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Finally some answers!

Posted by motherto2 on August 10, 2002 at 21:12:38:

I was five years old and complained to my mom and dad every night of realistic looking spiders or ants or something crawling all over my wall and on my bed. For years I have heard how my not being able to sleep at night affected my parents and not me.

When I was 16, I begin to have "episodes" that couldn't be explained. An EEG was done and "seizure-like episodes" were noted, but nothing was really done about it. They associated them with migraines.

When I was 18 or 19 I began having these FRIGHTENING episodes of paralysis at night. Although only occuring maybe once or twice a month, they would happen 6-10 times a night as soon as my head hit the pillow. I will never forget the first time it happened. I was taking a nap with my then boyfriend who was watching television. Although I could tell you at the time everything that was occuring in the room, I couldn't move, open my eyes, talk, scream, and felt like I couldn't breathe. On top of it, although I was completely aware of my surroundings, I felt as though I were dreaming this awful dream. I felt like was dying. I tried to scream his name, but nothing came out. I tried to open my eyes, but I felt like they were glued shut. I tried to move any part of my body, but I felt as though I every movable part was being held down. I finally was able to move my big toe ever so slightly. It seemed like once I got the toe moving, the rest of me began to "wake up". I remember being terrifed of falling back to sleep, even though it was the middle of the day. My boyfriend, though awake, wasn't even aware that anything was wrong.

I have had periods when driving, where I felt like it was taking everything within me to keep my eyes open.

I wake up constantly during the night and sometimes have trouble falling back to sleep.

If I sit still for any length of time with no real stimulation, I fall asleep.

I am persistently exhausted.

I am a 32 year old women. Lately, I'd chalked up the being tired to the fact that I'm the mother of a 4 year old girl, a 2 year old "all" boy, a full-time student, worship leader at my church and wife and the paralysis/hallucinations to being just plain crazy.

The other day, my mother was watching something like "Good Morning America" and she heard the word "narcolepsy" with the symptom of the parylsis/hallucinations attached to it. She called me that night and said I ought to research it. As I went to website after website and read personal storis on some of these websites I started crying! Finally, I think I have some answers to all I have been going through for 16-27 years!!!

On Monday, I will being making some phone calls to try and find a doctor to go see.

I have not experienced the cataplexy and hopefully that won't ever be one of my symptoms.

I will be graduating from college with a degree in Surgical Technology and will begin working on the heart team in a couple weeks and I'm now scared that someday, if narcolepsy is what I have, it might begin affecting my ability to work.

I'm sorry this was so long, but I just had to get this out.
Thank you for reading.
Stephanie

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  • Sleep Deprivation due to Sleep Apnea and insufficient sleep are common and can present as insomnia, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia. In infants and children sleep problems commonly present themselves as ADD or ADHD.


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