My 18 year old son has been going through mm.  He sleeps over 20 hours a day for about a week and then things start gradually getting better over the next three weeks and then it starts all over again. This has happened multiple times with great regularity over the past four months.

Any ideas?

He is going to Rosenwasser at Jefferson in Philadelphia.

Hi desdemona -

Has your son had surgery for his MM yet?  I ask, because my insurance company wanted me to go to Rosenwasser at Jeff as well, but I called his office to see how many MM he treats and what's the normal course of action.  Dr. Rosenwasser treats MM with medication normally, which is not the recommended course of treatment for MM.  I urge you to get a second opinion with a MM expert - a doctor who sees MM every day, not just the few cases that Dr. Rosenwasser treats a year.  

I ended up going to the comprehensive stroke center at the Hospital of the Univ. of Pennsylvania.  My neuro, who's not there anymore (Dr. Liebeskind) advised me to go out of state to get surgery.  

Dr. Scott at Boston Children's Hopsital (who did my surgeries) sees children as well as adults up to age 35.  Dr. Steinberg is another MM expert you could get an opinion with.  Both are very accessable by email and phone.  Check the link Surgeons with Bypass Experience(http://www.moyamoya.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=surgeons_board) to get more information.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

-Shari

Good question Shari....has he had surgery yet? Not to alarm you and this is just my opinion but I would be very concerned over that much sleep. Alot of the MM people my daughter included can sleep a good 10 to 12 hour night but that seems a little extreme. Like Shari said I would definatley contact a MM SPECIALST. HUP in Philly told my daughter to wait a year for surgery after having four stroke and we consulted with Dr. Steinberg In Ca. at Stanford only to find out we could have it in a month when her brain cooled down from the strokes. Just wanted you to know our experience. If he hasn't has surgery PLEASE explore more avenues get more opinions.
                             Nancy :)