So what's it like living with Kleine-Levin Syndrome? ... school I haven't actually had an episode, they probably think I was faking it," she jokes.Whilemostteenagersstruggletogetoutofbedinamorning,LouisaBallmighttake10daystofullywakefromherslumber,duetoaveryrareneurologicaldisorder.Sowhat'sitlikelivingwithKleine-LevinSyndrome?Louisahassleptthroughholidays,friends'birthdaysandhalfofherGCSEs.In2008,aged14,shehadbeensufferingfromflu-likesymptoms.ShewasatherschoolinSussexwhenshestartednoddingoffinclassandbehavingstrangely."Ididn'tknowwhatIwasdoing,whatIwassaying,everyonethought'heythisisn'tright,'"sherecalls."IwashallucinatingandafterthatIdon'trememberanything.AllofasuddenitjustwentblankandIjustsleptfor10days.IwokeupandIwasfineagain."HerparentsRickandLottiewatchedtheirdaughterbecomingfidgetyandwithunusualfacialexpressionsasshesankintosleep.Thefirsttimewasafrighteningexperienceforthem,althoughLouisaherselfsaysshewasn'tscaredbytheepisode,morepuzzled."Itwasreallyweird,nooneknewwhatwaswrong,wejustthoughtitwasn'tgoingtohappenagain.Andthenfourweekslaterithappenedagain."ShewasfinallydiagnosedwithKleine-LevinSyndrome(KLS).ThereisnoknowncauseorcurebutLouisasaysitwasgoodtoknowwhatitwasandthatitwasn'tlifethreatening.Theaveragetimeittakestodiagnosetheconditionisfouryears,becausethereisnotestandsoitrequiresaprocessofeliminationofotherdisorders.ThediseasewasnamedafterWilliKleine,aneurologistfromFrankfurt,andMaxLevin,apsychiatristfromNewYork,whoidentifiedpatientswithsimilarsymptomsin1925and1936.LouisaisunusualasKLSusuallyaffectsteenageboys,whocanalsoexhibithypersexualityandinappropriatebehaviour.Aswellasexcessivesleeping,symptomsincludebehaviourchanges,irritability,feelinginadream-likestateandbingeeating,symptomsthatcanbemistakenfornormalteenagebehaviour.Therearenodrugsthathaveconclusivelyshowntoalleviatesymptoms.'Nodreams'imagecaptionLouisawasrelievednottomissherschoolpromPeoplewiththesleepdisordernarcolepsyfallasleepimmediately,butpeoplewithKLSmightsleepmoreandmoreoveranumberofdaysb