problem and have feed it back bite by bite.
One thing that stands out is "they" complain that they cant sleep and must get "their" sleep when ever they can. "they" sleep all day and not at night. "They also complain of Night terror's. I believe it’s a drug problem or severe depression but I could be wrong. I believe this because “they have a array of problems everything from arthritis to non cancers lumps, however show no signs of the problems. “They” visit doctors and get “ needle point injection’” and tests galore(but never have appointments with local doctors) .I know if I find out if "they” are full of it or not it will not change much. I just want to help the rest of the family as they hang to “their” every word feeling bad for “them” But if "they” are correct then I'll do my best to help "them" with this.
Excess my undercover wording if I give up “their” sex or name I believe “they” will go into hiding and that’s not my intentions.
Thank you
Confuessed
Afternoon,
Started by
Confuessed
, Nov 13 2007 03:28 PM
4 replies to this topic
#2
Meranda004
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Posted 21 November 2007 - 01:05 AM
have you ever considered maybe they are telling the truth and you should be supportive of your family? i know that i am so sick of people telling me i am just lazy and crazy and making all of this up
#3
Confuessed
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Posted 21 November 2007 - 01:09 PM
Hi ,
Ive thought hard about "thier" problems,and there is a long list of problems. Mnay of them do not link up. I'm sorry if your not believed by your loved ones, its sad when the true is stranger then fiction. I'm looking for info on this "problem " so I'll make this short. As I said above to many things dont link up. "they" live on the frings of the family way before "they had this "prblem" Each time someone gets ill "they" come down with horrible problems. Everything for cancer to night terrors. So its hard to draw the right answer. What I ask is there "tell- tell" signs for Narcolepys?
Ive thought hard about "thier" problems,and there is a long list of problems. Mnay of them do not link up. I'm sorry if your not believed by your loved ones, its sad when the true is stranger then fiction. I'm looking for info on this "problem " so I'll make this short. As I said above to many things dont link up. "they" live on the frings of the family way before "they had this "prblem" Each time someone gets ill "they" come down with horrible problems. Everything for cancer to night terrors. So its hard to draw the right answer. What I ask is there "tell- tell" signs for Narcolepys?
#4
digdonn
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Posted 29 November 2007 - 09:38 PM
Dear Confused,
I know that it can be frustrating listening to someone's endless and changing complaints, but from what you said, there does not seem to be anything that would rule out the possibility that they do indeed have narcolepsy or another related sleep disorder. Perhaps a better approach is to ask them to give you more information about their disorder or to let you or another family member accompany them to one of their appointments so that you can become better informed and thus be more supportive. If they refuse to let any one go with them to any of their appointments, yet continue to complain that people are not supportive, then I would be suspicious.
I know that it can be frustrating listening to someone's endless and changing complaints, but from what you said, there does not seem to be anything that would rule out the possibility that they do indeed have narcolepsy or another related sleep disorder. Perhaps a better approach is to ask them to give you more information about their disorder or to let you or another family member accompany them to one of their appointments so that you can become better informed and thus be more supportive. If they refuse to let any one go with them to any of their appointments, yet continue to complain that people are not supportive, then I would be suspicious.
#5
Helios
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Posted 30 November 2007 - 05:12 PM
Digdonn seems to have it. Just follow them to an appointment. If it does turn out to be narcolepsy, you'll be glad you found it.
I have narcolepsy with cataplexy. I also can’t stand being accused of laziness or attention grubbing, and it bothers me when people think they know what I feel like every day just because they have pulled an all nighter or two. I usually explain the non cataplectic symptoms of narcolepsy as at least 48-72 hours without sleep for a non-narcoleptic. I am fortunate/unfortunate enough to remember what it is like to be awake, so I consider myself qualified.
