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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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@emimmed- It's tiring and frustrating dealing with doctors for sure. I'm very tired of hearing it's in my head. And I'm angry that this is still being said. Doctors should have to prove that they know this for sure and stop giving this diagnosis without proof.
Doctors are trained differently, and some in practice don't deviate at all from how they were taught. Some are trained to think outside the box and their patients benefit a lot from this. But one thing that is necessary, I believe is that we can't give up this fight and we can't continue to allow doctors to continue to insinuate that we've made things up just because they can't find at least a reasonable explanation for SOB.
What would happen if we all said, "No, that's no longer an acceptable response?" "I don't believe that my mental state is responsible for this or at least not fully responsible." Can we not ask for a reasonable explanation of the science that leads them to think this?
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2 ReactionsHello everyone my name is Kaleb I’m 22 years old healthy male about 6’3 mid weight and just about 2 weeks ago I noticed I got sick I have asthma and high blood pressure which are all under control with medication and I didn’t think much of it I thought it was a bug COVID-19 was ruled out as two test results came back negative Well now they sent me home I felt fine all day long then at about 11 at night I noticed I couldn’t catch my breathe or I was constantly fighting to get a good deep one in and it scared me so I go into the er and they take blood work for heart disease blood clots pneumonia etc chest x ray and they are telling me it’s all coming back ok so i come back home do a neb treatment Nd my inhalers and I’m okay again but still struggling for that good deep breath I can get it in but it takes a lot well now fast forward next day it’s unbearable I feel like I can’t get a good one In so Here iam back at the er again and they are telling me it’s fine but I don’t feel fine so they release me again and I’m home once again in my bed crying just struggling to catch my breathe well my mother lives in a different town a few hours away so she tells me she’s coming to get me and that the doctors there are a little better so she comes for me and I go to the er there and once again nothing they are telling me it’s anxiety but as someone who’s had anxiety his whole life I kno something else is wrong I’m tired I’m frustrated I feel alone I’m scared I’m going to go to sleep and I won’t wake back up I’m losing my appetite I don’t even eat I’m just constantly drinking water and laying in my bed this isn’t normal juust 3 weeks ago I was so happy with my life no stress I was always out walking around doing things all the time I was never home for so long ever since this started I’ve completely gone into full depression mode I’m sacred I’m going to die so just yesterday my doctor put me on an anxiety pill but I with all my honest heart don’t believe that is where this problem is Ik I can tell I’ve had anxiety my whole life there is ways to work through that I wanna be normal again I don’t wanna feel this way how can I make this go away who do I need to go see I’m terrified and reading everyone else’s comments makes me feel not so alone.
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3 Reactions@kalebmatthew445- Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You are in great company here. It must have been extremely scary when you all of a sudden found that you couldn't take a deep breath, a satisfying breath. There are lots of people on here that suffer from SOB who also have asthma. I'm wondering if you have seen a pulmonologist or have had a lung function test.
What a lot of people here have found is something called Hyperventilation Syndrome. This is where the balance of Co2 and O2 are off and the panting changes the pH balance in your blood. (Hyperventilation, sustained abnormal increase in breathing. During hyperventilation, the rate of removal of carbon dioxide from the blood is increased. As the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the blood decreases, respiratory alkalosis, characterized by decreased acidity or increased alkalinity of the blood, happens.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperventilation_syndromeEmotions can certainly cause this, and out of the blue too.
You can tests this yourself by carrying a paper bag around.
There are also a lot of other types of lung exercises to try also but I thought that the paper bag was easier, to begin with. Before your first incident had you had an upheaval in your life, more so than at any other recent time?
@kalebmatthew445 sorry to hear you’re experiencing this. I know exactly how you feel. You’re definitely not alone in this. It’s a mysterious condition that can be scary at times, but the first thing to help calm the nerves is to realize that it’s not going to kill you. You will be fine and you will get better. Please go through all the comments- I know, there are A LOT!- but there are many solutions that many of us have tried that work for some people at least to some degree. It doesn’t hurt to try them since most are natural methods. It’s good to experiment until it gets under control. But keep close to us here and let us know how things go and post any questions you have. We’re all in this together.
