Narcolepsy, Anyone?



I went to the doctor today about my myriad of strange health issues, including dizzy spells, episodes of feeling like I am going to fall over asleep, chronic fatigue, practically falling asleep while driving, short on breath…

I did a lung capacity test which showed I have very diminished lung capacity so I was sent for a chest x-ray to investigate the cause.  I had a blood draw to check my thyroid, and my doctor suspects I may be narcoleptic (!), so I’ve been referred to a neurologist to look into it further.

Like you are probably thinking, narcolepsy is when you just fall asleep at weird times.  But there is more to it, and after reading a while on the Internet, I actually would not be surprised if that is my problem.  I sleep a LOT and even after a good night’s rest I tend to take naps.  Naps don’t refresh me for very long.  I sometimes am hit with the overwhelming feeling of sleep that I can’t fight off (like lately, when I am driving).  I have a history of doing activities in my sleep, such as having complete phone conversations that I am later unaware I ever had.  Freaky.

I also called back A-M at the EI program, and we were both short on time, so I emailed her my blog post from last night to recap why Ace hasn’t been being seen.  She said she will look it over and we will connect next week.  She also said there is a speech therapist who comes to your home who is open to start with Ace any time.  I’m torn on this one, as I really don’t think he needs ST, but maybe I ought to give it a try and see what comes of it?  I don’t know…

8 Replies to “Narcolepsy, Anyone?”

  1. I wondered if that might be the cause for you Sommer. I hope not though! Hopefully your test results come back soon and you get an answer.

  2. he might not need ST but the speech therapists could be a bridge to other services and could really be an asset in your corner.

  3. Eh, what’s one more thing to add to your plate?! You have time for narcolepsy, right? I hope you get this figured out soon. Your body is still mad at you for missing so much sleep when the twins came along!

  4. Sommer, I don’t know anything about narcolepsy (just guessing here) but do you think it may be caused from the first car accident? Did you start having some small or vague symptoms initially that are getting more obvious now? I hope your neurologist can get this figured out soon. That has to be quite scary when you are driving.

    1. @Kathy -> Actually, it’s come and gone my whole life, but I never realized that all of the different strange things I’ve had happen (dizzy spells, sleepiness I can’t fight off, vivid dreaming, doing things in my sleep, etc) could all be symptoms of one disorder. The more I read about narcolepsy, the more I won’t be surprised if that is what this is.

    1. @Skip -> For the record, my swearing is about the children, and not [usually] at the children. When I said you ought to comment on my blog from time to time, I meant in a supportive, “I love you” kind of way. Way to make everyone think I’m some kind of awful parent!

  5. My brother is narcoleptic,he was diagnosed in middle school. They managed it for a long time with Ritalin,believe it or not. I gathered it’s pretty simple to treat. I really hope that they get some answers for you soon!

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