Monday, December 22, 2008

the verdict is in...

... and I have narcolepsy.

The nurse at the Sleep Center called me this morning to let me know my results.  Out of the five naps I took, the average time it took me to fall asleep was 5.2 minutes.  Apparently anything less than eight minutes is abnormal.  (Who knew?)  Also, I entered dream sleep in four out of five naps.  Which means that I definitely have narcolepsy.  The doctor is prescribing me the drug Provigil, which is a stimulant I will take every morning to help me remain alert throughout the day.  It should not stop me from being able to fall asleep at night, which is good.  I have a packet of scientific information about the neurochemistry of the drug, which I have been meaning to read.  I should probably get around to doing that sometime.  I am going in tomorrow to pick up a one-week sample of the drug and hopefully I will get to talk to the doctor, because I would like to ask him some questions.  For example:  will the condition get worse throughout life?  (I sincerely hope not.)  Anyways, that's all I know for now.  I am pretty bummed out that I have to start taking medicine because I have never had to take it before.  I will probably forget a lot... 

4 comments:

Liz said...

Who knows how this has been holding you back. You're probably going to be the genius of the class now.

Anonymous said...

Wait... Maybe I should get tested for narcolepsy, too! I want to be smart!!!

Pooh-Bah said...

Wait... Maybe I should get tested for narcolepsy, too! I want to be smart!!!

sharon said...

bummer, allison! but there's great meds and you are going to start acing stuff at school. at least you know now why you can't stay awake... the rest of us just need to drink more coffee? :) have a merry christmas and try and stay warm!