Really need some help!

Signs and symptoms
1

I've been having some strange sleep problems since about June which have just been getting worse.

I feel like I have zero control over my sleep pattern. I try to fall asleep everywhere. Lectures, buses, cars, I've even slept in restaurants. I'm asleep instantly and I feel as though there's no passing of time. So I usually wake up confused. I may wake up often but I can't stay awake for long. For example in the morning's I keep asking up but falling asleep again almost straight away. This is the worst when I'm on the bus. No matter how much I try to stay awake, I keep falling asleep. I never know where I am.

I know when I'm gonna fall asleep. It always starts with my vision blurring and not being able to think straight. I don't hallucinate but my thoughts become completely random, kind of like how dreams have no logical order. Whatever I'm doing at the time I'll continue doing it. Say for example I'm speaking, I'll start saying random words or talking about things that are completely irrelevant. Yesterday mid conversation I said that I was soup. I forget a lot of the things I do when I'm like this. It's terrifying when people tell me that I've done something or said something that I have zero recollection of.

I can't do anything for any sustained period of time without falling asleep. I'm a university student so I have time of work to do. The best solution I've found is to work in public and take a 15 min to half an hour nap every 45 mins. It's not exactly ideal, the simplest tasks take me forever.

I have exams coming up and I struggle to even read for long so I really need to find some kind of solution or at least have an idea of what's wrong with me.

No one takes me seriously and the hospital I'm currently attending to get a diagnosis is taking their sweet time.

What could I do to speed things up a bit? Is there anyone experiencing something similar?

2

Possibly narcolepsy?

https://patient.info/health/narcolepsy-and-cataplexy-leaflet

3

Any recent vaccinations?

4

Yes I had a meningitis vaccination in September, but my symptoms started before that in about June.

5

Also, look for any possible drug use, even OTC. You need a doctor who can tell you if it is narcolepsy, or sth else. 

6

It might be narcolepsy or there might be a harmless cause that can be put right. You're clearly quite young, so I'm wondering whether you've had an attack of infectious mononucleosis or some other viral disease without realising it. (Generally known as the kissing disease in the US, glandular fever in the UK.)

You really need to see a doctor. He/she should run blood tests to rule out things like type 1 diabetes, anaemia, hypothyroidism, post-viral conditions etc., all of which could cause symptoms like yours. Since your symptoms are fairly recent, I'm particularly concerned about type 1 diabetes, which often starts in the teens or early 20s. (I'm a former nurse btw.) I'm wondering whether you've noticed you're feeling excessively thirsty since this started.

If all the bloods come back OK, your doctor should refer you to a sleep clinic to rule out narcolepsy. There's no need to panic about this, but please don't delay any further before seeing a doctor. Whatever is causing your problem, there'll be a solution for it. But only a doctor can diagnose you.