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Mysterious shortness of breath: What has helped you?
I will try to make this as short as possible, but this has been going on for over 5 years, so it might be farily long.
Beginning in summer of 2012, I began having shortness of breath (SOB) with no other symptoms. I felt a constant need to yawn, and every few breaths wouldn't satisfy the SOB. I would take a deep breath, and felt like it would get "stuck" before satisfying the air hunger feeling. About every 3-5 deep breaths would satisfy it, only for it to return a minute later.
I got an endoscopy and other tests done, which revealed that I had some esophageal erosion due to acid reflux and a slight hiatal hernia and was diagnosed with GERD. I had always have bad heartburn, so I was prescribed with Prilosec, which I have been taking daily since them. I've tried stopping it a few times but the reflux always comes back a lot worse.
Lung tests and x-rays were normal. Heart tests normal. Blood test revealed a slight anemia but otherwise pretty normal.
I did some research reading forums where someone suggested taking vitamin B-12. Strangely, I took it and the SOB disappeared almost instantly. However, it only lasted a few days for it to return just as bad. I then started taking an iron supplement, which again made the SOB disappear quickly- same thing; symptom returned days later.
After further research, I came across a breathing exercise method called the Buteyko method. Essentially you do a lot of breath holding to build up CO2 and reduce breathing as the theory is that I had chronic hyperventilation causing too much CO2 to exit my body. After applying the method and reducing my breathing, the SOB disappeared after only 2 days and I felt completely normal. I continued the method a few more days then no longer felt the need to pursue the exercises. I was normal for a whole year when the SOB once again returned with some chest tightness. I applied the method again and the symptom went away, this time with a little more effort; after about 3 weeks. I included physical exercise which also helped with my breathing.
After that, I was normal for about 2 years. I mistakenly stopped or at least slowed down exercise and the SOB returned once again. I applied the method and began running for exercise but the SOB kept getting worse. It got so bad, I had multiple panic attacks and the feeling of completely empty lungs with the inability to satisfy it with deep breaths. I had to stop exercise altogether, apply the Buteyko method and do breathing exercises very carefully with very light and slow exercise. This helped, but it took many weeks for the SOB to improve. Then, it was almost normal when over a year ago as I was running, I couldn't get a deep breath to satisfy exercise-induced SOB. I have had SOB continuously since then (a year and a half).
I once again started doing breathing exercises and slowly building up physical exercise, but I can't do any prolonged cardio activity because the SOB gets to a point where deep breathing will not satisfy it. While the breathing exercises have helped, they have had very little effect compared to previous efforts. It seems that every time the symptom returned, greater effort yields few results.
I suspect there is something, some underlying cause that is causing the SOB that has alluded me this entire time.
So for the past few months to a year, the SOB is worse on some days, better on others, but never gone. There's no rhyme or reason or pattern for it. It's just there, sometimes affecting my sleep. I sometimes can't get a deep breath to satisfy it every now and then, but for the most part, a big gulp of air will satisfy it. But it returns seconds to minutes later. It's as though every breath doesn't deliver what it's supposed to, the SOB builds up, and then I have to take a big gulp of air to get rid of the feeling, pattern repeats. My breathing pattern is normal, however. I don't feel like anything physical is happening, but sometimes it feels like my airways and nostrils are slightly inflamed due to allergies, but when I don't feel inflammation the SOB is still there.
Recent lung function tests show normal- I don't have asthma, or any other problems with my lungs. Heart tests are normal though I did have about a two week bout of heart palpitations which came and went. Haven't had any for a while- it just mysteriously started happening then stopped. Blood tests are normal, though tests always show a slight elevation of biliruben which my doc thinks is Gilbert's disease.
I don't have sleep apnea (normal test), bloody oxygenation is normal, heart rate normal.
I recently saw local naturopath (since mainstream docs aren't able to help) who immediately suspected a liver problem when I described my SOB, possibly liver inflammation. He used an electrodermal testing machine to test his theory which did seem to show a problem with my liver and gallbladder. He gave me digestive enzymes and a gallbladder formula to help clear a bile duct clog, thus reducing liver inflammation. He also determined with the machine that I have an egg sensitivity so I've been avoiding eggs.
