anyone successfully working an office/desk job?

[u/Cute_Mammoth_2087]

my current job is sat at a desk in an office all day. i plan to become an accountant which will also be office work... i can barely reach the 30 hour mark per week because of my narcolepsy. i end up leaving early because i'm falling asleep at my desk every day and at times i lose control and doze off anyway. i know if i didn't work for family friends, i'd be fired already.

is there any narcoleptic out there managing to work these kind of jobs? i want to be able to work full time... is that even possible for people like us?

[u/Sweetsusie-]

I got an amazing role at a bank customer service centre. I had a horrible time on the phones and even fell asleep on call with a very upset client. My managers knew something was up that was probably medical (had to talk people out of calling ambulances when my cataplexy was acting up on several occasions). This was all pre-diagnosis. I moved to a role that is a non-live messaging service. Even if I fell asleep at my desk multiple times a day, I worked fast and well enough when I was awake that I still met all my targets. My method was “work as hard as possible until passing out, and then try again upon waking up”. At least in this role, if I fell asleep while working on a client’s request, the client wouldn’t know. I think I do have the benefit of being a woman who’s generally quiet and visibly unwell, but trying to push through. If I was a guy or looked rougher aside from looking ill, people may have thought I was on something. Finally got diagnosed and treatment has made it much better

[u/Cute_Mammoth_2087 → u/Sweetsusie-]

i'm glad i'm not alone. i feel so dramatic like why is my tiredness so dramatic- why can't i just stay awake. i got all the sleep a newborn baby could need yet i am acting like i have been deprived for 2 months of sleep. i feel a lot of guilt about it, i wish i could control this. the advice to work as hard as possible till i start falling asleep is great. i'm glad you've found something that suits your needs, that's all we can hope for :))

[u/404AwakeNotFound → u/Cute_Mammoth_2087]

Your body is likely super sleep deprived though for more than 2 months of sleep. All the nights that we sleep that are fragmented, insufficient deep sleep, etc they add up over time so without treatment we can end up just feeling worse and worse as the years go on.

[u/Cute_Mammoth_2087 → u/404AwakeNotFound]

:( exactly. i hate hearing "why are you tired still, you sleep so much" "you shouldn't still be tired" when none of the sleep we get is of any quality and you feel it every day