I was working for a company that had a point system for attendance and if you came in even one minute late you were given a point. At a certain number of points you were terminated. I was getting points every day and my boss was coming at me with policy books telling me if I was late three more times he'd have to fire me. I explained why I couldn't drive when I get stuck in traffic or anything that made me feel i was going to be late and my anxiety would kick in causing cataplexy which was only getting worse because of this attendance policy and his response was to tell me that I needed to call him when this happened and why didn't you tell me this before. I had to explain that I was not one to use my issue as an excuse and tha last time I told my employer they figured out a way to get rid of me after working for them almost 30 years. He was the first to actually attempt to understand but I have family members that tell me I'm faking it. I just tell them to Google it and if I am faking it I must be a master of manipulation because I can change my brainwaves and force myself to have a sleep latency result of 90 seconds. Then I tell them I don't need their opinions because I have the opinion of the expert and their opinion is just like something else we all have. 🙂

These are also the type of people who believe chem trails and vaccines cause autism. If they don't believe actual scientific evidence, let them be willfully ignorant. You and your doctor and people who really matter know that its a real disorder and that's all that matters.

Yes my husband doesn't believe l have it .Even do l was diagnosed with narcolepsy he thinks l am just resting and being lazy

One day my oldest son was visiting. We were headed somewhere and I told him he would have to drive. He chuckled, "okay mom." When I had trouble getting into the truck because I was having a rough day managing my body, he believed me and has been supportive ever since.

Unfortunately my 2nd husband did not believe me and said if I wanted to get up and get to work or church I could and would reference days that I was able to get a lot done as his proof. When I got my diagnosis, he wasn't much more empathetic. Soooo, he became a part of my past! Some people won't ever understand because they choose not to. Focus on the ones that are supportive.

If I had been able to access a community of support such as this website provides, I might have been a lot happier. When I was first diagnosed, the only website of support available was so depressing, I stopped going there. Everyday, unhappy Narcoleptics would describe the mess and failure Narcolepsy had wrought in their lives. Everyone was fairly hopeless and there weren't the doctors or resources out there that we have today.

Living with Narcolepsy is NOT a stroll in the park: it is difficult. I encourage everyone in our family of Narcoleptics to use this website as a platform for survival, as well as hope that everyone understands that living with Narcolepsy keaves the Narcoleptic with a critical need for mental help therapy. I had a wonderful psychiatrist for many, many years (nearly 20!). Not only did he get me on a regimen of anti-depressants: he was my "therapist". I realize that there aren't too many psychiatrists available who will address medication needs AND be the vehicle for the updated term of "Talk Therapy". But, there exists a pool of wonderful psychologists who are well-equipped and ready to help you work through the issues that most of us know -- all to well -- exist.