← Return to Things that help False Shortness of Breath (SOB) or pseudo-dyspnea

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@sysdefendr

Hi I'm in my mid 30s and have had what I believe is FSOB on and off for a little over a decade. I have what I would describe as health anxiety, clinical anxiety and OCD. I thought that the inability to catch a full satisfying breath was related to my OCD because I also pull hair out (trichotillomania) and have some other odd ticks. Just recently for the last 2 months, I'd been obsessively popping my ears. It gets really frustrating that I can't stop some of these behaviors. Id do weird things with my mouth and nose as a kid.

I haven't had FSOB for about 3 years and it just popped right up after I got back from a trip to see my dad in the hospital. He's not doing well and I'm sure that has my anxiety spiked. I've noticed that since I started yawning and not getting a full breath again, I haven't been popping my ears. I think it's definitely a hyper obsession on one thing. I'm an infosec professional and work from home. I'm overweight and don't exercise as much as I should. I do get acid reflux a good bit. I'm going to try some Omeprazole again. Id tried it once for abdominal pain that couldn't be explained otherwise. They did an endoscopy and CT scan. Scan showed start of a fatty liver but nothing too extreme. the pursed lip breathing helps a little. Yogi Breathe Easy tea helps some. Mullein extract as well. I also tend to get back pain with this issue as well. Tried a chiro but it didn't really do much. Getting massages seems to help sometimes.

I've read through many suggestions here and tried a lot so I don't think I'm looking for more at this point, but just want to share what I've experienced and how it sometimes help me. I really just want to write for someone else that is maybe just experiencing this and is super worried.

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Replies to "Hi I'm in my mid 30s and have had what I believe is FSOB on and..."

@sysdefendr - Good morning and welcome to Mayo Connect. It has to be very tough watching your father in the hospital. I'm sorry that you are both going through this at this time.

And it looks as if your anxiety regarding your dad's health has triggered an old nemesis. Or, perhaps it's a combination of all the factors you mentioned, including not exercising and being overweight at a very young age. If I were you, and especially to gain control over your fear (which is completely natural) I would get back to eating healthier and exercising. If you don't in a few years your health will deteriorate even more. I know from personal experience that letting things go is easy and getting back to a healthier lifestyle is difficult but it will be well worth it for you.

The tests that you mentioned- were they three years ago or more recently?