Posted by mslaady2 on July 28, 2009 at 19:01:08:HI I AM 33 YEAR OLD AND I AM CURRENTLY UNDER GOING TESTING FOR SLEEP PARALYSIS, NARCOLEPSY AND SLEEP APNEA. I AM POSTING THIS TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCES WITH EVERYONE IN HOPE TO MAKE SOMEONE FEEL BETTER ABOUT THIS DISORDER. I HAVE HAD THE SYMTOMS OF SLEEP PARALYSIS AND NARCOLEPSY SINCE I WAS ABOUT 4 YRS OLD BUT DIDNT KNOW WHAT IT REALLY WAS FOR THE PAST 29 YEARS BUT OVER THE LAST YEAR HAS GOTTEN SO BAD I HAD TO GO TO THE DOCTOR CAUSE I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG. I ALWAYS THOUGHT I WAS HAVING A NIGHT TERROR OR A NIGHTMARE OR SOMETHING BUT SINCE I WAS 4 I ONLY HAD THESE EPISODES MEANING THE SLEEP PARALYSIS ABOUT ONCE EVERY FEW MONTHS AND IT STAYED THAT WAY TILL ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND THEN THEY STARTED HAPPENING CONSTANTLY, LIKE 3 TO 5 TIMES A WEEK...ALMOST EVERY NIGHT. IT IS SO BAD THAT I FEEL AS IF THEY HAVE TAKEN OVER MY LIFE. LET ME EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS TO ME BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER.
FIRST OFF I KNOW I AM GOING TO HAVE A SLEEP PARALYSIS EPISODE BEFORE IT EVEN HAPPENS...SOMETIMES EVEN UP TO AN HOUR BEFORE BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH IT SOUNDS WEIRD MY HEARING CHANGES AND THEN I KNOW AND THEN I GET TERRIFIED TO GO TO SLEEP. BUT AS IM FALLING ASLEEP I WILL INSTANTLY START TO GET THE SENSATION ALL OVER MY BODY LIKE ELECTRICITY IS PASSING THROUGH MY BODY OR ANOTHER WAY TO DESCRIBE IT IS THE SAME FEELING IN YOUR FEET WHEN YOUR FOOT IS ASLEEP...KINDA PAINFUL. I INSTANTLY WAKE UP BUT I CANNOT MOVE. I CAN HEAR AND OPEN MY EYES AND LOOK AROUND BUT NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY I CAN NOT MOVE ANY PART OF MY BODY. THE ONLY THING I CAN DO IS LAY THERE HELPLESS AND TELL MYSELF OVER AND OVER TO SNAP OUT OF IT AND WHEN I FINALLY DO COME OUT OF IT, IT TAKES A GOOD 5 MINUTES FOR THAT PAINFUL FEELING TO GO AWAY COMPLETELY. SOMETIMES I WILL HAVE ANYWHERE FROM 1 TO AS MANY AS 7 OF THESE IN A ROW. I HAVE EVEN CAME OUT OF THESE EPISODES GASPING FOR AIR. TALK ABOUT BEING TERRIFIED TO TRY TO GO BACK TO SLEEP. ALSO AS SOON AS I CLOSE MY EYES TO GO TO SLEEP I INSTANTLY START DREAMING AND MY SLEEP SPECIALIST SAYS THAT THIS IS ABNORMAL AS WELL BECAUSE YOUR NOT SUPPOSED TO DREAM UNTIL REM(RAPID EYE MOVEMENT)AND IM SKIPPING THAT STEP WHICH IS COMMON WITH NARCOLEPSY.
I HAVE LIVED WITH THIS TERRIFING DISORDER FOR MANY YEARS AND IT SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE SO IF ANY OF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING THIS PLEASE GET HELP CAUSE IVE LET IT GO FOR SO LONG AND NOW ITS TO THE POINT THAT ITS TAKING OVER MY LIFE. IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO TALK OR NEEDS ADVICE ON THIS PLEASE RESPOND. I WILL GIVE YOU ANY KIND OF INFO I CAN.