I Have Narcolepsy | Ep. Narco | True Life | Full Episode Video

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I Have Narcolepsy

Posted 11/5/11
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Julie and Katie are two young people whose lives revolve around managing Narcolepsy. As they make decisions about medication and relationships, they seek support from their friends and family.

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Kayla (4/7/2013 2:34:19 AM)

damnnn dude everyone's is different isn't it?

Kayla (4/7/2013 2:33:41 AM)

Why didn't he just ask her to take less medecine? mn?

Kayla (4/7/2013 1:58:04 AM)

Why would she fake that anyway? Also about the tourettes thing I have heard so many people call tourettes sufferers fakes.

Sam (4/4/2013 2:15:48 PM)

These people are pathetic and weak. I have narcolepsy with cataplexy and I take medication when I work and go to school. I have this disorder but I don't ***** about it and act like a complete dependant to others. This disorder altered my life but I don't say pathetic things like, "I won't be able to lead a normal life ever." I'm also incredibly active in my life. Also one more thing. Their relationships are affected by it not because they have the disorder but because they use it as a crutch to be lazy *****. And MTV.. Go **** yourself. Thanks

Brandon (1/7/2013 3:38:42 PM)

I have had cataplexy for several years now. The attacks are varied and the results are varied. Not every narcoleptic w/ cataplexy is the same as the other which is why this condition is really hard to pinpoint in terms of treatment. Some folks with cataplexy can't resist and will fall immediately. Some can actually put up a fight for a few seconds. Sometimes the cataplexy isn't that noticeable unless you have a trained eye to see the slouching of the face (most of the time i just get this.. it is rare that I ever fully fall down nowadays, but when I first had it I would collapse a lot.) A person with cataplexy can control their fall if they are standing up because they sometimes have things kicking in (like adrenaline) to get something of your body to move to help you not collapse as hard. It takes CONSIDERABLE effort but it can be done. Keep in mind that this usually starts off as a partial weakness or paralysis then increasingly becomes full blown. Most of the time.. when I fall onto my butt I allow it to just take over and I collapse like I died or something. 000a000aIn short, she isn't faking it. I know why you two would think that she is but she isn't. Cataplexy is one of the most difficult things to get other people to understand about because it simply isn't easy to explain and it varies from person to person. Trust me.. it really really sucks.... and I absolutely hate it when people act like I do it on purpose or something.

SereneDream (1/4/2013 10:41:12 PM)

I have Narcolepsy w/Cataplexy and so does my teenage son. It was nice to see a show about this subject. Wish there was more support, shows, books, anything out there for PWN!

Nycole (1/4/2013 7:38:44 PM)

I have the same suspicion of Julie. If you look at Katy she looses all control. Sorry but having a controlled fall just shows you're a little suspicious.

nevo203 (12/8/2012 10:45:17 PM)

Ellen must be naive. Look up facts about narcolepsy. This is embarrassing for you. People like you are what makes people with any sleep disorder have to continually suffer or seem like we are "making it up" or should possibly just go to bed earlier. HAHA yeah right. Live a day in our shoes when EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE is affected because SLEEP affects every aspect of your life. 000aFunny thing is I am graduating from college that i live away from home (4 hours) and have signed a full time job offer with a prestigious company. Funny how people look down on us. We are STRONG people and deserve more respect.

nevo203 (12/8/2012 10:40:47 PM)

It doest not have to be genetic. No one in my family has narcolepsy. However, I was diagnosed with Mono my freshman year in college and about 3 months later I realized I was so tired i couldn't function. I gained 45 lbs since freshman year of college. After 2 sleep studies, narcolepsy was the cause. However, my dad is an insomniac.

Poptart03 (9/25/2012 9:48:23 AM)

Julie is an attention seeking fake.

j1407 (8/13/2012 2:36:14 PM)

Cataplexy, which is often associated with Narcolepsy, causes paralysis of muscles and muscle weakness. Depending of the severity of the case it can cause dropping of the head and jaw, weakness in the knees, etc. it can cause you to drop things, your muscles to tremble, collapse. Most often, the paralysis of the muscles is slow so when you fall you may be able to cushion yourself a bit. But once you have fallen you will remain paralyzed for 2-5 mins although your'e fully conscious.

mimi (7/26/2012 1:20:17 AM)

I want to punch you in the face right now for being so ignorant and just plain immature. God forbid that one day you realize that you're not perfect and maybe you'll keep your mouth shut. I hope for their sake that if you have children they're perfect.. Otherwise they'll always have the pleasure of dealing with ignorant minds like yourself.

Sara (7/24/2012 2:58:01 PM)

I have narcolespsy with Cataplexy and im only 14 it so hart. But when I fall it looks nothing like that julie chick. In my opion I think julie is faking. the fall's atleast. eith that or she is over dramactic

Julie (6/17/2012 6:45:55 AM)

I'll put my faith into the miracle of the drug companies, thanks :)

Julie (6/17/2012 6:36:30 AM)

Just because your body doesn't react this way to emotion and you don't see it 30 times a day, doesn't mean that it is any less REAL than Bipolar Disorder or Anemia. I just wanted to share this, and I hope you can see that everything you saw on that episode was true, realistic, and absolutely out of my control.

Julie (6/17/2012 6:36:21 AM)

university campus, full of strangers my age and people who have no freaking idea what narcolepsy and cataplexy even are. I will have to explain this I can only hope they will understand and accept it as a part of me.000aCataplexy is your brain temporarily paralyzing your body because it believes you are asleep and doesn't want you to act out your dreams and injure yourself. You can't make an attack worse; that's like saying somebody dramatized their seizure. It doesn't work that way.

Julie (6/17/2012 6:26:08 AM)

that my muscles "gave out" when I laughed.000aBut unfortunately it's 100% true. It's what I have to live with every day. I have to wake up knowing that I will never feel fully awake and take my daily cocktail of medications and constantly remind myself to enunciate my words because cataplexy can slur my speech. I can't even laugh with my friends at the mall or meet new people without struggling against my body's broken instinct to collapse beneath me. And in the fall, I start college at a real

Julie (6/17/2012 6:19:24 AM)

I can see why people who don't have to suffer every day the way that I do would think my falls and constant exhaustion are just a joke put on to amuse MTV viewers and gain attention, but that couldn't be anywhere further from the truth. YEAH, it looks weird and funny when it happens. Can you imagine trying to explain to your doctors and family and friends that one morning you just woke up and felt your knees give out when you laughed? I felt like an idiot going to my pediatrician and telling her

Julie (6/17/2012 6:10:04 AM)

Yes, it's usually brought on during your teen years (about 16, 17) but it can be brought on much younger and even later. There is a gene that narcoleptics test positive to, but diabetics to as well. So there is a genetic component but it's a miniscule one that they don't really understand yet.

Julie (6/17/2012 6:07:05 AM)

Why thank you :) It makes everything I had to go through filming this worth it hearing such understanding and positive comments like this! -Julie

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