I have difficulty breathing.Sometimes i can take a deep satisfying breath and sometimes i can't.I am always yawning and trying to breath in deep.Sometimes it makes me feel a need to take in a deep breath and sometimes it just comes natural.I know this may not make any sense.I've been told it's anxiety/panic attacks or all in my head.I've also been told it could be my esophogus.I just don't know.I had a Pulmonary Function Test done....normal.I also had a Echo/Stress test done...normal.Went to heart doctor...normal except small spot on lower right lung.This is ruining my life and taking control over me.It is 24/7 days of hell.Please,Please...Can anyone relate or help??
I have the same problem sometimes. The doctor doesn't know what it is. If you get any answers let me know b/c I am at a loss. I have had mine since I was a teenager and I am 27 now. It sucks
Have you thought about asthma?
I am not assuming you smoke but, I have heard that smoking can cause you not to be able to reach those full satifying deep breaths. I am sure with all the doctors you have seen that if you are a smoker then they would have mentions something to you. Sorry I could be of any help.
It sounds to me like panic disorder. I know that's the last thing you want to hear. It was not what I wanted to hear in 1996 when I was finally diagnosed. What a relief when I finally accepted it for what it was and found the perfect medication for me (I have no side effects whatsoever and I do not have to see a therapist nor a psychiatrist. I get my medication from a Family Practice Doctor and he calls it in to the pharmacy for me once a month).
I never tell people that I have Panic Disorder, but I'm sharing now because honestly, it's nothing to be ashamed of. It's no different than having diabetes--and I wouldn't be ashamed to tell people I have diabetes.
Different medications work differently for everyone. I take a small dose of Klonopin each day, and it has totally changed my life. I am as functional as everyone else I know, and I breathe deeply and freely without any problems any more!
I do encourage you to speak with your doctor and to try medication. It really will make a huge difference and you can get your life back!
Good luck to you,
Amy
It definately sounds like panic attaCKS OR ANXIETY TO ME. i HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM ON AND OFF FOR ABOUT 20 YRS. I AM 41 RIGHT NOW.i HAVE BEEN TOLD BY MY DOCTORS THAT i WILL PROBABLY BE ON MEDICATION FOR MY WHOLE LIFE TO CONTROL IT. IT IS VERY DEBILITATING. I USED TO STAY HOME AND WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE OR GO ANYWHERE. I TRIED TAKING MYSELF OFF OF MY MEDS ONE TIME AND IT WAS HORRIBLE. I WAS BACK AT SQUARE ONE, UNABLE TO FUNCTION. ANYONE WHO TELLS YOU IT IS ALL IN YOUR HEAD HAS APPARENTLY NEVER FELT THIS HORRIBLE DISORDER. IT IS A CHEMICAL IMBALANCE IN YOUR BRAIN. IT WOULD JUST HAPPEN AT RANDOM TIMES WITHOUT ANY WARNING. SPEAK TO A DOCTOR AND EXPLAIN WHAT YOU ARE FEELING.I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A PANIC DISORDER. YOURS COULD BE SOMETHING SIMILAR. HOPE THIS HELPS. ONCE I MY DOCTORS FOUND THE RIGHT MEDS, I COULD FINALLY LIVE MY LIFE AGAIN.
You may consider seeing a chiropractor. I grew up with asthma and I felt like that a lot. But as I grew out of it my pulmonary function tests were becoming normal, but I still felt like I had to try for a deep breath and I was always yawning. My dr didn't want to medicate me cause my test were normal, so I started seeing a chiropractor. With regular adjustments it gave my lungs more room to breath and helped me rely a lot less on my fast acting inhealor. Just my opinion. It's NOT all in your head, see a dr soon.
Well since you have went and had tests done and they come back normal it could be Panic attacks and that can be caused by many reasons even some medications. I know several people who took cholesteral medication and it caused panic attacks and they still had them even after they quit taking the medication. If you are at a desk job and your posture tends to hunch forward that can affect your breathing because your airway isn't as open. If you want to take something for Panic attacks but don't want to get a perscription go to you local health food store and see what they have to calm you. St Johns wart is a good one unless you are on birth control because it can make the birth control less effective. I was taking that and I ended up calling them because I didn't think it was working and they said it may take a couple of weeks so I just upped the doseage by one and that helped but they may have other things at the health food store. Also something to look into is Silent Reflux you have very vague symptoms but NO heart burn. I was sick for a year and by a fluke found out that is what i had and I started taking Tums and my exhuastion went away and then I read an article and realized that had been my problem so I got Marshmallow root instead of like nexium and I am so much better I sleep soundly at night now (which i didn't realize I wasn't) my exhaustion is gone and my head feels clearer.
