The story of Tera
I’ve always been a sleeper right from birth. My twin sister & I slept a lot as babies which made it easy for her. We were born severely anemic & nearly died at birth. Sleep was my friend. So, it took a long time to recognize there was actually something wrong. As I child, I also had a severe bout of pneumonia that prompted a trip to the hospital with a dangerously high fever. This, I believe, may have been the catalyst that started it (my guess). I didn’t suspect something was actually wrong until I was in my late teens/early twenties. I didn’t suspect narcolepsy until I learned about cataplexy through a news story. I wouldn’t be officially diagnosed until my late thirties. However, looking back over my childhood & life in general, it explained a lot. Imagine someone who was sleepy to begin with, now living with narcolepsy. Each day I push through the tiredness to function at a fairly normal level. However, while my narcolepsy is not a severe case, it definitely affects my quality of life. I skeep, but it’s very disrupted. I never feel rested. It has definitely stolen many moments from my life.
Meet others who understand on the international Narcolepsy community on RareConnect.org: