Narcolepsy and cataplexy.. how do you deal with everyday life? serious answers only please!?

I was diagnosed about 4 yrs ago and was just wondering how others deal with N and C. What do you say when people find out? What scares you more. N or C attack in public?
How are you treated at work? Are you afraid you'll lose your job because of N? Can you still work?
If your not "legally" disabled(never applied for/received government disability)and working does your employer have to "accommodate" according to the disability laws? IE have a place for you to zone out if needed? Or do you have to be deemed disabled before the laws apply ? What if your Dr gave you a RX for naps.. would the employer have to by law provide you with a place to take a nap? could he fire you because your not legally disabled?
Just some things I worry about.. like if I had a C attack and hurt my self at work can I get workman's comp? ( lots of hard dangerous things like the cement floor, corner of a desk)

I guess you've never heard of the ADA huh..
thanks for picking me up but they DO have a responsibility for reasonable accomidation!
http://www.eeoc.gov/types/ada.html
I was waondering do I have to be leaglly deemed disabled before then have to.

don't listen to the mo-mo who says it isn't something employers have to deal with. they have NO clue what they're talking about.

i would check with an attorney who is well-versed in ADA & disability laws. having a disorder that falls under the ADA's disability list and being legally disabled/not being able to work (by filing for SSD) are two different things. my understanding has always been that you just need to be diagnosed with a disability for it to fall under ADA protection, not that you have to be getting social security for it. there are many varying degrees of disabilities like narcolepsy so while you might not be severe enough that you can no longer work, you might still have symptoms severe enough that you need reasonable accomodations from your employers. **your employers, just to note, cannot determine if you are severe enough to need help at work. only you can do that, so don't let a boss tell you that your case isn't bad enough to qualify for ADA laws.**

as for worker's comp, that i'm not sure about. my own belief is that it wouldn't qualify as N is a pre-existing condition for you & not something brought on by your work. regardless of what the actual injury is, it would be caused by narcolepsy. but i could certainly be wrong in this aspect. it would be interesting to know so i think i'll go check into it too.

i have indeed lost jobs due to it, but frankly i have never fought to get them back. figured if my bosses were that awful to let me go in the first place, it wasn't where i wanted to continue working anyway. i have also not been hired because of it too - who wants to hire someone who was sleeping in the office waiting for the interview to start?? all in all, yes, there could be much worse things to have, but there aren't many that affect as many areas of your life as narcolepsy does.

personally, i worry more about cataplexies in public than sleep attacks. (i assume that's what you meant when asking which would be worse in public, as you have N no matter where you are. figured you were asking which symptoms were more worrisome.) cataplexies hit me quicker & with less warning than sleep attacks so i have less time to prepare for them. however, after this much time with N, i have learned well how to control the emotions that bring mine on.

most people are pretty good about it when i tell them i have it - they are more curious than anything else, as most of their understanding of the disorder is based on deuce bigalow. i've fallen asleep during lots & lots of activities, but it's never been quite like that movie portrayed, thank god, lol. only bad thing is that many people don't understand just how much it influences all aspects of your life, so they can sometimes be insensitive when something happens that affects them. (i.e. you don't make it to the movie with a friend because you fell asleep.)

good luck!

Employers do not have to have anything special for any person with a disability or condition. Your condition is your condition not your employers or the bus driver or teacher or whomever. My best friend's husband had narcolepsy servery. people would stop and stare if he feel asleep at the store or dentist, but he wore medical ID and after awhile it became second nature to deal with for us. At diners or restaurants, doctors, cars whatever, we would just advise of his condition and people were wonderful. If they couldn't help, they would just back off and go on with what they were doing. Disability depends on your State so you need to find out. News flash for the good, I'm not scared of you, most people aren't. Tell them what's wrong, what happens and how to help you. You're still you, they need to hold the conversation until you're back, that's all. It's OK, honest. :) O ya..and we will try not to let you fall on something hard,(figurativly too) but we'll always pick you up...Emil's employers had zero responsibilities to him and his wife fought it in court and fought it until she lost. We are in California and I don't know where you are. It's been 19 years for them and there has been no relief. I'll rephase we will pick you up, meaning we will always help when we can, those of us who have lives effected by this understand, and you aren't alone, maybe your State is different. and no none of us know what the ADA is, but we do know what no is

wow

I think it depends on where you live what rules and laws apply