Sleep Attack

Something new has joined the multitude of problems associated with Parkinson's, sleep attacks. Kind of funny for a guy with insomnia, it could be a side effect of the Ropinerol(Requip), which can cause fatigue and drowsiness, or Parkinson's related narcolepsy. This is a very scary one for me. It has caused me to all but quit driving, and make working in the shop a bit uncomfortable.

It comes on very fast and it doesn't matter if I'm tired or not. As far as I can make  out it has nothing to do with fatigue. All of a sudden my muscles just go limp and I drop. It has happened at the table, just sitting there and bam, I start to collapse. So far it seems to startle me and Icatch myself, but that is just the start and I need to lay down quickly because it continues for a while. This morning i was in my shop, doing some wood carving, just sitting on my shop stool and I felt myself going limp. Just a brief feeling, I caught myself but that was it, I had to quit. Headed up stairs to lay down, my son called we were talking and.I was laying down. I had a very hard time following the conversation, next thing I know the phone is ringing and.he's calling me back. He thought we were disconnected. I guess I went to sleep.

The sleep doesn't last long normally, and it isn't restful at all, everything just goes black. Needless to say it is scary. What if the next time it's stronger and I'm at a power tool, or on the steps. What if I were driving, so many what If's. I called my neurologist, he said after I get my cpap machine and sleep better I'll ok. But be careful driving. I have never slept well and this is not caused by being tired, it may be caused by meds but I don't believe it is. I hope he's right because this may be th most debilitating thing to happen yet.