I have not had any tests done for this problem. I had some bad experiences around age ten with the medical community. I suffered from migraines as a kid that were so severe I would get sick to my stomach and cry. One doctor looked at my mother and said I was making it up for attention that there was nothing wrong. I do have a good primary as an adult but I don’t have this issue often enough for it to force me to the doctor yet. I work at a retail pharmacy so I utilize my pharmacist for advice on things and normally they are right. Most problems involve treating with medication. I did try that breathing technique last night and it did help. I also listened to the Marconi Union weightless song as it helps me stay calm when I just have normal anxiety. I took Benadryl, a decongestant, and some tums to coat my stomach for the drainage. Today I feel ok I just have muscle pain around my rib cage and jaw from trying to force myself to yawn to get a deep breath.

@pandakay727 @gabrielm You might want to investigate allergies as the source of the shortness of breath issues. Certainly there are other causes, but this is easily overlooked. This happens to me. My lungs react after I'm exposed to something by producing phlegm, and when there is enough of that and it's constant, the phlegm interferes with the absorption of oxygen. Many people are allergic to cats, me included, but I missed that connection. I didn't think I was allergic because I don't sneeze around the cats, but my doctor tested me and I have a significant cat allergy and I have 3 of them. I made some changes at home with the location of my HEPA filter so it blows on my face at night when I'm sleeping, and I started wearing some disposable surgeon's masks with 99% efficiency in filtration at night. Now, if a cat is curled up by my head, it doesn't bother me, and I don't wake up with excess phlegm that I need to clear.

This had been an ongoing problem for a couple years, and I was doing allergy shots for the cats all along, but it and antihistamines were not enough. I would get periodic chest infections because I wasn't clearing the phlegm. We are most vulnerable at night because we are laying down and it doesn't clear. I also try to vacuum often, change the bed often and keep it covered with sheets, so these are easily changed. You can also take Mucinex (or generic) to thin the mucous so it's easier to clear. I have allergies to a lot of tings, molds, dust, tree pollen, weeds, ragweed, etc, and I do allergy shots and testing for all of that. Exposure to mold spores causes airways and lung tissue to swell with inflammation. I also wipe my cats down with my wet hand pretty often to try to clean the dander which is their dried saliva that becomes an air born dust. That dust settles and floats in the air and cats running around will stir it up from the floor as well. Allergies are cumulative, so you have to treat them all. If you have allergies, you have to be more vigilant about prevention. I thought I had a serous reoccurring lung infection, but I didn't. It was just my allergies, and the cats top that list. I can coexist with them and still breathe well with the changes that I made. It's important to control allergies affecting the lungs because it can cause permanent changes and remodeling of the airways. The masks I use at 3M #1820 Procedure masks with ear loops instead of ties, latex free with >99% filtration of 0.1 Micron particles which is equivalent to a HEPA filter. You can always try them and see if they help which will confirm that allergies are contributing to an issue.