Dating With Narcolepsy

The biggest help my partner gives is just been willing to hear me explain what I’m experiencing with narcolepsy both before and after getting my diagnosis and anytime I need to express that it’s worsening or wearing me down. We both have ADHD and Autism as well as having both battled with depression (chronic for me and usually seasonal for him), which I believe makes it easier for him to understand how narcolepsy impacts me in addition to those other pieces. I know he is still putting in significant effort to learn for me, and I can’t imagine how I got so lucky to have him. I have had other partners be understanding to an extent, but never so much as my current partner. He takes afternoon naps with me when we can, and is pretty much always willing to adjust our plans to accommodate my needs. He goes to appointments with me if I ask and he’s available, he offers to make calls on my behalf, and he does little things that are harder for me to do as they come up. The struggle we have is that he has a hard time seeing how much distress my various diagnoses cause me, whether from the symptoms themselves or the ongoing stress of appointments/medications and desparately having to be my own advocate when doctors don’t listen, or don’t understand what’s wrong with me, or of course try to rush me in and out of appointments like I’m just a checkbox on their daily task list that’s now not their problem for a month.

I’d say one of the only saving graces for my narcolepsy is my partner’s support. It’s the doctors, insurance companies, and systems that require a full-time job just to eek by in life that run me over.

Yes

Helping us slow down and take the rest we need. Your partner seeing the tired when no one else can is very validating!

Yes, but it is my newly married life. Some days , I just can’t drag myself out of bed until late afternoon when my patient husband has been up since early. I want to get up and fix breakfast ; I’m amazed when I can get up to prepare lunch for us.