I have to start with your last comment. PLEASE don't drive when you have to force yourself to stay awake. Pull over and nap. Even keep emergency money in your wallet for a hotel. (You probably shouldn't even plan to do long drives by yourself) Nothing is worth risking your life. Better late then dead. And of course I need to mention that you could take others with you. Have nightmares about it-just don't drive when you know you shouldn't-you have a disease. You are ill. I hate making accommodations to my narcolepsy to. But better to give in and give narcolepsy its due. Live to fight it another day

Now about the first. Having a life with narcolepsy. Now I have learned that as our symptoms can present differently our strategies have to be different too. Like I have learned that though taking the classic short nap works for me, people more along the Idiopathic hypersomnia spectrum and some PWN cannot take a short nap and wake up refreshed. When I have an obligation in the evening I make myself take a nap. Even if I am not sure I really slept. It sometimes seems to me I just took a time out with my eyes closed and letting my mind wonder helps. I find 5 hour energy drinks help if I take one before the sleep attack as like a preventative. ( all energy drinks are not alike- 5 hours have B vitamins and Taurine and no sugar) I don't drink alcoholic beverages. Sometimes I have to disappear for 20 minute ( long bathroom break to nap out on a lawn chair, in my car, (if the host is a close friend I may ask where I can discretely snooze). But I really resist calling attention to myself that way. (something I still need to work on) There is a chance it won't work and I will come back in as bad off as I left but there also is a chance I can come back in better and really be there. Sometimes I just have to leave early...That's a bummer, but I realize that I don't hide it as well as would like to think. People can see when I am struggling. Both them and I will feel better if I just go home and go to bed.

As for driving, I've had so many times of fighting sleep. That usually hits me on my way into work or home from work. That's a horrible feeling being that it's such a short drive. I usually call someone to help me wake up. It is not safe for me to pull over between work and home to nap. On that short drive it's safer to fight sleep than fight the person/people that may try to take advantage of a woman alone on the side of the road. (I work for Probation/Parole and my husband's a Detective with the local PD). If I'm on long drives, I try to plan them around times I know I'm the most awake or put off taking my Provigil until closer to my drive. If that doesn't help, I will find a rest area and park under a light (if it's dark) for a quick nap. I also find that just getting out of the car and walking around the rest area sometimes is enough for me to finish my trip. There have also been times I've had to stop at a rest area, thought I was fine, then had to stop at the very next one.

As for social events that's a little more easy for me since I don't really have friends to invite over or to be invited by. It's usually just family and they somewhat understand. So if I say I'm sorry but I'm going to excuse myself for a bit or maybe the night (depending on where we are), they hug me and say okay. I think they then ask my husband, is she okay? Is she going to be alright? My in-laws think I can't hear them...lol. My oldest sister just calls me a Narco, all in fun and I think I started it. (She and I are the closest siblings out of 5). I agree with Marilyn, since symptoms can be so different, it's trying different things and picking the ones that you find work best for you. It's not easy, but I think on this journey, we'll always be figuring out new things that help us get through our days and enjoy life as much as we can.

Work is where I have the most problems with people looking at me funny or telling me I look "bad", was I okay? Most don't know I have N and wouldn't understand if they did. So I've started trying to bring it up in jokes about myself when things are said or post funny little cartoons around my work area on N. It helps me sometimes to try and turn a possible depressing situation into a funny one. It doesn't always work, but sometimes it does.

As I am sure you are painfully aware driving through an N attack is not something that you can win at you only get lucky if you are successful. Pull over, roll the windows down, call someone or whatever works for you but gripping the steering wheel tighter is not going to work for anyone. Off the soapbox now.
As for the friends house I personally don't hide sleep attacks. I will fight through the lighter ones if possible. If I can't I will just tell them I am crashing and let them deal with their feelings about it. If it is too much for them then I don't need to be their friend is the way I see it. After all I have to deal with their bad breath so...

Unfortunately I have had to give up alot lately because of the driving problem. I took time off for my niece's graduation, but couldn't go because it would have involved 5 hours of driving alone not including the time I would spend there and even with my meds and naps I know I am not safe to do that within a day.

I also have to give up going out at night even for a short visit close by if I can't get a ride because my sleepiness is much harder to fight after dark.

My friends know they are always welcome to visit and if I get rides I will go out with them, but if we will be late, I won't go unless it is somewhere that I feel comfortable with people I know to take a nap when I need it. It is a matter of when, not if I will need to sleep.

I am super afraid of driving sleepy. When I was a teenager I would drive home and black out and not remember the drive or going to bed. Then I would have nightmares I was asleep on the highway and about to crash, I couldn't see anything, but I knew any moment I was going to hit something. I would be so terrified because I never knew if I was safe in bed or in the car.

That was about 12 years before I knew I had N, but I did have it then, I think it was automatic behavior, I couldn't remember going to bed, so I really thought I was still on the highway. I guess because of that I am really wimpy about driving tired when I am fairly brave about other things.

I've had several scary incidents while driving in the last year, so I try to take precautions so that I don't drive when there is a possibility of a N attack. I schedule any out of town appointments for early morning and I do not drive any further than from work to home after noon. If I think I may be later than noon returning, I either take someone with me or I reschedule.

Narcolepsy has basically killed my social life and almost my family life as well. After working 8 hours at a high stress job, I barely remain coherent to talk to my kids or husband. I usually have to take a nap as soon as I walk in the door and everybody is ready to go to bed when I get up.

Thanks eveyone.

I've talked with my family and friends and I'll no longer be driving long distances for a while. At least until I've had some time on the Xyrem to help the EDS. My friends have said that if/when we're all hanging out and I start looking like a sleep attack is coming or just getting too sleepy they'll have no problem helping me find a quiet spot to nap for a short bit.

I'm slowly learning that I have to adjust my life to N and not try to adjust my N to my life.

But thank you everyone for your support.