Ignorance of sleep paralysis in hospitals

[0Beechlgz]

I'd like to share a true personal story just to see what your thoughts are on the topic of ignorance in hospitals on sleep paralysis. When I was a teenager I started getting regular sleep paralysis episodes and they were scary purely because I didn't know what was happening to me, and if I tried to fight it the buzzing sensation and the paralysis would just become more intense and I'd start to hear ringing in my ears. After this happened a few times I went to my mum because the experiences were so intensely vivid and a source of worry for me in my daily life. She decided to take me to the doctor. I was referred to the hospital where I had various scans, the one where you go under the c-shaped thing where they 'see' your brain and the one where you have to get all that sticky gel in your hair and electrically sensitive pads stuck all over your head. After this was done the doctors said they were 'mystified' as my symptoms matched nothing they had ever seen or heard of before (I went into a lot of detail about my symptoms including the fact that it only happened in the early mornings upon waking, and that I was fully conscious). So, they decided to peg it down to a unique version of epilepsy and I was offered medication to control it. Going with my gut I refused the meds and my mum supported my choice. I wasn't convinced because of the doctor's lack of certainty. A couple of years (and possibly over a hundred sleep paralysis episodes) later I was very used to sleep paralysis and not bothered any more if it happened or not, but still curious. Upon discovering that sleep paralysis is a perfect match and actually quite well known and documented, I felt shocked that none of the specialists I saw even considered it, and I was even offered meds for a condition I probably don't even have. What are your thoughts on this? Is this just a one-off or is this type of lack of knowledge of sleep paralysis more prevalent in hospitals besides the one I was tested in? Hm... in hindsight I wonder if I should have put this in sleep health...