Question 4

4.) What kind of an affect has narcolepsy had on your work life? How did employers respond to your daytime tiredness? What was it like not knowing you have narcolepsy and trying to convince your employer that you are a valuable employee? Are there any specific work related incidents that you would be willing to share?

I have lost every job I have ever had due to narcolepsy. Unfortunately most of my employers have let me go due to my daytime tiredness. Not knowing I had narcolepsy led me to wonder why I am not able to keep up like other people do. I tried everything from diet to sleeping in my work clothes so I wouldn't be late in the morning but nothing helps. I often agreed with employers that my inability to maintain a proper work place pace of learning or performing job functions was a problem and sometimes I would just quit knowing that eventually I would be fired.

In one incident which led to me being placed on a permanent disability pension I fell asleep on a ladder at work while holding a light torch. The torch flame spread into the wall of the building I was working on and soon the whole wall was on fire. It took many employees with many buckets of water to finally put the flame out and save the building.

When my employee asked me what had happened I didn't know what to say. I fell asleep but I couldn't remember exactly what had happened and I wasn't able to talk due to cataplexy so he fired me. That was the last time I ever held a job.