It only fits the criteria by 95%, so I can't get the narcolepsy diagnosisbut I have all 5 of the symptoms
Only within certain boundaries
I certainly can't do road trips anymore, but short distance is alright
Even on my weekly trip to my mother's I stop twice to get out and walk around a bit, make sure I'm still completely capable of going further
Unfortunately a narcolepsy diagnosis requires 100%
Without the diagnosis there's no treatment or potential for applying for disability
The treatment is terrible I think
High grade stimulants are the only option
It's rough, with some of the most damaging side effects
Often people are not aware of them either, which makes it worse
The medications all come with the exact same side effects as their street cousins....including the inevitable loss of teeth
I hope they eventually make changes to the rules, but don't know if they ever will. Disability is only really available for those who are unable to do the treatment
I found out on my own that stimulants cause me to experience psychotic episodes...so I'd likely be able to apply for disability if I'm able to get the diagnosis
Most people who have the symptoms like me all tend to get labeled with a hyper somnia type of thing instead of narcolepsy, if anything less than 100% of the criteria are met
You cannot get treatment or apply for disability without 100%
For me there was only factor that didn't match up, when I was tested in my early 20s
No, 2, that's right....I had all the symptoms and most of everything was the way it should be for diagnosis, but my brain waves were abnormal and I didn't go into the REM phase at all
I'm going to try to find someone who specializes in sleep disorders within the psychiatric population....I think they would be able to assess me correctly
He was not a friendly person at all
Reading comprehension is important....
Sleep disorders like that are not very common, not like insomnia is
That is the most common sleep issue I think. It's rough, I used to have that problem when I was a kid