Personally, I spent my high school years a bitter insomniac. It started sophomore year, gradually. I would sleep anywhere from 0-5 hours out of every 24, often during the day, and slept in excessively on weekends. My narcolepsy hadn't peaked, and I figured that since I felt just as bad on ten minutes of sleep as I did on ten hours, that I would force myself to stay awake. I went to public school, so I didn't have to worry about memorizing anything or engaging in any complex thought in general, so I graduated at the top of my class by managing to show up unarmed and unaltered. I also didn't connect the constant and vivid dreams, the hallucinations, or the paralysis with any condition: I just figured my brain had been a little fried by my seizures as a kid. My parents accused me of being depressed fairly often.
When I got to college, I knew for sure that something was wrong. I was only diagnosed about two months ago: six or so years after my first symptoms. and after many failed hypotheses (diabetes, sleep apnea, epileptic seizures). Anyway, the point is that narcolepsy can manifest in contradictory ways, so be careful.
I've dealt with hypochondriacs in my life, too. I have a hard time putting up with them, since I avoid meds like the plague, and generally hate going to the doctor or really drawing attention to myself when sick or in pain. It irked me severely when I had a friend who was convinced she was narcoleptic after I told her a couple of the symptoms. I recommended she stop smoking weed three times a day, quit doing salvia and pills on the weekend, and exercise every once in a while.
Regardless, it sounds like this person lacks something emotionally, if they are constantly going through tests and diagnoses like that.
This is a typical overview, scroll down to the symptoms and the effects if you don’t want to read it all.
http://www.helpguide..._treatments.htm
The only surefire way to tell is to take a proper sleep test. A good doctor will schedule a full night sleep observation, followed by an MSLT test the next morning/early afternoon. This greatly reduces the chance of someone getting a false positive through forced sleep deprivation (something "they" might do) before the test, since a full night's sleep is experienced right before the MSLT.
That was incredibly long, I am sorry. Good luck!
I have narcolepsy with cataplexy. I also can’t stand being accused of laziness or attention grubbing, and it bothers me when people think they know what I feel like every day just because they have pulled an all nighter or two. I usually explain the non cataplectic symptoms of narcolepsy as at least 48-72 hours without sleep for a non-narcoleptic. I am fortunate/unfortunate enough to remember what it is like to be awake, so I consider myself qualified.
Personally, I spent my high school years a bitter insomniac. It started sophomore year, gradually. I would sleep anywhere from 0-5 hours out of every 24, often during the day, and slept in excessively on weekends. My narcolepsy hadn't peaked, and I figured that since I felt just as bad on ten minutes of sleep as I did on ten hours, that I would force myself to stay awake. I went to public school, so I didn't have to worry about memorizing anything or engaging in any complex thought in general, so I graduated at the top of my class by managing to show up unarmed and unaltered. I also didn't connect the constant and vivid dreams, the hallucinations, or the paralysis with any condition: I just figured my brain had been a little fried by my seizures as a kid. My parents accused me of being depressed fairly often.
When I got to college, I knew for sure that something was wrong. I was only diagnosed about two months ago: six or so years after my first symptoms. and after many failed hypotheses (diabetes, sleep apnea, epileptic seizures). Anyway, the point is that narcolepsy can manifest in contradictory ways, so be careful.
I've dealt with hypochondriacs in my life, too. I have a hard time putting up with them, since I avoid meds like the plague, and generally hate going to the doctor or really drawing attention to myself when sick or in pain. It irked me severely when I had a friend who was convinced she was narcoleptic after I told her a couple of the symptoms. I recommended she stop smoking weed three times a day, quit doing salvia and pills on the weekend, and exercise every once in a while.
Regardless, it sounds like this person lacks something emotionally, if they are constantly going through tests and diagnoses like that.
This is a typical overview, scroll down to the symptoms and the effects if you don’t want to read it all.
http://www.helpguide..._treatments.htm
The only surefire way to tell is to take a proper sleep test. A good doctor will schedule a full night sleep observation, followed by an MSLT test the next morning/early afternoon. This greatly reduces the chance of someone getting a false positive through forced sleep deprivation (something "they" might do) before the test, since a full night's sleep is experienced right before the MSLT.
That was incredibly long, I am sorry. Good luck!
