Mysterious shortness of breath: What has helped you?

@jjbasshealth so glad you're better and found a solution. Thank you for sharing this. I'm sure it will help somebody who may be quietly browsing this forum looking for answers.

have u ever taken any blood thiners?

gabe
I am 79 and have had a sob for 50 years. A few comments:
1. Worse in fall and spring. Allergies?
2.Lot of mucus. Gerd?
3. Worse when I dwell on it. Mental?

I have had many tests ran and no problems are found. I do have gerd but not much else. I ride my
bike daily along with other exercises and seem to get along ok most of the time. Sleeping with my upper body elevated has helped me the most and that would indicate gerd or allergies. I will go 2 to 3 mos. with no problems and then it will occur again. My symptoms are about exactly the same as yours. I Can live with what I have but always lookin for more answers. thanks.

Hello, greetings.
I have suffered the same situation for two months now. It all began in the gym, I have gone through several tests such as blood and tomography, there is nothing, not even a hiatal hernia.
In case you read this message, can you tell me if you feel better? or if you have found a cure?
Thanks.

Hi Gabe, I hope you're doing well. I wanted to reach out because I've been dealing with similar shortness of breath issues and was curious about how you're currently managing your condition. Have you found any more definite terms or diagnoses, and have you discovered any lasting solutions or treatments that have made a significant difference? Any insights you could share would be greatly appreciated, as I'm still searching for answers myself.

Hello there, after a while and a lot of convincing I had to accept that I had had a panic attack that remained on going at a very low level and anxiety on top of it. I don’t take anything for either and haven’t had an attack since but every now and then anxiety will build up which makes it hard to breathe so I take a moment away from everything and calm down. I never had panic attacks before this or any feeling of anxiety which is why I found it so hard to accept. But one doctor explained it quite well. When this all began, that year I had spent 5 months looking after my mother who had terminal breast cancer and sadly passed. Being the oldest child and my father having passed many years before meant that all her care during and arrangements for after fell on me. I was then getting married 6months after my mother’s passing which again was mainly up to me to plan and then honey moon a few months after that. Add on top of that a very stressful job and I can see how anxiety can sneak in there. But essentially doctor said once I was finished planning and doing all these things, which is when the attack happened, my brain sort of broke. because it had been working overtime at such a high level of anxiety and panic, when there was nothing to be anxious or panic about it didn’t know how to react and so it panicked! Enter my month long panic attack and anxiety that I still deal with. It may sound odd but I think it actually does make quite a bit of sense. Once I stopped fighting this diagnosis the breathing slowly got better.
I also have body dysmorphia which may be another reason this all began in the gym. By the end of that year I had lost so much weight from stress and not eating properly that I felt better in my appearance and now when I put on weight it does bring out my anxiety and I can feel panic seething under the surface. But again, I just have to step back and take a moment and a few deeps breaths ironically and it helps.
I hope you find a reason behind your breathing issue and that it can be handled quickly and easily. All the best

Hello again!

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and for sharing your thoughts with me. I often wonder if things happen for a reason, but regardless, all we can do is keep fighting and moving forward.

The past couple of years have been incredibly challenging for me. My brother attempted suicide several times, and during that period, I took on the responsibility of caring for him—taking him to the hospital, buying his medication, and accompanying him to his psychiatrist appointments. Thankfully, he now has a job, a girlfriend, and goals in life.

Just as I began to feel like things were improving, my wife, who was pregnant at the time, developed severe preeclampsia. The doctors warned us that we could lose either her or our baby. Thankfully, I still have both of them in good health today.

It might sound exaggerated, but it didn’t end there. My mother was diagnosed with cirrhosis, which typically shortens life expectancy. However, she has been improving significantly, and it seems her disease is not as aggressive as it is in others.

All of this happened within just two years, and my "air hunger" began during a time when everything in my life seemed to be going well. Your words resonate with something my wife said to me a few months ago: "You've been through a lot, and it's only natural that you would feel the effects."

Hi @Larrywiemers, thanks for dropping in. Sounds like you've been able to manage the symptoms for quite a long time. I, too, sleep in an upright position when I need to, especially when I have bad allergies. It helps me to breathe easier and rest during the night.

Do you breathe through your nose when you exercise? I find when I control my breathing during exercise and reduce the volume by breathing just through my nose, that seems to help me overall.

Hi @davidcg, I'm glad you found this forum. Sorry that you're going through this breathing issue. Many years ago, I took a breathing class utilizing the Buteyko breathing method. More than a breathing method, it's really a lifestyle change where breathing is the focus, but it teaches various ways to control and reduce breathing volume to get out of the habit of breathing through the mouth slowing the overall breathing rate down. It's helped me greatly. There are many resources if you just Google the Buteyko Breathing Method, but I utilized the instruction taught at learnbuteykoonline.net. Between that and just doing weight lifting and daily walking with nasal breathing, these have helped me manage my symptoms for many years. I also suffer from a chronic sinus inflammation, so if that flares up, so too does my air hunger, but if I can control that as well, which I do with allergy medicines, then the breathing also becomes easier.

One of my bouts of air hunger also occurred while I was at the gym one day; I pushed myself too hard running on the treadmill which induced the air hunger that's remained to some degree to this day. Again, it's well controlled and doesn't bother me a whole lot, but by doing exercises in a controlled manner and controlling my breathing through my nose, this has helped me a great deal.

Has anyone done a sleep study? It does seem the worse I sleep, the worse my SOB is