Something else you could try at the health food store is Pure Lavender or Natures Sunshine has something called ____ Calm I can't remember the whole name but if you go to their website it will tell you.
I hope some of this helps.
Have they tested your blood sugar levels or your iron levels? This could be a sign of hypoglycemia or low iron as well. I get the same thing (especially while pregnant). I went through all of the EKGs and heart tests too and nothing. When I get spells where it seems like it just wont go away I drink a LOT of water. Dehydration can cause this too and most of us are dehydrated all the time.
My suggestion would be to monitor your diet for a while and pay attention to your sugar intake versus your shortness of breath. I find the more sugar I eat (I love baked stuff like brownies) the worse I am. I can tell when I splurge. Also make sure you are taking a good vitamin supplement. I suggest trying a liquid over a pill. Drink a lot of water. Avoid caffiene... sodas, coffee, tea since that can also trigger the shortness of breath.
I honestly had to figure out what was causing it myself by self experimenting. I learned that all of the things above were what made it happen to me and if I have too much sugar now (trust me I do not cut it out completely cuz my willpower is not that great) or have too much caffiene I pay for it dearly. I'll get so bad that I can be mid conversation with someone and have to stop to get my breath back. It happened to me just yesterday, actually. It is frustrating and embarrasing. As crazy as it sounds, exercising helps a lot too. I find the days that I work out I feel better than days that I don't.
I also have this problem and it is due to anxiety for me anyway. I have managed to get it under control after atleast 20 years of dealing with it but sometimes it pops up and i freak out for a couple of hours to all day long. You can get depression/ anti-anxiety drugs for it but for me they didn't help. Just home therapy did for myself. I also had the heart test done ect it all came back to anxiety. Good luck, talking about it helps.
Amanda,
As a pulmonary patient I can well understand how you feel. First of all yawning is the result of your lungs trying to remove microatelectasis. Your lungs have zillions of little air sacks which is where the oxygen enters and carbon dioxide exits the blood. Here's a quick visual. Those air sacks (alveoli) should be all nice and explanded like grapes, but when we sleep or are inactive those grapes sorta collapse and start looking like raisins and oxygen doesn't transport well, SO you yawn and fill those alveoli back up. You say sometimes you can't take a deep breath, but you don't say how you are feeling before these episodes. Do they occur randomly or regularly ? You say you had a PF done but have you seen a pulmonologist ? It drives me crazy when doctors tell you it's all in your head and blow you off when you KNOW something's not right in YOUR body. I'll send you my email address by private notation if you want to talk or if I can do anything to help you. God bless. Annette
Have you been checked out for asthma? Sometimes your breathing can be irregular with asthma. Also, it could be panic attacks. You could be stressing about them so much that it actually makes them worse. I am sorry that this is happening, I hope it gets better soon.
Hi Amanda: Are you taking in a lot of caffiene? I had those symptoms to the point I would get lightheaded from having to try to take in so many deep breaths. Well, turns out the Dr. said it was too much caffiene. I was only drinking 3 to 4 cups a day. Apparently somehow my immune system wasn't able to process the caffiene. Caffiene comes in coffee, diet drinks,regular drinks, "health" drinks, tea, chocolate, ect.
You will have to get on the internet if that is not it and go to the Mayo Clinic health cite and see what you can find there. G
Just like Jenny, I have had the exact same problem since I was a teenager. While I have always been willing to consider that it might be anxiety, I DON'T FEEL ANXIOUS during one of these spells, except that they sometimes CAUSE a little anxiety. I have had all the testing done too...my pulmonary testing came back 25% abnormal, which was horrifying to me since I'm very healthy and active, but the pulmonologist says they aren't concerned until it's 50%, meaning you're disabled!!!
Some things that I have found help me are singing and exercise. I have 2 theories about it...if it IS anxiety, these 2 activities might help me relax. However, they also both cause me to breathe deeply on purpose and force my lungs to open completely as well. Tai chi also really helped. It's both relaxing and focuses on deep breathing. I hope this helps. I'd love to hear if you ever find a cause!
