Reminder - November 5 Meeting!

The next meeting of the

Midwest Narcolepsy Support Group

is scheduled for

Saturday, November 5, 2011

  10:30 am - 12:00 noon

at

NorthShore University HealthSystem

Evanston Hospital

 2650 Ridge, Evanston, IL 60201

Meeting Room G962 - Evanston Hospital

 (ask for directions at the Information/Concierge desk)    

This Meeting will be an open forum discussion on Narcolepsy and living with Narcolepsy

It is open to ALL -  patients and their "Support Team" members.

Join us, your input is invaluable.

For those who can't join us in person, the conference phone is:

866 249 2022 code 4897648210#

No Reservation is required.

Farewell, Las Vegas . . . Look-out, Cleveland - Here we come!

The convention is over for 2011. The post-its are stuck in unusual places, peoples email addresses are on tiny slips of paper that we hope we haven't lost. New friendships have been forged and old friendships re-kindled. Lots of sleepy people left Vegas sleepier but feeling like they had found something that they never thought they would have. A community of people who understood what it was like to be "like me".
It was a very satisfying 3 1/2 days for both of us, my husband and me. He found a group of people who understood what it was like for him, living with a person with Narcolepsy. I found a group of people who understood me. Who validated me. Who made me feel like I wasn't such a weirdo. 
Maybe next year, when the convention is in Cleveland, the MNSG could rent a bus and go to Cleveland en Mass . . .

Conference Thoughts So Far . . .

Yesterday proved to be just as awesome as I had been told it would be. 
A brief synopsis of yesterday's seminars that I went to only represents about 20% or less of what was offered. There were seminars running in 4 or 5 rooms simultaneously for each time slot. I could only attend one at a time. My husband also attended some of the same and some different. He has been very impressed with the information offered and the people he has met. Here is a brief synopsis of the seminars I attended:

• Keynote Speaker - Narcolepsy: The Basics with Dr Eve Rogers - A very entertaining and down to earth view of the history of Narcolepsy. Dr Rogers will present another seminar each day of the conference. I look forward to all of them.
• Creative Writing Workshop I - A different approach to writing and finding the time for finding the creative you.
• Support Group for People with Narcolepsy - A HUGE group of people broken into about 4 or 5 smaller groups to discuss specific areas of interest from how your Narcolepsy affects your family to how it affects your work to the guilt you have when you need to rely on others for so much that you used to take for granted to dealing with Narcolepsy in your senior years (with Medicare).
• Working While You Sleep - A very informative seminar about legal ways of making money with little or no capitol investment using your brains and the world wide web. Something to think about for someone who needs money  but can't work in a traditional setting.
• Sustained Energy + Weight Loss Through Nutrition - **This one was postponed to a new time tomorrow so it gave my husband and me a chance to check out the silent auction and the "Creativity Corner" of contributions from PWN in one of the "sub-suites". There were beautiful paintings and handmade quilts and such for us to look at only, and a wide variety of items from jewelry to spa days to reduced price days at the hotel to time with a Life Coach available through the Silent Auction.  

A whole new set of seminars is available today and tomorrow. For today, I will be going to some combination of these:

• Advocating for Yourself and Your Health
• Performing Your Narcolepsy: Methods of Gaining Mastery . . .
• Forming a Successful Support Group
• Sustained Energy + Weight Loss Through Nutrition 
• Creative Writing Workshop II

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: If you aren't at the conference this year, remember that the NN does offer scholarships to help defray the cost of attending. You just need to fill out a simple (and I do mean simple) form. Think about it for next year. I don't think you will be sorry.

Welcome to Vegas!!

Very excited to be here at the Narcolepsy Network Patient Conference for the very first time! 
Arrived in Vegas as the sun went down over the mountains. 
Spent a LOT of time trying to find the rooms where the conference will actually be held. 
Spoke to several concierge's. 
For anyone who needs to know - the conference Hospitality Room is on the 23rd floor. 
We were told to use the Select Elevators next to the Starbucks, take them to the 23rd floor and look for room 23034. 
The conference itself is located in the tower on floors 103 and 104.
Looking forward to some great sessions today - I have selected:

• Keynote Speaker - Narcolepsy: The Basics with Dr Rogers
• Creative Writing Workshop I
• Support Group for People with Narcolepsy
• Working While You Sleep
• Sustained Energy + Weight Loss Through Nutrition

Will tell you how they go.

NOTE: Support Group did meet on Oct 1. Due to family emergency - webmaster and assistant were both absent from meeting. Will provide notes on meeting when available.