Well I was going to post in the thread I had started about experiences with Neurologists, but thought a new post might be better.

I went thru alot a lot the tests that people had told me about in that thread, but am thoroughly in awe of what we came up with.....

After the written, verbal and funky knee banging, vibrating tool on my head....he decided I may have narcolepsy....I said oooookkkkkaayyy.

He explained to me why he thinks it may be that and suggested we address that issue before we explore more with the ADD.

So now this is the kicker.....instead of doing all the expensive tests for narcolepsy, sleep apnea and alot of other big words...he wants me to try

PROVIGIL

Ok, I do not have a problem with that, because all the reading I have done....Provigil is being marketed as help for Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy, ADD, and a lot of other problems including Altzheimers.

So what do ya all think???

Wow, thats interesting! Were you surprised? I was going to say if the medication helps than in the whole scheme of things it doesn't matter so much if its ADD or something else. --- I guess anyways. I don't know much about necolepsy. Is that a chronic condition too? It would be nice if he dx'd you with something fixable.

Search on here for provagil and modanafil (the generic name for provagil). Some people do get relief from it, but it's not the first thing one would try for ADD, usually.

Check with the DMV about narcolepsy. You can run into trouble with in terms of keeping your driver's license ...in which case, you may want to go through all the expensive tests to confirm the diagnosis. Check the FAQ's here:
http://www.charityadvantage.com/narcolepsynetwork/MoreFAQs.asp

(this had a really idiotic version of something someone already said, I'm sorry)


Chrys

Check with the DMV about narcolepsy. You can run into trouble with in terms of keeping your driver's license ...in which case, you may want to go through all the expensive tests to confirm the diagnosis. Check the FAQ's here:
http://www.charityadvantage.com/narcolepsynetwork/MoreFAQs.asp
I didn't check the website, but I know your advice is right on because for example in some states if you have epelepsy(sorry it's been a long day) if you've had a seizure in the past 1-2 yrs you aren't allowed to get your Drivers License renewed & if you have on your medical records a "diagnosis" of Narcolepsy you could run into the same problem. Back a few yrs ago when the deadline for HIPPA to be law came up, you signed a form & on that form it does state that your dr has to give information that "might" affect your well being or the well being of others and/or the public in general. And even though your dr isn't necessarily gonna pick up the phone & call the DMV, there is more than likely someone in his office that part of their job is to do things like that. In some states it not being released could result in the dr being held liable to an extent if you were to fall asleep while behind the wheel & injure (or worse) yourself and/or anyone else.

I don't know what your relationship is like with this dr, but if I were you I would get a copy of my Medical Records from his office....with HIPPA the cost has gone way down so it might be $5.00 give r take a few $. If insurance was filed, that diagnosis could have been written down I totally agree with "gingagirl" get the rest of the testing done. If u do have Narcolepsy it will end up on record anyway & if u don't have it .....now is the best time to get things straightened
out.

The Specialist that diagnoised me was also the dr the 3 of my 6 kids that have ADD saw & 4 r 5 yrs before my "offficial" diagnoises we were talking durning one of the kids appointments...hubby was diagnoised as a child, put on meds & 1 day decided he didn't want to take them anymore & threw them away...he was in the 6th grade at the time, when we got to talking about me the dr said there is 1 very simple way to find out take one of the kids Ritalin, if u have ADD u will know probably within an hour or 2 because of the difference you will notice. I don't recommend this to anyone but with the "facts" this dr already had in regards to family history, ect + I have a medical/legal background & he knew I had read all there was to read on Ritalin at that time......when I started reading the info I didn't need glasses after a few months I couldn't read without them.
BlessedLady

Um, well--that depends, though. You also have to check on

*whether a state demands that a doc report seizures,
*what they consider to be of concern--some don't worry too terribly much about petit mals, esp with a doc's recommendation that it's ok
and
*whether they consider nocturnal seizures (while you're sleeping but not during the daytime) to be an issue in giving you a license.

Sorry, just had to point that out. In Iowa, they yank it for 6 mo. Actually, they didn't so much yank it as I just, well, followed the code and didn't drive for 6 months, which would be a heck of a lot easier than going through a mess if something happened. (And a bit easier than formally reporting it, getting it yanked, then getting it back.)

I think it was 6 months in Arkansas, too, but I can't remember for sure. I believe they have all the state listings @ www.epilepsy.org (http://www.epilepsy.org/).

I know we're talking about narcolepsy, and not epilepsy, but both have driving restrictions due to fear of sudden loss of consciousness, so I figured I'd give input.

Chrys

Well I was going to post in the thread I had started about experiences with Neurologists, but thought a new post might be better.

I went thru alot a lot the tests that people had told me about in that thread, but am thoroughly in awe of what we came up with.....

After the written, verbal and funky knee banging, vibrating tool on my head....he decided I may have narcolepsy....I said oooookkkkkaayyy.

He explained to me why he thinks it may be that and suggested we address that issue before we explore more with the ADD.

So now this is the kicker.....instead of doing all the expensive tests for narcolepsy, sleep apnea and alot of other big words...he wants me to try

PROVIGIL

Ok, I do not have a problem with that, because all the reading I have done....Provigil is being marketed as help for Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy, ADD, and a lot of other problems including Altzheimers.

