Question: For the last 3 plus years I have episodes EVERY WEEK where I will sleep non-stop from 36 to 48 hours sometimes as much as 72 hours. I am taking morphine and Cymbalta for the extreme pain from neuropathy of my bladder which is a direct complication of Type 1 diabetes that I was diagnosed with when I was 10 years old or 44 years ago. I will feel like crap the day I finally wake up but then for the next 3 to 4 days I feel great. It was suggested to me today that I may be bi-polar. I do not get really manic but when I come out of these sleep episodes I feel I have the energy and stamina to do anything. I am very conscientious when it comes to taking care of my Diabetes (when I am not haeing an episode) I check my blood AT LEAST 5 times per day, following the "exchange diet" maintaining consumption of 45 grams of carbs with meals and I excercixe daily (when awake) and take a MultiVitamin along with a B complex everyday for the last 44 years. I have spoken to my doctor for years about my extreme fatigue and finally was prescribed NuVigil and now Modafinil (200 mg tablet) but when I am heading into one of these WEEKLY espisodes I can go to sleep even after having taken the medicine. The one thing I do not do properly is eat enough red meat. Other than the neuropathy I have NO OTHER COMPLICATIONS and Dr's have said things to me such as: you have been touched by God; they should do a study on you to find out why you are still in such good shape after all of this time. I can not take losing 3-4 days per week every week anymore. I have tried everything from food grade Hydrogen Peroxide, but once a was at a certain amount of drops it would make me sick although I was able to maintain wakefulness for 2 weeks a few times when taking this, to beet juice. Any thoughts??

THIS IS REPLY FROM DR. HOPING YOU CAN JUST CLICK AS I DID TO GET TO WHERE YOU NEED TO BE. I WILL BE SENDING YOU DEFINITIONS OF THOSE UNKNOWN WORDS.

Mom, please be aware too that I am, once again, becoming very emotional about my upcoming anniversary. I am NOT AT ALL thinking consciously about it. All of a sudden today they started talking about XXXXXXX Grove not realizing how that was making me feel.

Dear Dr Sheppe

Instead of forwarding the e-mail to my Mom I forwarded it to you. She was getting upset thinking I was not listening to her and I was reminding her that the anniversary of my husband's death is coming up in a few weeks. I found him dead in bed 5 years ago when he was 54 and I 50. His death was totally UNEXPECTED. We had been married for 22 years. I want to say though that I do not feel I am experiencing any major depression on an ongoing basis because of this. I have physically and figuratively been able to move on although the loss of your spouse, especially at such a young age, is something I think you never truly get over.
XXXXXXX

I do not know how to "rate" your answers as you asked me to do. Please advise as to how to do this'

Thanks
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