The vast majority of people who follow me probably already know but I figured I'd make a post for anyone else to see.

I'm all but certain I've developed T1 Narcolepsy over the last few years, and I unfortunately rolled a nat 1 on even the rare condition because the main symptom, cataplexy, lasts for full on days. The condition is apparently called status cataplecticus, and while most medical journals describe it as coming from suddenly stopping SSRIs and similar medications... Well, I haven't. I've consistently been on them for a long time.

While it doesn't cause full-on immobilization, it does make caring for myself practically impossible, as it's strongest in my legs, and even on a good day I have to be careful or they're likely to buckle under me. I'm on a stimulant (as I was diagnosed with ADHD earlier this year) and it helps tremendously with the daytime drowsiness, as they're also prescribed for narcolepsy too - and I think it's supposed to help with the cataplexy. The spells of it sure are worse on days I have to skip, so...

But that's not the worst part of it, because of course not.

My memory was already terrible, and on the worst days it's seen fit to just straight up delete actual chunks of time from my memory. Generally it's hours that slip, but the first week or two of September is completely gone for me, and that's AFTER the update to Adderall from Focalin. I also vivid dream all the time, and while they're mostly nonsense or bizarre, a lot of them are still just close enough to feeling real that I've had actual problems determining what actually happened vs what was just a dream.

It feels like I've developed dementia vastly early in life and I hate it.

I finally managed to get a consultation with a sleep doctor from the VA, and that's in a few weeks - I'll update again as things go and hope I get properly diagnosed. Unsurprisingly, I cannot work or safely drive, and I've been in severe financial trouble, so even having the chance to get on disability or something is the only lifeline I can hope for at this point.