Wake up after five hours

[Zora]

I've had my ResMed for two weeks and it has been a very difficult two weeks. I have a hard time falling asleep and wake up after four or five hours. I cannot get back to sleep with the mask on. Sometimes I take it off and sleep a few more hours without it. I also find myself taking unplanned naps. 

I'm constantly groggy from sleep deprivation. I drop things and forget things. I'm often afraid to drive. 

I should perhaps note that I got my CPAP machine just before I had surgery for breast cancer. Just a lumpectomy. I'm not in much pain and the incision is healing well. But I suspect that dealing with two medical problems at the same time is not the best situation.  

I can sleep (without mask) if I take melatonin, but I cannot do that more than twice a week. Daily melatonin gives me headaches. Something I discovered before the apnea diagnosis. 

I would like to be assured that this will work out eventually, because I'm feeling exhausted and discouraged.

[Gideon]

Welcome to the forum.

We do our best work with data, and the best place to get that data is from OSCAR (link in the above black banner).

Post a copy of your nightly charts and we can see what is going on.

[Melman]

Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to hear you are struggling but it's not unusual for new users to struggle at first. We may be able to help you but need more information. I assume you had a sleep study. If you have a copy please post it here with personal information redacted. If you don't have a copy you should get one for your records. We also need data to see how you are responding to the therapy. There is a free program called OSCAR that you can download here. https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/ Instructions are here http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php/OSCAR_Help

You will need a SD card in your machine to collect data and a card reader for your PC. Any SD card from 2-32GB will work. SD cards and USB card readers are available anywhere tectonics are sold if your C doesn't have a card reading slot.

See the links below for how to organize and post your data.

[Zora]

I'm not sure where I could insert an SD card on the ResMed or how to read it on my laptop. I'll deal with this eventually, but the thought of dealing with new software seems like an overwhelming hurdle right now. I'll have to get back to you guys later.

[PajamaGame]

Until you can deal with the data collection… Don’t give up.  Hang in there.
It took me six months for my first CPAP to feel “normal”, even with ramping enabled.  It was totally worth it for me.
I’ll repeat the question further up in the thread: did you have a sleep study done first, and are you certain that your settings match what was prescribed?

[Zora]

OK, I found where the SD card is on the ResMed. I found the SD card slot on my laptop. But I still can't deal with it right now. Too much coping going on. 

I appreciate the atta-girl. I will keep trying, never fear.

[Big Guy]

As others have said, give it some more time. It's not normal to sleep with a mask on your face. It takes some getting used to. 

As time passes, hopefully you will become accustomed to the therapy. Some need to try various masks until they find the right one that works well for them. 

Hang in there............ Check back in and let us know how you are doing.

[Ratchick]

Hi Zora

You have so much going on right now, I'm not surprised it's a struggle to get everything done. I can say that yes, it DOES get easier for most people to sleep with the mask on. Plus, as a veteran of over a dozen surgeries, I can absolutely say with surety that that knocks the hell out of you. Between the extra healing you need to do (which needs more sleep) plus any discomfort, stress, worry, anxiety, depression etc that potentially comes with an illness, and the effects of the medications used during and after the surgery, that's bound to make you tired even without the disruption of waking up with the CPAP.

Is there anything in particular about CPAP that is keeping you awake after those first few hours? I know that you don't have the spare spoons to deal with OSCAR right now, but if there's anything specific, do let us know so we can try to help.

You don't say if you've started new medication, hormonal treatments, etc, but obviously, those can also affect your sleep a lot, and I imagine that it's probably a big mix of things making it harder to feel rested. Someone recommended a CBT-i app a while back that is free, so if you think that might help you get back to sleep, you can try that here: https://mobile.va.gov/app/cbt-i-coach

Regardless, sending you good thoughts. Take your time and be gentle to yourself.

[Zora]

Thanks for the kind thoughts. No, I'm not on any new meds ... just my usual thyroid, blood pressure, and cholesterol. I'm told that I will probably be put on tamoxifen after the surgeries are done and I've had radiation therapy. I haven't even been taking painkillers for the surgery; I tolerated it quite well. 

Just a plump old lady on a lot of pills