Cataplexy
New Research for Breastfeeding Mothers with Narcolepsy
Guest Contributors: Emily Barker, Ph.D. and Katherine Sharkey, M.D., Ph.D. New research published in the journal Sleep Medicine suggests that lactating women who take Xyrem (sodium oxybate) to treat narcolepsy with cataplexy can time their breastfeeding to avoid exposing nursing infants to elevated levels of the drug in milk (Barker et al., 2017). Data from…
Read MoreToday: Please Ask Your Representative to Co-Sign Narcolepsy Research Letter
Hi friends! I’m so excited to share an amazing opportunity to support critical narcolepsy research THIS WEEK! My Representative, Congressman Schiff of California, is preparing to send a letter to NIH inquiring on the current size, scope, and direction of the narcolepsy portfolio (See Letters). This letter will encourage NIH to support the full spectrum of narcolepsy…
Read MoreUp/Lifted Podcast Featuring Narcolepsy
I’m honored to be the first female guest on the Up/Lifted Podcast this week! Up/Lifted is a cool new podcast hosted by Arin Gragossian about “personal history, pivotal moments, & honest stories. And sometimes lifting massive amounts of weight.” On this show, Arin and I did NOT lift weights, but talked living with invisible chronic health conditions, narcolepsy, Project…
Read MoreWatch Now: Narcolepsy Keynote Presentation with Julie Flygare
I’m so excited to share my Health:Further keynote presentation video. I delivered this speech to over 1,000 healthcare professionals in Nashville, TN last year. My speeches are rarely online – so be sure to check this out! Watch video: I shared here how mad nervous I was for this speech, but I managed to pull it…
Read MoreCNN Article on My Marathon with Narcolepsy
I’m thrilled to share CNN Health’s feature article Runner: Having narcolepsy is harder than a marathon. This Sleep Awareness Week, please share with your friends and family to raise critical narcolepsy awareness. Working with CNN on this piece was particularly meaningful. I first spoke with the reporter, Maria, in January two months before the race after she’d read…
Read MoreSpeaking about Narcolepsy at Sleep Symposium
On Saturday, March 25, I was honored to give my narcolepsy presentation at Hoag Health’s Sleep Symposium in Irvine, CA. Because I work full-time with a long commute, I got home fairly late on Friday night and started counting backward from when I was supposed to be in Irvine on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. The…
Read MoreLifting Weights and Each Others’ Spirits While Living with Narcolepsy and Cataplexy
One of the best parts of the Griffith Park Trial Marathon took place about 10 days BEFORE the race. Arriving home from work one night around 8:00 p.m., I was totally drained and wanted to call it a night, but I had to go running. Ugh. I’d run over 270 miles in four months, and only had…
Read MoreI did it!! Conquering Griffith Park Trail Marathon with Narcolepsy
On Saturday, March 4, 2017, I took on the Griffith Park Trail Marathon as a person with narcolepsy to raise funds for Project Sleep’s Jack & Julie Narcolepsy Scholarship. As I said here, I was nervous and uncertain. On the morning of the race, I woke up lethargic and stiff, but I showed up. I had…
Read MoreRaising Narcolepsy Awareness in Italy!
On Saturday Sept. 24, 2016, I stood outside the fancy lecture hall at the University of Bologna in Italy, fidgeting with nerves. I picked up my headset for the “live translation” system that would be my lifeline for the day. Traveling to Italy to speak at the 20th Anniversary of AIN (Associazione Italiana Narcolettici e…
Read MoreNarcolepsy Advocate in Neurology Now Magazine
Hot off the presses! I’m proud to be featured in Neurology Now’s article, Self Diagnose Successfully, on becoming an empowered and informed patient. I love Neurology Now magazine but narcolepsy isn’t included much, so I am thrilled to help raise some narcolepsy awareness with this neurology audience. Also, it’s super cool that my MedX friend, Matthew Might is…
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