Mysterious shortness of breath: What has helped you?

Hi Gabe,

I just came across your post and read it thoroughly. I haven't read the comments but I do plan to.

Here's my story: So one fateful day while at work at the time (Lowe's), I accidentally cut some pressure treated lumber. A few weeks prior, a co-worker had told me to never do that because of the "toxic chemicals" they use to treat the wood.
I did it anyway, and immediately after, I started having trouble breathing. I freaked out. I had asthma as a child and my last Asthma attack had been at least 6-7 years prior. So I ran to the pharmacy next door and got my inhaler refill. But nothing improved. After months of many ER visits, misdiagnoses and doctor visits, I concluded I may have VCD after doing research. I finally saw an ENT and SLP and they said "I likely had it". I guess it meant they couldn't trigger it while they did the Laryngoscopy.

Eventually I got better but the breathing issue was always there, running the background. Sometimes it would get worse. Bad air, running, getting sick would all trigger it. but it had been manageable. I could still hike, run short distances, workout, etc..

However, about two months ago, I was shopping at Lowe's and I walked by the Lumber area, just to reminisce where it all started. And guess what? This issue is back and as worse as it was in 2013. The poor air quality here in Salt Lake City hasn't helped either.
Mine isn't life threatening. I have monitored my O2 for years and my O2 never goes below 92. So It obviously won't kill me. But it is uncomfortable and I am really worried what happens one day when I can no longer get the "breath in" and I pass out.

I am questioning if I have some other psychological issue? I get the throat tightness and difficulty inhaling but no stridor. I have to yawn or sigh to "force the breath in".

I want to add this, I don't know if VCD is considered a type of Dystonia but I also have Dystonia. I find it hard to believe I would have two very rare neurologic disorders. My Dystonia is "multifocal" so it mainly occurs in my eyelids, facial muscles and sometimes abdomen. These are involuntary muscle spasms. Those spasms aren't constant but can be triggered as well.

I recently just tried taking muscle relaxers and it's only been one day, so hard to say if it makes a difference.

Currently I have found no breathing exercises that have done anything to help. I can relate to your story and I really question what is going on. I can't imagine living the rest of my life like this.

Tahir

Pressure treated wood is no different from other wood. Safety precautions are needed to prevent inhalation of wood dust or getting it into eyes, nose and on skin. Unfortunately for employees and customers of HI stores, the air quality is awful. Lowe's was one of my accounts a few years ago and I had to visit 2 sites for audits. I used my inhaler before going in and stayed away from the lumber and fertilizer areas.

My brother has asthma as well as many allergies and severe reactive airway disorder. He always uses an N95 mask when cutting or sanding any wood. I have bronchiectasis, asthma & milder reactive airway disorder, and I have long worn a dust mask for similar work.

Last year when we were sanding a table on his patio, he insisted that I wear a "real" N95 respirator - while uncomfortable in the Texas heat, I had no breathing issues the next 2 days. All summer, while working on my daughter's old house, I wore one faithfully, and had neo asthma attacks or bronchiectasis exacerbations!

If you have any lung or breathing problems, with or without a specific diagnosis, a well-fitted mask to keep irritants out of your lungs is important. As for "can't wear one", I truly believed I was in that group - until a severe lung infection scared me, and I taught myself to do it. When I am not around others, I wear one with an exhaust port that makes exhaling easier.

Deb & @tahiristan , have you tried wearing an N95 mask in lung-irritating situations?
Sue

My brother has asthma as well as many allergies and severe reactive airway disorder. He always uses an N95 mask when cutting or sanding any wood. I have bronchiectasis, asthma & milder reactive airway disorder, and I have long worn a dust mask for similar work.

Last year when we were sanding a table on his patio, he insisted that I wear a "real" N95 respirator - while uncomfortable in the Texas heat, I had no breathing issues the next 2 days. All summer, while working on my daughter's old house, I wore one faithfully, and had neo asthma attacks or bronchiectasis exacerbations!

