Testimony of Healing July 26, 1975 Issue

During my first semester of college my dormmates became deeply...

Susan Chapman

During my first semester of college my dormmates became deeply concerned with my sudden lapses into a deep sleep. They encouraged me to see a doctor, which I did, and what I had was diagnosed as narcolepsy. He prescribed a drug. As my body became adjusted to it, the dosages had to be increased. It wasn't long before my reliance on the drug was evident. I tried to shake the drug (and the narcolepsy) by sheer willpower. It did not work.

In the fall of 1968, the campus doctor insisted I withdraw from college (only days before final exams were to begin), and return to Boston where my own physician would be better able to cope with the situation.

Extensive tests ensued; my doctors came to the conclusion that the ailment was untreatable, and than I should see a psychiatrist to learn to deal with the increased drug dosages and the side effects that were manifesting themselves. The chances of my ever being free of the drug were next to impossible, they said.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Words of Current Interest