2 replies to this topic

[georgiana]

i was diagnosed w narcolepsy last oct when i kept driving off the road while working...while undergoing the sleep study, they also found significant sleep apnea as well, genetic in origin....the follow up study for the BiPAP indicated that even with that, i was not getting sufficient REM because the pain from the fibromyalgia i have was interfering....i have not worked since Oct 7 2011....i will note here that i was a hospice RN for about 15 years and being able to suck it up to work long days, into the night, drive 100 miles daily and be strong for your families and patients- i.e.- few tears- was the norm....(i am very aware that is the work culture these days for many jobs)...

so here is where i am now, on long term disability....per my neurologist advice, filed for SSD....what i am finding the last couple months is falling apart in tears at the slightest thing- most likely overwhelmed especially w numbers....this is upsetting since i previously could calculate opioid doses and convert one opioid to another in my head, having taught pharmacist and doctor same....now i can't even balance a checkbook by printing off bank statement and entering onto Quicken without talking myself through it- often loudly lol...my husband, not a born patient man is at his wits end and so am i...i have done more sobbing and crying in the last 4-5 months than in the last 15 years....

what gives? i can't find this symptom in any usual list of narc symptoms...would love to know i am not only one...

[LauraL]

I'm sorry you find yourself dealing with tearfulness, on top of narcolepsy and apnea! I'm new to narcolepsy (just diagnosed a few weeks ago), and so far I haven't read/heard about tearfulness in connection with N. I'm just going to toss out a random idea, here, but, is it possible you might have some features of clinical depression? I only suggest this because I've had recurring major depressive episodes since my teens (or, I should say, from my teens until about age 25, when I finally stopped being stubborn and agreed to try antidepressants). The symptoms can vary a lot from person to person, but I had a lot of what my doctor called "crying jags"--where with little or no provocation I'd just start sobbing uncontrollably. Mayo Clinic lists "crying for no reason" under the symptoms of depression. As a nurse, I'm sure you know more about this than I do, but I just thought I'd toss the idea out there. I never suspected that what I was experiencing was depression until someone suggested it to me.

Hang in there!

[818sis]

Be very careful, because it could be depression. My doctor said sleep disorders are linked with depression. I am being treated for it, and it is one of the reasons he thinks I might have N.

You don't always know you have it, and it can really sneak up on you. I know because it did sneak up on me. I kept thinking I was fine, but I didn't realize I had fallen into a pretty deep depression. I was crying almost every day, myself. Now that I am being treated, I've cried about 3 times in the last 6 months.

I know that may not be what you want to hear, but it is important to be aware, because depression can really affect your life before you know it. I hope that's not what is going on with you because I know how hard it can be. I have only just begun looking into sleep disorders, and had my first sleep study this week, so the others on the forum will know more about them than I do. But I wanted to offer my input on depression, just in case it might help you.