9 replies to this topic

[Lakeisha]

Hi! My name is Lakeisha, i'm 20 and I have narcolepsy. I'm new and just wanted to say hi to everyone and see what this group is all about.

[Asleeper]

Hi,
welcome to the network. I wish I had known that I had narcolepsy when I was 20. I might have had more fun and accomplished more instead of sleeping until 45 when I was diagnosed and started medication.
You might also want to look at the Narcolepsy Network Facebook page and the the Talk About Sleep forum on the web.

Tom

[Young_confused]

I am new here and 20 also. I am looking to find something to do because my grades in college are bad and I have been thinking about dropping out because I just keep on failing and do not know how to change that pattern. I just got diagnosed a couple of months ago. I really need someone to talk to about it. I love talking and can talk forever. I love learning new information but the problem I have is that I am not a very fast reader. I also suffer from seizures and depression. I am getting a therapist but I was not able to find one that deal spasifically with people who are depressed over there medical conditions or because of medication. I can be very happy at times when my life is working I have been known to love my life for months at a time (not manic just living my life and loving it). Then I go to where I am now which is that I cannot imagine dealing with this for the rest of my life. So as I have said before I would love to have someone to talk to and someone to give me advise someone to cheer me on and tell me I can do it when and only when I actually can because in the past people have told me to push though it that everyone is sleepy and so I would try and that just made it so I hating things and I thought I was stupid because I could not understand. When I did kinda understand but some days things would just not work for me. It also resulted in days where I slept walked though the whole day have only a few memories of what happened and the rest being blank. People now think I am lucky because I have medication to wake me up but it does not fully wake me I still have this fog.
I want to find something I can do in life that I do not need accommodation for I want to be somewhere that because of what I am good at I am actually on the better side of the people who work for them not the ones they hired only to find out they cannot do as much as everyone else. Someone please give me ideas or just tell me that you have hear my story and at least partially understand what I am going though.

[Asleeper]

Welcome to the site. I'm sure you will find plenty of advice here. I could write more here but I am falling asleep right now.
Asleeper

[novacat]

Hi I'm MK, Im 18 and I have narcolepsy that was diagnosed in June. It really took over my life for a little bit but I am so grateful that my doctors were able to catch it early enough so that I could start college and make it through. If not, I most likely would have flunked out. Thank goodness for them!! But I definitely have my good and bad days, and the bad days are terrible. The good days are nice and reminiscent of how I used to feel.

[Timber]

Hey everyone,

I'm Tim. I've been exhibiting signs of narcolepsy for years but, I just received my diagnosis in may. Not a great thing to have dropped on you during finals week. I am 21 and am so glad that I finally have an actual diagnosis so that I know what is wrong with me. The last few years of college I have not been overly fond of. Now with my nuvigil I am doing extremely well in all of my classes. The thought of law school is not nearly as intimidating as it was before either. In July, I developed cataplexy. That is an interesting one to deal with.

[DeathRabbit]

Hey everyone,

I'm Tim. I've been exhibiting signs of narcolepsy for years but, I just received my diagnosis in may. Not a great thing to have dropped on you during finals week. I am 21 and am so glad that I finally have an actual diagnosis so that I know what is wrong with me. The last few years of college I have not been overly fond of. Now with my nuvigil I am doing extremely well in all of my classes. The thought of law school is not nearly as intimidating as it was before either. In July, I developed cataplexy. That is an interesting one to deal with.

Glad you are feeling better. It seems to me that diagnosing N and treating it early causes the treatment to be much more effective.

[Timber]

Glad you are feeling better. It seems to me that diagnosing N and treating it early causes the treatment to be much more effective.

I was misdiagnosed with ADD for the longest time and was on 20mg adderall xr. They thought I was just tired because I was working full time and going to school.
I can only imagine what it would be like to try and take on the world without any clear answers or medication. The time before my medication seems like a distant memory now.

[DeathRabbit]

I was misdiagnosed with ADD for the longest time and was on 20mg adderall xr. They thought I was just tired because I was working full time and going to school.
I can only imagine what it would be like to try and take on the world without any clear answers or medication. The time before my medication seems like a distant memory now.

I never got anything in the way of stimulants until about a year ago. I was not diagnosed until the last possible second. I was almost completely nonfunctional. I lost 30 lbs last september alone. The whole entirety of 2011 seems like a foggy haze. So does most of this year, as I dont think the stimulants by themselves are enough. In fact, sometimes adderall makes me sleepier.

[Timber]

I never got anything in the way of stimulants until about a year ago. I was not diagnosed until the last possible second. I was almost completely nonfunctional. I lost 30 lbs last september alone. The whole entirety of 2011 seems like a foggy haze. So does most of this year, as I dont think the stimulants by themselves are enough. In fact, sometimes adderall makes me sleepier.

I understand the weight loss problem. I have a thyroid issue that causes me to lose weight unless I go out of my way to keep it on. 30 lbs in a month is insane though! My biggest problem with the adderall was the fact it made me so mad. I was always on the edge of exploding when I took it. It got to the point where I chose being tired over being awake and angry.