Amanda,
First of all, you said you have a small spot on your lung. Having a mother who was diagnosed with Breast Cancer which then moved to her lung I can tell you without reservation, get a second opinion! More than likely everything is just fine but it's important when you hear news like that to do more investigating. I'm honestly not trying to scare you but, they told my mom that she was in remission with only a tiny spot on her lung and three months later when she went back in for her check-up she was told the cancer had spread through her entire body. She is no longer with us after almost four years of treatment. I feel it's important to remind women that they are just as important as the people they take care of. Sometimes as women, we're so busy taking care of everyone else that we forget to give our bodies the attention they deserves as well. It's important that you take charge of your body if the doctors don't seem concerned and find a doctor who will listen. Have you had a mammogram done recently? My mom always took care of everyone. She was so busy taking care of others that when she discovered her lump she was diagnosed Stage 4 (which is the worse stage). I am not a pessimistic person Amanda I just want you and all other women to get the best care that we all deserve. After all, if we're unhealthy how can we care for our loved ones around us in an effective manner. You're in my prayers,
Tammy S~ Collinsville, OK
I would have the "spot" looked into. However, it would help if i knew how old you were. In my late teens I developed a syndrome known then as "hyper-beta syndrome" I think they now call it "hyperbeta adrenal syndrome" which can cause the symptoms you have. Particularly if you get sick to the stomach or dizzy when hot or standing for long periods of time. Echocardiograms and lung function tests come back completely normal...the diagnostic they use is a "tilt table test" where they start you off laying down and stand you up slowly to see what happens to heart rate and blood pressure. In a normal person when they stand you up you should go from say 70 to 85 or 90 and then settle back to 75 or 80 sustained heart rate...however in a person with HBS, the heart rate may go extremely high and then not fall to normal ranges at all and the blood pressure may drop dramatically...my heart rate goes from 70 to 120 and never falls below 95 unless I'm taking beta blockers (which almost always completely solves my problems with shortness of breath because the heart is finally slow enough to not need extra oxygen and lessens the tightening in the chest that makes you feel like you can't inhale deeply).
Michelle
Hey Amanda, I know what you are going through. I go through it. It is anxiety/ panic attacks. I take a anti anxiety med for it and it helps for the most part. I have a lot going on in my life, as I am sure you do, so it doesn't help all the time but most of the time! Maybe you should talk to your dr about getting on something like that. Best of luck.
Good morning Amanda,
Bless your heart, I know this is very difficult because I have been through the exact same thing. I got sick about 3 years ago and couldn't breath - had the same symptoms you are having. The doctors couldn't really find much wrong, except for the spots in my lower right lung. I was told at first that it was pneumonia, then I was told it was probably endometriosis (yes, in my lung). They went in and removed the infected part where they could see the small spots. That didn't help and I do NOT recommend doing that. I still had a hard time breathing after that surgery. One of the doctors told me it was caused from inhaling a mold spore. We started looking through our house and found that our bathroom shower (the bathroom in our master bedroom) was leaking and there was mold all in the wall. I was really stressed out with work at the time and I believe my immune system was lowered enough for the mold to cause me a lot of problems. The doctors told me after they removed my lung and I was still having problems that it was panic attacks, too. I know if I start getting upset over it I won't be able to breath, so anxiety has something to do with it getting worse, but not the cause. I still have a hard time sometimes, mostly during this time of year. It is no where near as bad as it had been though. August seems to be the worst. I would suggest checking your house for mold. I would also suggest getting some olive leaf extract from Seagate. This product helped me more than anything else. If you're stressed out it will lower your immune system. Eating healthy will also help strengthen your immune system. Sorry to write so much... but I've been there. Keep your chin up. If you want you can email me direct, [email protected].
I went through a time like this too, and I still do on rare occasions. FOR ME it just honestly turned out to be a lack of sleep, maybe combined with a little stress. I wouldn't call what I experienced a panic attack because to me those come and go, but I felt that way all day long. For me, working hard to get more sleep and maybe doing some relaxation exercises helped and it did eventually go away. I would double check that spot on your lung (although our organs can sometimes just have harmless spots on them). Follow your instincts and if you really feel something is wrong keep talking to your doctor. But sometimes it is the simple solutions that will make us feel better. I hope you feel better soon.
I used to have a similar problem, and all of the medical tests come back normal. I didn't see this yet, so...
You might have a vertebrae out of place...the right one (wrong one???) can cause trouble drawing a deep breath. A chiropractor can help TREMENDOUSLY.
Also, you can have your PH tested. People with acidosis tend to yawn, sigh and try to breathe deep but still feel uncomfortable. The extra oxygen helps balance the PH and our bodies know this, so there's a struggle to keep getting more oxygen.
I would definitely have a second opinion on the spot!
Good luck,
~Kim