Narcolepsy Support Group

well i can get mad easier than i used to and seem to have alot less patience, i think its just that we get so tired and exhausted we dont tolerate many things. I dont think anyone can understand what N is like unless you have it. For me its not just a tiredness its tiredness x10 every day plus fatigue and feeling unwell and weak with it. I cant speak for how others feel but this is me. vonny x x

For someone with narcolepsy to go to school and work full time is amazing. That would be exhausting for a non-N. So I am not surprised that she is moody. There are all kinds of things that can cause moodiness like her meds, her diet (aspertaine makes me very moody), dealing with being diagnosed with a chronic disease, just plan feeling lousy and about a hundred other things. Any chance you could go with her and talk to her doc? And yes, many people here talk about feeling emotions stronger and/or being more irritable... but uncharacteristic moodiness is something that should be discussed with her doc. -my 2 cents =-D

I hear what you are saying but it is just really hard when everything i do some how it gets her mad and her mood changes. Now if i wait an hour or 2 she is nice again. She does so many impusive things and i cant tell her anything because she just thinks she is right about everything.So i try to avoid her so we dont have to argue.i know that aint good but she is so stubborn and i feel like she uses the narcolespy to be mean. she didnt used to be this bad.Some one driving slow can set her off.Asking her to say something again cuz i didnt hear her sets her off. its just really hard.

I work full time also, I did go to school part time at night at the same time about two years ago too. That was before my official diagnosis, but I still had all the same symptoms. It was very hard for me to do...I have two children and that made it all the more crazy.

Like Marilyn said, that would be exausting for a normal perosn! With N it is about 10x worse. We are always tired and pretty much feel like we have been awake for 3 days straight EVERYDAY. It is hard not to be cranky or just plain rude or mean....that said, we do have the "bad" days too and then (at least for me) I am sure it is even worse.

It was very hard for me when my husband was unemployed (it did happen for about 1/2 the time I was working and going to school) because every little thing was magnified for me and seemed to set me off a lot easier. Example: when he was working, I tended not to mind the little things as much, him helping less w/ housework or failing to pick up his clothes etc. When he was not working it drove me nuts and made me very moody because I was thinking that he was able to do it when for me, it was one more thing I had to do after working my behind off while he did not.

He did not intentionally do these things to make me work more, most likely did not even think about it or realize it to be a big deal... I on the other hand, did realize it and it was a big deal to me. I constantly thought that because I was working and going to school that he should be doing everything else. Not only did I expect him too, I wanted it done with effort and as good as I would be able to if that is the only job I had. This caused many fights and him to think I was mad at not getting my way...and for me to constantly look at everything he was not doing and resent him for it.

It took time, communication, and work on both our parts. Not easy to do for either of us. We had to redefine some of the roles because it had never been established in this situation. I had to let go of some of the not so important things and he had to step up to doing better at the bigger ones.

Your girlfriend may just be stressed and tired and overwhelmed, when she sees you appearing to be without these problems, it only adds to it. Try talking to her and asking what is making her the most upset, then really try to work on it. Communication is the key to any relationship, it lets you both see how each other feels instead of guessing the cause of anger after the fact.

Even when my husband does things I can not stand, if I see the effort was real, I tend not to make it such a big deal.

Just my thoughts and opinions. Hope you both can feel better about each other, no one is happy when realtionships are stressful.

As well as totally agreeing with everything said above which i can totally relate to, i'd like to add a little more: i really struggle with coping with changes to my routine or if something crops up last minute, because it makes it so much harder to plan sleepy times, naps, meds, meals, etc.

It's a struggle enough coping with the regular routine, and my goodness what a busy routine your partner has, but to throw a spanner in the works too could just tip me over the edge.

It's sometimes a difficult thing to do, swapping roles, anyway, even relationships and motherhood can be stressful in their own ways without other factors to take into account, but add in a chronic illness of any kind, and it's bound to take some working out.

But it can be worked out, as everyone else has said here, mutual communication and understanding is the key. Work it out now, and hopefully it will help you all for the future.

Let me get this straight, the two of you have a 8 month old, and you knew when you got together that she had N, and you are just now asking about it. I don't mean to sound like a bi--h, just curious as to why it has taken you so long. Now to your question, mood swings are a big part of N,she is worn out, she doesn't feel good, she probally feels bad because she doesn't get to spend enough time with her so, and she most likely resents you being unemployed. In my experience most women with a small child especially feel that the man should be working, and they should be home with the baby. None of this is your fault,but one of the best things you can do for her is to support her no matter what mood she is in. If she isn't on a antidepressant,I would suggest she talk to her dr. about getting on one. Good luck to you both, and I agree with everyone else that talking things out helps, and going to the dr. with her helps too.

Just tell us all how you really feel Cheri!
And I am cconcerned because irritability can be a symptom of depression.
As for you- hang in there...we know if is hard for our significant others to understand things and deal with our changeableness. we all hate getting asked when we will be better or when will will be finished with "all this tired stuff". There are time I want to tell my husband that though meds can make me feel better, they aren't going to magically transform me into the perfect wife.

I've had n since i was 15. I've just restarted taking meds and one of the side effects was mood swings...it acually adv on the leaflet to get some one to monitor your moods as you could suffer moods swings....my husbands comment was "you'd better ask someone else as I cant keep track of the mood swings you already have".

Although I dont like to admit it the top and bottom of it is I'm prone to mood swings, I can be completely happy one minute and the tinyiest thing can set me of. My mood can last anywhere from 5 mins to 5 hours. My hubby now actually now uses the excuse that its my n playing up.

My husband knew of my n before we got married and still sometimes finds it frustrating and hard...especailly after a 12 hour shift when he has to come home and take over the care of our children.

I worked full time for 12 years while raising a family and suffered the exhaustion and fatigue with n and my mood swings were horendous. My evenings and weekends were spent catching up on sleep and then feeling guilty about not spending quality time with either my son or hubby, which made me worse.

I think it is great that you have joined this website and support group and hope you get the help and advise you are seeking. Is your girlfriend a member to?

Okay I apologize if I came off to strong with my 1st post. I just have a hard time with spouses or b\f,g\f not at least trying to understand all they can from the start,maybe because I am one of the lucky ones who does have this support. As far as the rest of the post I was just giving a picture of how she may be feeling, which could explain the mood swings. I will take 20 lash's with a wet noodle now.

Another thing to consider is post partum depression. It's VERY common and can happen up to 2 YEARS after the baby is born. Whatever the cause, if she's unhappy and/or it's affecting your relationship, she should get some help (or maybe both of you?? counseling or something). Anti-depressants might be a miracle for her.

Shelly