Lacking sleep

[meglou]

Just wondered if any one can help I am having difficulties at night ,when I do eventually get off to sleep I wake up within a few hours gasping for my breath and terrible headache I have severe copd ,I have four different inhalers and a nebuliser can anyone suggest anything x thanks

[Bevvy]

How do you sleep? Flat on back with just pillows.

I use a foam wedge so sleep more up right. Couldn't sleep flat.

One note of caution though - if you are waking with a severe headache might not be COPD. Could be due to fumes from gas boiler. Maybe worth having it checked?!

[meglou in reply to Bevvy]

Thanks bevvy the boiler had safety check a couple of months ago , I can't sleep at all propped up I sleep flat on my stomach I hate pillows apart from when I'm propped up in bed watching garbage on TV x

[Bevvy in reply to meglou]

It does take time to get used to sleeping more upright. I kept falling off wedge!! But for me it has helped sleep. Was having issues like you describe.

Hope someone else has some useful suggestions. Good news about boiler though.

[meglou]

I would never take the chance with carbon monoxide poisoning but good that you even thought about it. One of the big problems I have staying propped up is it really hurts my butt I dont have a great deal of protection weighing only seven and a half stone and the only bit of spare padding sits on my tummy could do with it dropping a few inches lol x

[Hidden]

Headaches can be a sign of c02 retention especially if you wake with them so maybe a check on your oxygen levels is needed but other than that i agree with propping yourself up a little to sleep x

[meglou in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Mandy I am due to see respiratory consultant next month so I will mention it to him x

[Nanaeal]

Hello Mrglou & welcome to the community. I read your first post & just want to say I think you are a very brave lady a year is a very short time to even begin to recover from the loss of your husband, then loosing your job trying to stop smoking thank god you have your cats.

The lack of sleep could be due to your lung condition, your sleeping position & your bereavements, waking with a eattheadache does need checking do do have a chat with your doctor. Do you really tell him how you feel.

I use a V shaped pillow. I treated myself to a really good one & a proper pillow case to fit it. Took me ages to get used to it. I use a pillow under my knees too.

Best wishes hope you can improve your sleep that helps no end Nan

[meglou in reply to Nanaeal]

GP ha ha what a laugh I need to change gp's just never seem to have the energy I guess I should be grate full the respiratory consultant is ok. I have only called the gp out once in my life time and that was just before Christmas last year I was so ill I got a phone call from this quack asking if I was depressed well obviously after what had happened over that year yes of course I was but I was also physically ill thank god I had an appointment with resp consultant , couldn't even drive to the hospital I had to ask a friend it turned out I had pneumonia which has left me in a pretty miserable state my right lung is partially collapsed and its left some bad scarring but hey life is like that keeps kicking you while your down . So no I dont have any real conversation with my gp's all I do is order my repeat prescription. X

[Nanaeal in reply to meglou]

Oh Meglou That's awful I have a wonderful GP & I don't know where I'd be without him. Do try & find the energy to change. Does your surgery have a respiratory nurse if not there is usually a team in the area. The help line on here is also good and of course there's so much knowledge & expertise in this community. You mentioned Breatheasy that's a good course of support. No wonder your struggling if you have such a "helpful!!!!!😬 GP.

Hope you get some solution to the sleep problems & do check out those headaches.

Life can be tough but you've found this site there's some great folk on here so keep posting

Best wishes Nan

[meglou in reply to Nanaeal]

Thanks for your kindness I know only I can change things but I feel so flippin exhausted all the time it drives me daft I have so much going on in my mind things I want to do and I end up in tears because something I could do in a few minutes now takes hours. Ive always been such an active person and now such a large amount of time is spent in bed I was fit and healthy untill I moved to Wales 7years ago not on any medication, when my chest first became an issue I thought I had hay fever moving from guzzling in car fumes living in a busy town to living on the side of a mountain trees and grasses so you can imagine the shock to be diagnosed with copd I have emphasema and bronchitis but the emphasema is wide spread through both lungs so I was not suitable for lvr but they have said about a having a lung transplant I said no strait away I couldn't even talk about it,I dont know why but I can't even get my head around that one. X

[Neo7]

Hi Meglou, seems you have been through the wars these last few months, hope things start to pick upfor you soon. You will need to run these through WITH your doctor as there on prescriptin medication, but if its ok with him they may work and help you. To help you relax and assist in getting you off to sleep , may be a antidepressant would help you, taken about 20 minutes before its your bedtime, take a10 mg tablet of AMITRIPTYLINE. I use to be the same as you, I was climbing the wall so to speak at night after I suffered a mini stroke, and would be three days with no sleep. The Amitriptyline took a couple of days in my system before it worked , but ever since it has helped me get off to sleep, its not so much the stroke now days I take it for, but some days my Tinnitis wont let me sleep so I take about 15mg of Amitriptyline to get me off. To assist your breathing during sleep a 10mg tablet of MONTELUKAST will help to keep your airways open. Hope this helps. Hggs Neo.

[meglou in reply to Neo7]

Thank you neo I will ask the respiratory consultant when I see him I know the gp would just pass some stupid comment and I would probably end up punching him what I really need to do is find a new doctors surgery especially before winter sets in and the chest infections start I am going to go the the breathe easy session on Tuesday its very local so just maybe some kind sole will know of a good doctor to sign up to. X

[freefaller in reply to meglou]

That is a good idea. I know what you mean about the butt ache too. At present I am trying to sleep on 3 pillows but this morning I awoke with pain in shoulders and neck and a headache so think I will try one plump pillow and one soft one tonight. Like you I used to lie on my tummy when. Younger and used to pull the pillow down over my face. Stopped doing that when I found my new partner. Not because of him but I started sleeping on my back. Someone said it was because I felt confident and wasn't hiding from bad things in my life. Don't know about that seems a bit I just know I need to sleep propped up a little bit more but a lot more just isn't comfortable. Hope you manage to change your GP soon.

All the very best to you. Take care of yourself.

Sian

Xxx

[Neo7]

Ya think that is wise before winter is here, dont forget to get your flu jab as well, having copd is a open invertation to colds and flu. take care, and keep in touch,letting us know how you go on.

[meglou]

I would like to say thanks to you all for your kind replies to my posts. I joined the forum to enable me to talk to people with similar issues, I really believe untill you have a lung issue you truly dont understand how it feels, I only now understand what my husband meant when he had do any work on the floor bless him he was such a brave man who is so sadly missed and I want to be as strong and as brave as he was its so hard though when your on your own but now I have some wonderful people and hope it will help me through a difficult time , and am hoping in time I can be useful to you too. X

[lulu5555]

hi I sometimes have the same problem I keep a fan next to my bed and turn it on when I am breathless I have fallen asleep with it on no problem hpoe this helps.Mary