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1 ReactionNo I’ve never experienced something like this my whole life even having asthma my whole life it was rare that I’d ever get an attack I have an appointment with a pulmonologist on the 21st which seems like it can’t come soon enough but I’m tired of feeling like this sometimes I can’t even get sleep at night Today it was on and off struggling with air I can be okay if I just lay in my bed but that’s not what I want I want my life back I’ve been skipping my college classes because of this problem I’m going to try some of the methods tonight to get me to sleep faster maybe some melatonin will do me some good does anyone know? Why exactly we are suffering from this this has to be the most scariest thing to ever have to go through because it feels like your are going to die I’m so ready to get back to my life I’m tired of feeling like this
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1 ReactionIs this mostly at night-or while laying down. Is it constant? Can you make any connection to the breathlessness? Do you workout? Sometimes a pulled intercostal muscle causes shortness of breath that is intense. Also- if it is at nighttime or after meals— it could possibly be silent GERD or heartburn- feels similar to drowning,I could be exaggerating a bit, but it’s uncomfortable. You could try a antacid. Try to keep your mind busy and of course keep moving. Also maybe one more covid test🤷🏻♀️ Hang in there:)
@kalebmatthew445- You are asking a universal question that we all would like to know! I'm sad that you are missing your classes. This isn't good. Doesn't your anxiety med. help? I'm glad that you have an appointment with a pulmonologist in a couple of weeks.
Please try to calm your fears, as @gabrielm said, you aren't dying.
I also encourage you to read as many posts as you can because there are many wonderful solutions that people have found or ways of controlling this. Keep on keeping on until you find a solution.
How did you sleep last night?
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1 ReactionYea Ik and yes I’m also looking forward to that appointment hopefully they can atleast give me peace of mind I understand I’m probably not dying but I’m going to maybe push the doctors a little bit to maybe kinda look further into this because I’m sure we can all agree that it shouldn’t be a struggle everyday to have to fight for ur breath but yea last night I slept pretty good and my anxiety meds do help to a point but I just wanna be over this I also noticed I get winded doing regular activities that I used to do maybe we are all experiencing some kind of new sickness? Idk but I’m going to try my best And ask a million questions at the doctor just maybe there is something they are missing in our blood work? I hate to nag the docs but this is a scary thing to go through feeling like you can’t breathe is not normal at all guys and I feel so bad for everyone on this post cause Ik exactly what you are all going through hopefully I can get us some closure at this appointment I just really know this isn’t anxiety I only say that cause wouldn’t I have felt like this before? Because I’ve had anxiety all my life and I managed that pretty well I never needed a medication to help me thru it but I noticed The breathing spells come and go like rn as I type this I’m fine I’m able to breathe ok and other times it’s harder
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1 ReactionI also had shortness of breath that progressively got worse . My pulmonologist didn’t know what to do with me, so I was sent to a nurse practitioner. She said I had infected sinuses, also asked if I had ever been tested for allergies. Turns out I’m allergic to 17 different things. I’ve been on the shots for a month now and my breathing is better than it’s been for a long time! You might consider asking about this. I had no real symptoms except shortness of breath.
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1 Reaction@kalebmatthew445- Hi Matthew- You are asking wonderful questions and asking your doctors questions is not nagging. When I bug my husband, that's nagging. None of us want this and if the world were a perfect place we wouldn't have this. But we do and we have to learn to cope if need be. I know it feels particularly bad and maybe some things don't seem logical. Somethings in science only takes a minuscule amount of change to affect another change. Let's take an example like global warming. Because of an increase of Co2 in our atmosphere, the earth has warmed just a degree or so and look at all the changes it's created. Something in your body changed too to cause this, it could be your Co2 or something else that has changed the acidity in your blood.
It's also very difficult for us to self-measure for anxiety levels. I'm a pretty hyper person and I don't realize it a lot of times, even when I think that I am calm, so if your anxiety level has increased you might not be aware of it and it might not have happened before.
Please try and be patient with this. It may take some time to find an answer or time to learn to control it.
I know that this is extremely troublesome and frustrating because there aren't any easy answers and I feel very badly for you. You are taking positive steps to find answers. May I suggest writing your list of questions and symptoms down so that you don't forget anything when you go to the doctors?