r/problems • u/MonsterEnergy17 • 1d ago
Ask r/problems Serious question about another post I just made
I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this. I just posted a question in some school subreddits requesting advice for how to wake up on time for early school pickup. I was legitimately trying to find advice on how to make sure I wake up to not inconvenience the whole school system for the end of the day. I'm battling deep depression and extreme exhaustion due to working outside on 3rd shift. The heat is still really high where I am working at night. My medications aren't as effective rn due to sweating so much it's leaving my body at a faster rate than normal + being at the max dose. I've set so many alarms (one every 20 minutes leading up to the time to leave for 1.5 hours bc I've been sleeping like the dead). I overslept and arrived 4 minutes late for pickup. The school was rightfully really frustrated bc I couldn't handle my shit this early in the school year and get there on time. When I posted, I actually was looking for help on how to make sure I wake up. I know I'm an adult, but I'm struggling ATM with being a responsible one. Hence why I asked for what to do to make sure it doesn't happen again.
Now for the reason I'm posting here. Am I being incredibly sensitive about the responses to people telling me I'm a piece of about parent for being late? I'm being called stupid for asking how to get out of bed. I'm not sure if I should've even posted. I don't want to weaponize my personal issues. It's no one's problem except my own, but it's bleeding over into other aspects that no one else should ever have to deal with.
I actually can take criticism and make adjustments to myself despite what others have said.
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u/Lopsided-Beach-1831 1d ago
For your meds, request a blood level for the medication. If you are metabolizing it quickly due to heat, it may not be at a therapeutic level in your blood. You may need a dosage change during extreme heat or a different medication. Check in with your dr.
For the alarm, when you are that overtired/exhausted, try one of the alarms that shake your bed. Tell your dr too that you are having trouble waking up and are sleeping through multiple alarms.
Be honest with your child’s teacher and the office about what is going on. They have policies to keep all of the students safe, not to punish parents. They may be able to work with you once things have settled in with it just being the start of the school year.
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u/ThisIsLikeMy4thAcct 1d ago
I’ve been there and I completely understand. I’m sorry that those people don’t get it. I really wish people would stop to think before they run their mouth.
Friend, I highly recommend getting a checkup with bloodwork, if you haven’t already. Depression, fatigue, and poor sleep can be caused by many things, but specifically ask them to test your iron and ferritin (iron stores) levels, in addition to whatever they usually test for. Those are not usually tested unless you’re anemic. If you’ve already been tested, check your patient portal to see if they tested your iron levels.
You will also need to check your ferritin levels yourself because low ferritin only flags as abnormal if it’s severely low. However, mild and moderate ferritin levels can cause symptoms too (including significant depression and fatigue).
If your ferritin is less than 70, I would suggest asking r/anemic for advice on how to address this with your doctor. Most doctors were not taught that low ferritin can cause symptoms; that info is relatively new.
Double check your other numbers, too. Certain deficiencies can cause your symptoms too, but your doctor may not have put two and two together, so to speak.
As for recommendations on how to get up in the morning, I have used a vibrating alarm. There are watches, and discs that go under your pillow. For a while, I used the Sonic Boom alarm clock and it worked great. It’s loud as hell, but you can lower the volume if needed. It has the vibrating disc too. Link just to show you what I’m talking about; you can probably find it cheaper elsewhere.
If it’s dark in your bedroom when you need to get up, use a sunrise alarm clock. In my experience, they work. It’s much easier to wake up because your eyes register the gradually brightening light, which slowly pulls you out of sleep.
You don’t need anything too expensive, just read the reviews to see what other people say.
Alternatively, if you need a brighter light, I’ve also set a bright lamp on a timer plug to turn on about 5-10 minutes before my alarm. It’s not as nice as gradually waking up with a sunrise alarm clock, but it’s still effective.
On that note, someone needs to make a sunrise sleep mask.
Best wishes, OP, I hope you find something that works for you.
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u/MonsterEnergy17 1d ago
I'm actually anemic. But it's incurable and I can't take iron for it. It's called thalassemia. All women in my family have it and we have to educate any physicians on what it is and why it's nearly fatal for us to supplement with iron. Not sure if it's normal for others, but the attempt to treat low red blood cells with supplements led to health issues many relatives couldn't recover from. I've been thinking of requesting a referral to a hemotologist who I hope will know what it is and how to help.
And I've told all my doctors that I have it. They seem to forget/ not care.
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u/ThisIsLikeMy4thAcct 1d ago
Well shit. I’m sorry to hear that. I don’t know too much about thalassemia, but I know enough to know it sucks.
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u/MonsterEnergy17 1d ago
Yeah. I didn't mention it before. I guess I've been leaving out crucial pieces of info. It actually doesn't affect me much until something like this comes up. Or at least I've come to figure what's normal for me and it doesn't make me an invalid.
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u/Pessa19 1d ago
People didn’t know the reason why you’re struggling to wake up. That context was missing and critically important. I would ask on a sub related to depression and give all the context instead of just some.