Hi @tonim. Glad you found us, not glad you’re going through this! Your situation seems to be common among us in this forum. It used to be that my breathing was fine at night but nowadays it does still affect me at night, but I think that has more to do with my sinus issues. One thing I am researching and will probably get tested for is vocal cord dysfunction. GERD can trigger symptoms and seems to be unaffected during sleep. This may not be the solution, but it always helps to eliminate conditions to narrow down to the answer.

@tonim I'd like to extend my welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect, a place to give and get support.

Having shortness of breath is no way to spend vacations.

You have quite a few health ailments. The shortness of breath only happened while on vacation but since October you feel this way constantly? May I ask if anything has changed since October? For example, a recent job loss or any other major life changes.

I'd like to bring in members @enyeart7680 @merpreb@alexm1994 @mcno @zoelife @sal51 @bizzy12 @mcno @zoelife @kikiriki to the conversation. They may be able to offer information and/or support.

Anxiety can cause a lot of physical symptoms but it's important to rule other potential causes of a symptom. It sounds like you are under proper medical care.

Do you see a therapist for anxiety? If so, have you considered doing so? If it is anxiety you can learn new skills to manage the symptoms. If it isn't anxiety you know to push for an alternative diagnosis.

We have a LOT in common. I’ve had SOB for the last six months and was diagnosed with Persistent Asthma. I too generally sleep well at night (all the symptoms pretty much go away, so I REALLY look forward to bedtime). Anxiety is in play for me, though I didn’t realize it. My pulmonologist and PCP both suggested this to me without talking to each other. SOB and anxiety make for a toxic cocktail. It amazes me when I realize how tense and locked up I am without realizing it. I’m still dealing with excess phlegm, yet the breathing exercises help me. I absolutely have Asthma, but I think my brain exasperates it all. Lastly, I’ve too been home alone all day, every day (until my spouse gets home at 5:30) for about a year. This too has weighed on me.

I have suffered from what I call “incomplete yawning syndrome” since my 30s at least. It seems to happen periodically with no rhyme or reason. I, too, have anxiety issues and GERD which are probably underlying causes but just today I had my first episode in MONTHS, maybe in a year and so I’m wondering if the trigger is allergies. I don’t have asthma but have noted that these episodes serm to start when the environment has changed. In one case, it was when we were driving across the country and it hit me hard when we reached Iowa. Iowa is where the humid part of the US starts so I was wondering if that triggered it. Today we experienced a warm spell that is rapidly melting a foot of snow and exposing the ground which has been snow-covered for several months. Yesterday I did a lot of dusting. So I’m wondering if one or the other caused me to start having these episodes again. Can anyone else see this pattern? I sure hate it when these gasping episodes begin because they seem to hang on for weeks before they go away.