Narcolepsy, Dissociation, And Trauma

[Quinn17]

I wake up every day and I'm so confused I don't know what day it is or what time it is sometimes I can't tell if I'm really awake and sometimes I feel like I've already been awake for hours like I remember having conversations but they never really happened.

After some internet research it seems that narcolepsy may share some symptoms with dissociative disorders - I'm wondering if anyone has any personal experience with this. (I've already made an appointment with my Neurologist to discuss my findings)

Also I'm wondering if anyone has had any success with a wake-up strategy or routine. I don't know how to get a handle on this, and I'm missing so many days of work because my day starts off so poorly. I can't miss work! I need to figure out a solution =(

 

[Alfred.Greene]

It has never gotten as bad as your situation. Sometimes it takes me awhile to figure things out though, and I find routines, and written procedures key to my success.

Goal 1: Get to class by such and such time
step 1: this is the junk I need, this is where to find said junk (clothing, backpack, papers, folders, etc etc)
step 2: eat
step 3: Personal stuff, shower or whatever
step 4: leave
So on and so fourth.

I have 2 white boards mounted on the wall. I write down things that I may need to remember. I have used this strategy since I started school as a child. So I don't write anything down I just keep it in my head now.

 

[franciemarnie]

When I was in burn out after a year of extreme sleep deprivation, I would feel disoriented, not know the day or season, start sentences and forget the point over and over and over, repeat myself endlessly and so on. Perhaps you are utterly exhausted. Sleep proved the cure for a lot of it. A lot of sleep, plus I left my crazy workaholic job.

 

[Go Hungry]

This is going to come out of left field but.. What do you eat in the morning? And throughout your day. I was having alot of trouble staying awake, couldn't get moving in the morning despite coffee and cereal, couldn't stay up on game night no matter how much Mt. Dew I drank.. Then got an unrelated blood test and found out I had developed diabetes. 'Sugar crash' but is actually your blood sugar going so high that it makes you sleepy... Not saying you have the Big D but what you eat could be having more of an effect than you think...

 

[Quinn17]

Yes, I left my job last week. Well I didn't leave. I went on disability.

The diabetes is a possible explanation, but I had my blood taken at the endocrinologist a month ago and everything checked out okay.

I'm going to start a day program for trauma soon and I'm hoping they have a doctor I can see. I also made an appointment at the neurologist for Monday so he might have something to say as well.

Now that I'm on disability I don't have to be up for work. I'm much less stressed and I'm sleeping until whenever. So things are a little better this week but I will be interested to see what the doctor/s say