I stumbled upon this conversation and it really peaked my interest because I am also having problems with edema. I have been seen by a cardiologist, everything is in fine working order, as are my kidneys. I am waking up swollen as well....its hard to make a fist and I just feel bloated all over. Not sure how my bipap could figure into this but I find it interesting that others are also having this issue.
I have been at this for 2 months now and I can tell you that while I still have my "moments" of difficulty, it has gotten easier to deal with overall. I started out with a full face mask but am currently using just the nasal pillows, which for me, made a world of difference. I could not tolerate having a mask over my face at all. You might find that something less cumbersome might work better for you, but I think no matter what you use, in the beginning it is a struggle to try and sleep with any sort of apparatus on your face because it just isn't natural. In my situation, my insurance requires a minimum usage of 4 hours per day in order for them to keep paying my machine, so, for several weeks I spent about half of that time wearing it while watching TV or reading because I could not yet get thru 4 hours of actual sleep using it. That has almost resolved itself now though as I find I can wear it for a much longer time when I am in bed now. I average a good 7 hours per night now with maybe 5 1/2 to 6 hours of that time where I am actually sleeping. I totally get where you are now, I never thought I'd ever get even to where I am now when I first started...... Persevere Jessica, you will get through this......