So what do ya all think???
It's VERY simple to determine whether his diagnosis is correct or now. Simply ask yourself, can you do "fun" things without falling asleep? Meaning, can you sit down and play a video game (or something else you like) for hours on end, without getting tired? If the answer is yes, then you do not have narcolepsy. It's easy to say someone has narcolepsy when you have them take a battery of written tests; they would put ANYONE to sleep.

I fail to see how a diagnosis can be made without fully addressing other issues first such as nutrition, exercise, etc.

Gonna have to go with Chadwick on this...hate to be a stick-in-the-mud, but...the process of determining the diagnosis is a bit more complex than that, Ozone.

Gonna have to go with Chadwick on this...hate to be a stick-in-the-mud, but...the process of determining the diagnosis is a bit more complex than that, Ozone.
I don't think Chadwick was responding to me, rather I think he was responding to the initial poster and the neurologist's diagnosis. Why? Because nutrition and exercise have almost nothing to do with whether or not you fall asleep playing a video game compared to falling asleep while doing homework.

We'd really have to ask Chadwick whether you or I understood him correctly--we both seem to have interpreted it differently. However, I do think Chadwick may have been responding to you. Either way, a few issues should be more fully adressed in response to the diagnostic opinion you provided in your initial post.

Inquiries about a patient's general diet and exercise is a basic part of an initial assessment, and also key in forming a diagnosis and, often, a treatment plan most appropriate to a particular patient.

You are correct...they have nothing to do with one another. One is a matter of medicine, the other, psychology. Your idea could, however, be integrated into the questions a practitioner may ask the patient during the complicated process of differential diagnosis, to determine whether they feel the patient has Narcolepsy or a disorder/illness which coincidentally shares the characteristics of Narcolepsy.

At any rate, this issue is not generally addressed initially…when one is given a form to fill out the first time they see a new neurologist, questions of a medical nature will most often appear at or near the top of said form. Examples could be:

"Do you consume alcoholic beverages? Y / N If “yes,” please describe as applicable:
Number of drinks consumed per day___ week___month___...”


"Do you exercise? Y / N If “yes,” how frequently do you exercise? Number of times per day ___ week ___ month ___ Please describe your exercise regimen..."

Even if, for whatever reason, inquiries of a medical nature are not asked at the top/beginning, I’d venture to guess that they would certainly come before something like:


"Do you fall asleep when you're bored out of your mind? How frequently? Y / N Number of spells per day ___ week ___ month ___ What activity induces such boredom? Please explain..."


(If such a question appeared at all, that is.)


I daresay only an experienced medical professional would make such a bold statement with the candor and confidence you presented in your first post. Hey, from what I've heard, the malpractice insurance rates are just horrid these days. :faint: But hey, at least you're not in Obstetrics, right?

All kidding aside...in deciding on a diagnosis of Narcolepsy, docs tend to take a medical history. Verbally, not just on a battery of written tests.

If they could or did simply ask:

"...can you do "fun" things without falling asleep? Meaning, can you sit down and play a video game (or something else you like) for hours on end, without getting tired?", the office might as well be replaced with a convenient drive-through window, or perhaps an automated touch-tone diagnostic hotline.

I don't think Chadwick was responding to me, rather I think he was responding to the initial poster and the neurologist's diagnosis. Why? Because nutrition and exercise have almost nothing to do with whether or not you fall asleep playing a video game compared to falling asleep while doing homework.

@KnittingJunkie
I do respect your opinion, but remember I'm not trying to diagnose what she "does" have, but instead show what she "doesn't" have. There is quite a big difference there. Why? Well, it's always easier to disprove something than to prove something.

Let's say the doctor diagnoses you with Cancer. To form this conclusion, the doctor will have to prove (in his mind) that you don't instead have Chicken Pox, Aids, ADD, etc. The reason making a diagnosis is so hard and left only to doctors is because he must figure out why you don't have a million other ailments instead of the one he is picking.

But the process of disproving something (in this case the doctor's diagnosis) is much simpler. Disproving something merely requires showing why you don't have that one ailment. That is why non-doctors like us can easily disprove a diagnosis.

So here is how we can prove whether someone "does not" have a particular condition:

If (someone has condition X) --> then (symptom Y is present)
This means...
If (symptom Y is not present) --> then (they don't have condition X)

nar·co·lep·sy
n. pl. nar·co·lep·sies
A disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrollable, though often brief, attacks of deep sleep, sometimes accompanied by paralysis and hallucinationsNarcolepsy is sudden and uncontrollable. That is essentially saying that a person that has narcolepsy is going to experience those symptoms suddenly (without warning) and their onset is uncontrollable (you can't prevent them from occuring). I interpret that to mean one who has narcolepsy won't know when they will fall sleep (it could happen when doing something fun or something boring) and they can't prevent it from happening (doing only fun things won't stop them from falling asleep).

So, using the formula:
If (DeltaDawn has Narcolepsy) --> then (she often falls asleep doing fun things)
This means...
If (DeltaDawn doesn't often fall asleep doing fun things) --> then (she doesn't have Narcolepsy)



So again, if I was trying to diagnose DeltaDawn (which I never would because I'm not a doctor) then I would use a battary of tests and many questions, not just one question because I would have to prove to myself why she didn't have a million other problems. But when trying to show what someone does not have, it can in fact be done with a single question if that question disproves that one condition.