Been taking this and avoiding eggs for a couple of months, but there has been no noticeable improvement. Everything else is normal. Emotionally I'm normal- no anxiety, depression, etc. The SOB seems to be the only symptom of something, but always comes back worse, until a year and half ago when it came back and has remained since. I feel like I shouldn't have to do breath holding exercises every day just to maintain my breathing well enough to do every day things.
Does anyone have any idea of a possible underlying cause?
2021/2022 UPDATE:
Since my original post about 3-1/2 years ago, a lot has happened, so I’d like to update the post to share with others who come across this what I’ve done since then.
I have maintained a weekly Buteyko method breathing exercise regimen where I do a few of these breathing exercises 3-4 times a week in the morning. This, in combination with daily light to moderate exercise (specifically weight lifting, with 1 or 2 days a week of walking and light jogging), I feel has kept the air hunger symptoms tolerable and manageable. I have mostly good days with some not-so-good days, but doing a breathing exercise and knowing that it’ll get better again helps me get through those times.
I also have sinus inflammation which can exacerbate the symptoms, but I’ve also managed this, which in turn reduces the severity of the air hunger symptoms.
So, while I haven’t found a cure nor is the problem completely gone, I have been able to maintain normalcy in daily life and manage the symptoms through the strategies I described.
This discussion remains active, alive and well through the comments section where others who have similar symptoms have shared what has helped them as well as suggestions for possible solutions to explore.
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Ok so I’ve been having the same exact symptoms as you. I read someone say it can be caused my anxiety, I was on anxiety medication that helped get rid of my anxiety BUT the SOB was ALWAYS there. For the past 2 years now, 24/7 a day I struggle with this. My relatives they had the problems to but I dont recall any of the taking deep breaths frequently or yawning to take a satisfying breath. They told me they had it sometimes. That was no help since mine is a part of my life now. The only time I dont feel the erge to take a deep breath is when I am super busy and am not aware of my breathing. As soon as I sit down, it starts. I’ve seen every doctor every specialist. Ive seen a natural doctor, ive even went to see a omish doctor. I feel like giving up! I live with pain everyday due to me trying to stop myself from taking a breath over and over just to get stuck. When I stop myself i feel so much pressure in my chest and throat. I used to drink vinegar in the morning for my GERD and it helped me with the lump and the pressure in my throat, i stopped when they went away, but the SOB never went away. I stopped my anxiety medication and am having withdrawals which sucks because I hate being on medication. There’s literally only ONE more hope for me and that’s going to see a therapist who ONLY specializes in a technique called “The Alexander Technique” this technique helps with the posture of your body, it helps you get rid of bad habits we have gotten used to and now our mind THINK we need to take a deep breath, when in reality we DONT! The more i take the deep breaths my body tells me to, the more exhausted and out of breath I am. The one I will be traveling to is in North Carolina and she knows exactly what I am going through because she has helped MANY with this issue. Her own husband had this issue before they knew eachother and he went to her for this issue and we personally spoke and he had the same story as me over 10 years ago. Everyone who is physically healthy and has this issue, let me reassure you, its ALL in our heads. Its a bad habit we have taught our bodies to want and NOT need! Mine started after a panic attack and my body got used to my panic attacks and hyperventilation to the point where this is apparently the new “norm” for my breathing. But it isnt! We DONT need to take these breaths, Our bodies, don’t need it.
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3 ReactionsHow long were you on the medicine before you started to feel a difference?
@rigenadaku- Good morning and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I am so sorry that you feel like things are pretty hopeless for you. I don't believe that's true. You are alive and trying very hard to cope with a pain in the butt symptom. Coping is an "alive" verb! You can't be dead and cope. Nope, you have to be alive.
I'd like to ask you how you came about taking vinegar for GERD? Have you been checked for ulcers?
I'm not a doctor so I can't tell you that what you plan as a treatment will work. If you read back on the posts you'll see that there have been all sorts of different causes. Please don't give up hope.
Please let me know, if you will, how the exercise training goes! I'm sure that a lot of us on here would benefit from learning more.
Hello,
This sounds just like what I experience. I came across this while doing a search on constant need to yawn, as mine has recently flared up again.
