Narcolepsy is only one of many conditions
As a child of approximately 6 years old, I began having migraines. I didn’t know what they were, even though many in my family had them, including my parents and grandparents. By the time I was in my 20s, I would drive myself to the ER, where they would administer meds, leave me in a dark room to sleep off the meds, then drive myself home some 6-8 hours later. That would be unheard of today.
I was then diagnosed with Lupus. It turned out to be Silent. It just lays dormant in my body. My Mom’s was rampant, but I really never knew it was there.
Next, I was diagnosed with Antiphospholipid Syndrome. This is a blood disorder. The only take away for me was that I had had an early-term miscarriage years earlier but never knew why ~ I was told it was because of this blood disorder. This was in the early 90s. I think they’ve made progress in that field now.
Then came the Arthritis and Fibro diagnoses. Those took a while to obtain. Fibro is a diagnostic diagnosis. No blood test. In the 2000s, it was considered a trash can Disease and many said it was all in our heads. In fact, many were sent to psych wards before diagnosis. Tragic.
I really don’t remember when my Narcolepsy symptoms started because I think they were so tied into pain medication for my other conditions. As a chronic pain patient, I developed a high tolerance for pain meds. So if I was tired or sleepy from time to time, I assumed it was because of the meds. I finally realized that falling asleep in the middle of conversations, while standing up, in the shower, while eating, driving, and sleeping through 10 alarm clocks just wasn’t normal. I went for tearing and was shocked to learn that I had Narcolepsy. I had never even heard of it.
When there is one autoimmune connective tissue disease, there are usually at three. I have at least 30 various diagnoses. I can’t even remember them all.
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