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Mysterious shortness of breath: What has helped you?
Lung Health | Last Active: 5 days ago | Replies (3422)Comment receiving replies
Gabe, I think I am having the same problem as you. I am a 29 year old female and I am taking no medications. I had been experiencing palpitations and chest pain for about a year so I went to the PCP in January and they did an EKG. It showed an abnormality and I ended up at a cardiologist and they did a full work up on me and everything came back fine. I decided to see a pulmonologist (and this was before I noticed my breathing issue) and the PFT was normal, no asthma, no obstruction. So ever since then I don't know if I just became hyperaware of my breathing but I am constantly taking deep satisfying breaths. I can go a minute or two without, but sometimes I need to 30 seconds later. I notice I do this more when I am at work, or sitting around being lazy. I had a follow up with the pulmonologist and I described the symptoms to her, and she said that deep breathing isn't bad for the lungs. I've done a lot of googling on this and everything I read doesn't show any negative affect this can have on my lungs/heart. It is extremely frustrating and worrisome that I have this frequent urge to inhale deeply. I did read somewhere that it's normal for people to take in a deep breath every 5 minutes or so which is actually very healthy and important for the lungs. I have tried the different breathing methods and they don't really work long term for me. I also want to mention I was diagnosed with LPR by an ENT a year ago, my esophagus was enflamed and I felt like I was getting food stuck in my throat all the time. I went for a second opinion a few months later and there was no inflammation and I was told that a lot of dr's diagnose LPR when they are not sure what the problem really is. I guess that could be the cause but I really don't think it is. But like you, I've had lots of tests done and there was no obvious problem. I can do cardio (I have an airbike) for an hour and not even be out of breath. I still have to take in deep breaths, but less of them when I am working out. Let me know if you have any new information so we can get to the bottom of this!
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Hey @sprucy11, sorry that you're experiencing this like many of us are, but glad you found the forum in your search for answers. I was 27 when the issue first came about for me. It is certainly normal for people to take deep breaths, but can be an issue if done too much like when someone is hyperventilating. I assume your O2 levels have been normal? Interestingly, when I went to the ER about 7 or 8 years ago when this started for me, my O2 levels were 100% indicating hyperventilation. My normal O2 is around 94%.
What breathing methods have you tried? I have had success with the Buteyko method, but you do have to stick with it and do the exercises at least twice a day, and I still do some level of the method almost on a daily basis which has kept symptoms under control.
I know your frustration about having the urge to inhale deeply frequently. Have you been checked for any GI issues, like GERD, general acid reflux, etc.? If it's any comfort, I would agree that the deep breathing itself doesn't have a negative effect on the heart or lungs unless there is some specific condition there, so whenever I had bad episodes I would tell myself that I'm going to be ok and that it won't kill me. That seemed to help calm me down a bit. Have you been treated for the LPR?