Lily - I am so sorry that you found yourself in this situation. You can't be falling asleep while driving for your own safety and the safety of others. How scary!

It is time to have a sit down with the family. Grandma needs to understand that you are chronically ill and need to rest. Mom needs to figure out a way to get home,so you are not driving under these circumstances. This is about setting boundaries that are respected. If Grandma needs errands run, either she waits until you can do some or all of them. Or, she figures out another option if there is an immediate need. Calling you repeatedly is IMHO rude. It should have occurred to her after maybe the third time, that you were simply not up to it.

This is about respecting your limits - both you and them. Not getting enough rest can, among other things, trigger a flare. Once a flare starts, it can last a couple of days, a week, weeks or even months. I understand the ugly crying which is a product of sheer desperation to be left alone so you can rest. And, then getting so agitated that it is impossible to sleep. It is important that you communicate your needs to your family and that they listen and adjust their expectations.

I hope that you can get this sorted out. Take care.

Everything Fantod said. <3

I usually wouldn't break down about doing the absolutely necessary things. I'd break down when I was doing something that I didn't dare say no to even when my body screamed at me that it's impossible. When a panic attack looms, I start cancelling. My chronic illness doesn't care about social niceties, so if I'm going to be happy in my limited health, I need people to understand that they can't have "regular" expectations of me.

Sorry you're struggling with the fatigue. Take care.

I agree with fantod. And I have completely done this for like the past 7 months lol. I have always had insomnia but after a week or so I'd get a night or two of really good restful sleep. This was my cycle until family sent me into a flare. Well I guess I did it because I'm a ppl pleaser and I wasn't blunt enough about how I was feeling but anyway I had all I could handle and it sent me into a 7 month flare. I tried to be functional but would fall asleep doing things, I was irritated all the time, couldn't keep commitments, felt like I was in a haze (vertigo, nausea and brain fog) and was frustrated and depressed because I couldn't stay awake. I have been feeling better for a few days and I learned my lesson. I let my family know that I couldn't handle any more drama because it gives me severe anxiety and that I wasn't as reliable as I used to be. I turn my phone on silent when I lay down and put in ear plugs. I don't answer the phone unless I know I can handle what's going on on the other end. After a while they got the picture. My family is a bit nutty and love drama. I like a calm environment so I did what was best for my situation because talking didn't help but you definitely need to talk to them and emphasize how important good sleep is. You have to take care of you! Hope you're feeling better:)