If you have any lung or breathing problems, with or without a specific diagnosis, a well-fitted mask to keep irritants out of your lungs is important. As for "can't wear one", I truly believed I was in that group - until a severe lung infection scared me, and I taught myself to do it. When I am not around others, I wear one with an exhaust port that makes exhaling easier.

Deb & @tahiristan , have you tried wearing an N95 mask in lung-irritating situations?
Sue

Hi Gabe,

I just came across your post and read it thoroughly. I haven't read the comments but I do plan to.

Here's my story: So one fateful day while at work at the time (Lowe's), I accidentally cut some pressure treated lumber. A few weeks prior, a co-worker had told me to never do that because of the "toxic chemicals" they use to treat the wood.
I did it anyway, and immediately after, I started having trouble breathing. I freaked out. I had asthma as a child and my last Asthma attack had been at least 6-7 years prior. So I ran to the pharmacy next door and got my inhaler refill. But nothing improved. After months of many ER visits, misdiagnoses and doctor visits, I concluded I may have VCD after doing research. I finally saw an ENT and SLP and they said "I likely had it". I guess it meant they couldn't trigger it while they did the Laryngoscopy.

Eventually I got better but the breathing issue was always there, running the background. Sometimes it would get worse. Bad air, running, getting sick would all trigger it. but it had been manageable. I could still hike, run short distances, workout, etc..

However, about two months ago, I was shopping at Lowe's and I walked by the Lumber area, just to reminisce where it all started. And guess what? This issue is back and as worse as it was in 2013. The poor air quality here in Salt Lake City hasn't helped either.
Mine isn't life threatening. I have monitored my O2 for years and my O2 never goes below 92. So It obviously won't kill me. But it is uncomfortable and I am really worried what happens one day when I can no longer get the "breath in" and I pass out.

I am questioning if I have some other psychological issue? I get the throat tightness and difficulty inhaling but no stridor. I have to yawn or sigh to "force the breath in".

I want to add this, I don't know if VCD is considered a type of Dystonia but I also have Dystonia. I find it hard to believe I would have two very rare neurologic disorders. My Dystonia is "multifocal" so it mainly occurs in my eyelids, facial muscles and sometimes abdomen. These are involuntary muscle spasms. Those spasms aren't constant but can be triggered as well.

I recently just tried taking muscle relaxers and it's only been one day, so hard to say if it makes a difference.

Currently I have found no breathing exercises that have done anything to help. I can relate to your story and I really question what is going on. I can't imagine living the rest of my life like this.

Tahir

@tahiristan, thank you for sharing your story! Have any doctors given their opinion on if they believe the conditions you mentioned might be a cause or contributor to the breathing problem?

I wonder if the lowes incident might’ve trigger the asthma somehow and it’s still affected by it.

Have you looked into Buteyko breathing method? That’s the method I used early on and still use which has helped to keep my symptoms under control.

Pressure treated wood is no different from other wood. Safety precautions are needed to prevent inhalation of wood dust or getting it into eyes, nose and on skin. Unfortunately for employees and customers of HI stores, the air quality is awful. Lowe's was one of my accounts a few years ago and I had to visit 2 sites for audits. I used my inhaler before going in and stayed away from the lumber and fertilizer areas.

This is interesting. I still have no idea what happened then. I have thought about doing a deep meditation and/or hypnosis and going back to that time and memory to see if I can fix it, but I am afraid to make it even worse if it is a psychological thing, but where Western Medicine fails, Eastern Medicine can help. I need to see a Naturopath or something.

Could be related to the phrenic nerves or the vagus nerve. Using abdominal muscles could be affecting an already sensitive vagus nerve. I had this problem. You might have done something days prior to the onset using your abs that you might not even remember. The smell and irritation from the wood could have triggered a memory which triggered your brain's limbic system, especially the amygdala.

Sue, would you share the brand of mask with a valve that you use? There are so many available that my head is spinning and you are such a great researcher. Thanks in advance.
Rita