I planned on creating this blog immediately following the airing of the True Life: I Have Narcolepsy episode on MTV to help viewers better understand Narcolepsy, answer any and all questions about the disorder, and/or personal questions about Robby and my life. Due to having Narcolepsy and being a HUGE procrastinator, I am only now getting around to posting this. I regret not posting this sooner, but here are the answers/ responses to some of the questions/ comments I have been asked directly or seen online.
Question
"I'm confused about Katy's accent. She sounds British sometimes and American sometimes. But some of her words sound like neither, almost like a speech impediment. What accent is she speaking with?"
Answer
lol. I love this question. You are correct, I am speaking with both British and American. I am originally from England and since moving to America I have always found it easier to fake an American accent because when using my real accent I can't even run into the grocery shop without being stopped and answering a million questions about where I'm from.
My Mum and Dad hate when I fake the American accent because they say I speak too quickly and my speech is slurred, hence sounding as though I have a speech impediment. hehe. My British accent is the accent I think in, use when talking to myself, (not that I do that often) and is the accent I naturally speak with, even after living in America for some time now.
It's strange because I have become so accustomed to faking an American accent that it almost comes naturally when speaking to Americans. When speaking with my family and to other British people, or myself, British comes naturally. Prior to filming the show Mum and Dad suggested I use my British accent because I speak more slowly and pronounce my words more clearly than I do with an American accent. I had a hard time with this during filming because the cameraman was asking questions in an American accent, so in the end I just sounded like an odd mix of British/American with speech impediment. hehe.
Question
Why are you still with Robby if he is not understanding of your Narcolepsy?
Answer
Robby is actually VERY understanding of my Narcolepsy because he suffers from Narcolepsy as well. The show failed to mention this tid bit of information. haha. Hence the reason he had no problem napping with me in the scene when we missed my appointment with the Doctor.
Question
Did you meet Robby due to the fact that you both have Narcolepsy?
Answer
No. In fact, Robby wasn't even aware that he had Narcolepsy until we met. I realized on our first trip home to my parents house shortly after we started dating, but getting him to accept it and seek medical treatment was a nightmare. Upon our first trip to my parents house he went missing half way through the evening. I walked around looking for him everywhere but couldn't find him. A while later I heard my Mum hysterically laughing because Robby was wedged underneath the pool table fast asleep. Mum joked that the only reason she thought about looking under the table was because she had become accustomed to searching in odd places when I went missing. After many similar instances and noticing that Robby's sleeping patterns mirrored mine, I finally convinced him to see a Sleep Specialist. Robby struggled with fatigue since suffering from mono around the age of 15, but he attributed it to everything but Narcolepsy.
Question
Why didn't the show mention anything about Robby having Narcolepsy?
Answer
Due to limited air time and the length of time it would require to tell Robby and my true story in full, it was easier to focus on one side of the story rather than complicate matters. When MTV was filming, Robby had only recently been diagnosed. We were under the impression that they were filming us as a Narcoleptic couple. There were hours and hours of footage and the entire time we thought that the story was going to portray Robby starting his medication while I attempted to cut back on mine. There was plenty of footage explaining his narcolepsy, but to our surprise, they didn't use any of it.
Question
If Robby has Narcolepsy why wasn't he more understanding of the fact that you need your medication?
Answer
The real Robby is a much nicer person (most of the time. haha) than he appeared on MTV. The truth of the matter is that I really did need to cut back on my medication at that time, and it was a great reason to do so. Robby and I had many talks and arguments before and during filming because I was taking FAR too much medication and he wanted me to cut back. At that time, I honestly believed I needed the amount of medication I was taking because I forgot that even people without narcolepsy become tired when their body needs rest. Instead of getting the rest I needed, I popped another pill because I attributed the tiredness to my Narcolepsy. Luckily, I have learned to listen to my body and take naps and rest when needed, and I have cut back my current medication intake to a quarter of what I was taking.
Question
If Robby has Narcolepsy why wasn't he more understanding about you struggling to wake up, etc.?
Answer
The truth is that Robby is very understanding, but when living with someone else that has Narcolepsy and you are both exhausted all of the time, it’s hard to always be there for each other. During our filming, Robby was dealing with starting medication himself and was tired of having to help me out while trying to control his own Narcolepsy. You would think that we would be really understanding of each other, but it's hard when both exhausted all of the time. It actually causes more fights.
Comment
"It kind of grosses me out everything is served to Katy in that birthday girl mug."
Response
It kind of grosses me out too. lol. Robby has this theory that everything with liquid should be eaten out of a cup. That cup was made for me as a birthday present about 7 years ago and Robby loves it because he can fit more cereal or soup in it than he can a bowl, and then he can drink the liquid and save having to dirty both a cup and a bowl. That's his theory anyway. On the occasion that he does "serve" me out of the mug, it grosses me out because he is forever using that darn cup and only ever rinses it out with a splash of water. haha. :)
Comment
"How many people were hoping she would fall flat into that food at 15:47 LMAO!"
Response
This comment was posted on the MTV website. I love when people think they are ridiculing me by making fun. What they don't know is that I am the first person to laugh and make fun of myself. Yes, that would have been hilarious if I fell flat into my food, but if you think that is funny, you should hear the real stories that have happened under similar circumstances.
Question
What is your most embarrassing Narcoleptic moment?
Answer
Good question. That is a tough one as I've had far too many embarrassing moments to pick one in particular, but one that stands out is the time I was cheering at a college football game and had cataplexy in the middle of the field during the national anthem.
The entire team was aware of my Narcolepsy/Cataplexy and when bored, the fun thing to do was to see who could make me fall down first. I know it sounds really mean, but everyone on the team was honestly very supportive of my narcolepsy and would never let me hurt myself. Sure it was embarrassing at times, but it's what kept me in good spirits and kept me laughing instead of being depressed about the disorder. On this particular occasion, my stunt partner was standing behind me during the anthem and made a really funny comment that made my entire body go limp. He put his arms underneath my armpits and made sure I didn't fall down completely, but I stood there in the middle of the field at a sold out football game hanging like a rag doll in my partners arms.
After the anthem was over I managed to gain control of my muscles enough to make it to the side lines. The medical trainers rushed over to me because they thought I had fainted. I felt all eyes in the stadium on me, which caused me to laugh more and go further into cataplexy. Embarrassing, yet hilarious.
Please feel free to ask additional questions or post comments. I will do my best to answer each and every one of them (even if it does take me a year). :)