Seven years ago, i began having weird breathing feelings. At first, holding my breaths for a few seconds seemed to get things back on track. It wasn’t long, however, before o was constantly feeling like I needed to yawn, or take a deep breath. Sometimes that deep breath would satisfy for a few minutes while other times it just didn’t feel like enough. In the beginning, I also experienced a lot of hyperventilation, tingling, dizziness. I believe that was all do to getting scared by the breathing. I went to DRs for a few years trying to figure it out, only to be told that I was making it up.
It was terrible for several months. I couldn’t sleep, or do many activities I normally would. Slowly, the constant need to yawn and breath deeply settled down, only bothering me once and a while. I had a couple of flare ups, but for the most part was fine. I began to realize that for me, if I thought about it to much, it would get worse. I found that if my mind was completely focused on something else it would be gone until I thought about it again. I was combined the issue was completely in my head; now I’m not so sure.
After about five years of only having minor encounters with this issue, it has returned almost as strong as in the beginning. It came back a month ago when I had a cold and hasn’t since left. It still gets better when my mind is focused on something else, but it never completely goes away. Do you find that it gets better for you when you are focused on something else? Do you wake up breathing normally, or is this present the moment you awake?
This has been driving me so crazy lately. Please let me know if you find anything that offers relief.
-Emma
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4 ReactionsUpdate...i have been on Protonix for 2 weeks now and it has been 95% back to normal. Not only have I taken the medicine, but I have changed up my diet. I still feel at times a lump in my throat. I will have my ultrasound this Thursday of my thyroid to see if it is pressing on my esophagus. ALL my labs including thyroid panel are normal. I have notice when I eat certain things such as meat or spicy foods I start to feel the lump more prominent and the urge to take a deep breath. My next step after my ultrasound will be to follow up with an ENT because the protonix has helped tremendously so maybe he will need to scope me to confirm the diagnosis of silent reflux. I understand how all of you guys feel because I was there and found myseld becoming depressed. I will keep you informed, so maybe I can help someone else. I have come to a conclusion through all this that when I had to constantly take a deep or yawn, I thought I will just have to live with it. NO...dont live with it because it is not normal! Read about it, research it and educate yourself on what it may be. EVERTHING stems from your gut. For me I read so much about acidic food and how it effects reflux and started eating better and started to notice when I ate certain things I could feel the dyspnea creeping back up. I hope what I post can help you guys and let me know if you have any questions.
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3 ReactionsHi @emmylou89. Sorry that you have been going through this. I know how you feel! There was a time when it was so bad for me that it was impossible to get my mind off it. In fact, I had panic attacks it go so bad. It has since improved a lot, but I still have the need to get a deep breath every few minutes and I still can't fully exercise. But I think you might find benefit in doing the Buteyko Breathing method; it helped me in the beginning. Then you need to keep up with doing moderate exercise multiple times a week and keep that up, since exercise (when done with the correct breathing technique- basically only breathing through your nose) builds up CO2 which helps with breathing. Look in the previous comments to see the link to where you can learn this method. Do keep us updated on how everything goes and how you are doing. If you find a solution, let us know so everyone here can explore these solutions for their own individual breathing problem.
@tonyagregg, thank you for the update. Hopefully it gets back to 100% normal, but I'm sure you will take 95% improvement any day! 🙂 Let us know how the thyroid ultrasound goes.
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1 Reaction@tonyagregg You are so right to advocate for yourself. I also wanted to tell you that the thyroid can't press on the esophagus. The esophagus is behind the trachea, and the thyroid is in front of the trachea, just below the "adams apple". Your doctor can feel the thyroid with their hands on the front of the neck.
@jenniferhunter from what I was told then read up on if a thyroid nodule becomes large enough it could press on your esophagus or windpipe causing difficulty swallowing. Mine was swallowen, but I would think not that big. I had my ultrasound today so we will see.
I have this exact same thing. I have had it a several times in the past, lasting several weeks, and then it eventually gets better. It's constant and uncomfortable. I do have acid re-flux and anxiety, which I take medication for. I don't feel any more stressed or anxious than normal, though. It is better when I lay down to sleep, so I wondered if it was more psychological instead of psychological. The allergy piece was interesting to me, since this is the time of year when I normally suffer from allergies, even though I take medication for it year round. Maybe I will try an additional allergy medication to see if that helps. I absolutely hate this feeling and feel desperate to find a solution. I'm glad I came here and hope some of these suggestions help. Thanks!