Living with Narcolepsy

Hello everyone!
I am a 24 year old male. I became aware that I was having true sleep issues during my college years. I would fall asleep in every class! It did not matter what time it was, where it was, what I did right before class, what I ate before class, how much sleep I had. Approximately ten minutes into class, my head was bobbing off my desk.

I initially thought I was just a tired young man. It did not help that my freshman year I had a college roommate who slept from 4AM -4PM, five days a week.

I assumed I was tired from living the college life, working out, playing on the University’s baseball team, studying, etc.
Half way through my sophomore year I found myself on the bench of my collegiate baseball game. The next thing I knew my teammate was slapping on the arm because my head was about to roll off my neck. He said, “Dude, you must have been out partying late last night. You were passed out.” I replied, “No, I actually was in bed at 9PM.” I was telling him the truth, I had not reason to lie about that, it was a very important divisional baseball game.

The game continued and after I chased a bunch a foul balls I figured I was good to go for the rest of the game. Two innings later, another teammate of mine that was walking by yells “wake your ass up.”

Not knowing where I was or what I was doing I immediately jumped up and tried to get a handle on what I was doing.
These incidents really upset me. How could I be falling asleep during the game that I loved and worked so hard for. I called my mother when I got back to my apartment that night. I told her what had been going on for years in class and know what was happening at the baseball diamond. She agreed that it was odd and said we will inquire a sleep doctors opinion.

The doctor said that it took me an average of 30 seconds to reach REM during my narcolepsy nap tests. I was given Provigil and Amphetamine Salts to begin taking to help promote wakefulness. It took me a while to get used to the medicine but now my body is dependent on it. If I do not take my medicine within an hour of my “regular” time my body slows down and start to feel like crap.

I did not finish my baseball career in college because my coach decided to mandate study hours for the whole team. I was not in any jeopardy of needing study hours. I had a 3.3 GPA. I thought this was totally unfair because I earned my way to being “exempt” from study hours.

During study hours we were not allowed to sleep, leave, anything. The worst part of it all was that it was right after practice. It happened to be the first night of “team study hours,” I fell asleep after practice by accident. I was so tired: I had practicum for student teaching at a local middle school that took all day, went to baseball practice, then had to get right to study hours.

The next day, he called me over and started to question my attendance. I told him that I had fallen asleep and when I awoke it was just about over. By the time, I got to the library the study hours would have been long over. He did not believe me. He continued to raise his voice in front of the whole baseball team that was listening inside the dugout. He went on telling me that because of my facial expressions the day he announced that he was implementing team study hours he knew I was not going to be in attendance. I tried telling him that this was not the case. Of course, I was trying to explain without using Narcolepsy has an excuse. Coach still did not accept my story. He was now yelling at the top of his lungs. He said, “Why don’t you take your glove and hop into bed and go catch up on your sleep. You are becoming a cancer to our team.”

**Let me clarify my relationship with my coach. I kept to myself for the most part. I enjoyed all my teammates and we hung out together but I never wanted to get in trouble because that would jeopardize my teaching certification. I always went out of my way to help the team and coaches. Coach and I never had negative relationship/arguement before this day. I was actually cut from the baseball team my freshman year but he told me if I continued to work hard and play baseball I had potential. I made the team the following year. For Coach to be “displaying” me as an example in front of the team did not make sense. His son, who played on our team, was cited for a DWI. He continued to play and start for the duration of the collegiate season. There were a bunch of other incidents that occurred that year. My one absence from study tables was a minor issue.**

I truly regret making the mistake of telling the Coach that I was narcoleptic. I wish I never did. I still remember the comments he made to me immediately after I told him. He said that, “I was not to be the one driving the team vans this year.”

For those wondering, I declared the sleep disorder with the special services department at the University before the start of that school year. Coach should have known this by checking his player school schedules and records. He had not idea of what I had declared. I felt as if I would be helping him out if something where to become an issue or serious incident.

I graduated from school with my Bachelor’s Degree in Health and Physical Education. I am currently teaching Physical Education. I love my job and I thank the Lord that I have not put anyone else’s lives at risk while they are around me. I have lost a lot of my close friends because they have become sick of me using the excuse that I can not drink heavily and stay up all night with them because of my “routines.”

My fiancee that I have been dating since high school has been a tremendous support and friend during everything that has changed my life in the last three years. I am proud that I graduated from college. I am still sore about my baseball issues and my professors that never said one word to me while I was passed out in their classes. To think that if I was a Professor and knowing that this student is investing thousands of dollars in his/her education. I would at least take a minute out of my life and pull the student aside and see if I could be of any assistance to them.

I hope I had some type of influence on anyone reading this. I have learned a lot from all of the previous postings that I have read. Take care keep trying everything you can.