A Scots teacher has to avoid comedy shows because laughter triggers her cataplexy and narcolepsy.
Mum-of-three Heather McFarlane, 47, suffers from the rare incurable condition meaning that when she laughs she loses control of her muscles, and falls asleep uncontrollably.
She began to experience symptoms after having her third child in 2010, and the sleep disorder meant she had to give up driving.
Heather, who worked as a teacher for kids with additional needs, was watching a Peter Kay routine with her husband when it looked like she was sound asleep.
Only Heather wasn't asleep, her laughs had triggered her cataplexy, a symptom of narcolepsy, which meant that despite appearances, she was wide awake and 'trapped' in her body.
The mum from Jordanhill in Glasgow said: "I was laughing and within a split second it looked like I was asleep, but I was lying there and I couldn’t move any muscles.
"It was horrible. I was still awake and conscious, but I was essentially trapped in my body.”
Emotions such as laughter or smiling could trigger an attack, causing her face muscles to droop and her legs would give way.
Back at work, teaching children with additional needs at Hazelwood School, she would retreat to the staff toilets where she would end up asleep.
People would talk to her and she would struggle to stay awake and she eventually had to give up driving the school bus.
Three years later she got a diagnosis, after falling asleep in the middle of conversations.
She said: “It was horrendous. When I laughed, I had a kind of shutdown, as if I had rebooted in a split second.
"Like the power had gone out and come back on again.
"I had to stop watching funny things on TV and avoiding funny situations with the kids.
“It saw part of me disappear. I even had to learn to function as a different kind of mum to the one that I was.”
Heather sought help from her GP and in 2013, was referred to a specialist team at Glasgow Royal Infirmary for support, where she was finally diagnosed.
It can often take 10 or more years for a patient to be diagnosed with narcolepsy, during which time, some are dismissed as being lazy or unproductive.
While there’s no cure for the condition, the team worked to find out the best clinical treatment, as well as other support required to help Heather keep her job and live a more ‘normal’ life.
The team prescribed Sodium Oxybate, a purified form of GHB, as part of a range of treatments to help Heather stay awake during the day and asleep at night.
“It was a game-changer in lots of different ways,” added Heather. “I’ve been able to get some of my life back.”
Margaret Docherty, a Nurse Practitioner at the sleep clinic, has been pioneering treatment approaches, with her expertise sought by colleagues right across Europe.
She said: “Narcolepsy can be completely devastating for people’s lives. "It’s about finding the right treatment and support for the person, everything from psychological support, to medication and understanding their lives and needs."
Dr Eric Livingston, Respiratory Consultant and Clinical lead at the clinic, added: “When we get the medication right, it can transform lives, allowing people to drive their cars again, or get back to work or university – instead of people thinking they are tired or lazy.
“Some people have been told for 30 years that they are lazy, before they even get a diagnosis, but we can support and get them back to a full life again.”
Heather has been supported by her colleagues at Hazelwood School where she remains at work – with a beanbag on hand, in case it’s needed for her less frequent attacks. She’s also found ways to smile and laugh again.
She added: “The team have been amazing. It’s not just the condition they are interested in, it’s me as a person - and not just me, but my wider family as they know this impacts all of us.
“It’s hard to live in Glasgow and have to avoid things which are funny – now I don’t have to.”
