Is This Ptsd Related, And Have You Heard Of This?

[La La Lu]

I only thought it was PTSD related for 2 reasons... One, it started around the time of my traumatic moment, though I couldn't pin point it to like the next day, it was more like during that year. I know developing it at the same time doesn't mean they are related, but it was a possibility. And Two, it really logically made sense to me with the whole concept of the submissive reaction in the fight/flight theory. In my traumatic moment, my mind went into submissive mode because my options of fight and flight were not good options for my situation. In other words, better to be raped than to get kicked out the military for beating the crap out of some jerk that outranks me. I can imagine this cataplexy is a perfect example of going into submission mode. I feel like my mind is stuck in it. Instead of my natural fight reaction, I now go into a submissive reaction. After reading what I've read on narcolepsy, I believe that might be my case as I have all the major symptoms (cataplexy being one of them). Because nobody knows what causes it, but things like stress and trauma seem to precede it in many cases, I think it's possible I developed it somehow from the rape and/or from having kids back to back like I did.... Actually, the kid scenario is the worst possible scenario on sleep because the first kid I had, the doctor told me to wake her every 2 hours to feed her, so I did. Then she was colicky. Plus I was a military spouse at the time and had duties I had to do and couldn't just let it go like all the stupid pamphlets tell you to do as a new mom. I mean you can't let the house be a mess because they do housing inspections, and the grass had to be HAD TO BE 3 to 4 inches in length, and they actually checked that like 3 times a week (and yes at one point I mowed the lawn pregnant with an infant on my hip, beat that June Cleaver). Anyway, now she has a sleeping disorder. Then I've had more kids after her, and while I don't wake a sleeping baby anymore unless she's gone too long to not eat which has never happened, they seem to like to take turns sleeping on many a night. Unlike 90% of the human population, I don't get much help with the kids. So it could be either cause. Actually, the first time I remember falling asleep while doing a task was long before getting pregnant with my first job after getting out the military. I was putting postage stamps on a stack of receivables and halfway through the job I woke up, checked the envelopes and only like 2 of them had stamps dead center upside down but the rest looked pretty good. While people swear that's normal, it wasn't normal for me at that point.

 

[sea]

I think maybe the reason why you associate it with your trauma is because cataplexy is usually caused by strong emotional connections, often even as a "stress response" to certain things. Trauma is pretty damn emotional, not to mention stressful. Cataplexy is usually associated with the kind of muscular weakness you get when you fall asleep, except it happens in random and illogical circumstances instead of appropriately, when you're supposed to be asleep. The best thing you could probably do is get evaluated with either a neurologist or at a sleep lab, so you can get some assistance with that. I can't imagine how unsafe that would feel. They do have medications that can help with it anyway.

 

[livergirl70]

Omg, that sounds a bit like what the cardiologist was saying to me the other day. He thinks I've got this thing called Vagus Vagal. Apparently there's this nerve called the Vagus nerve that runs from your head to your heart and intestines and other places - I tend to switch off when it gets technical lol. But he said something about laughing, coughing, sneezing and passing out. Might be worth having a look online.