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Mysterious shortness of breath: What has helped you?
Lung Health | Last Active: 17 hours ago | Replies (3425)Comment receiving replies
I realized I didn't really put my medical history in an understandable manner,
my first shortness of breath & this sensation was about 4-5 years ago, I felt like I manually had to breath, I couldn't satisfy my breath, And my chest was tight. it happened for about 2 period first was for 3 weeks, the second time was a couple months later & stayed for a month.
Then I had a really bad relapse And went to the doctor And was told I had anxiety And was put on anxiety meds And started watching videos to calm myself down, It went away for a while And then came back. then I ended up in the hospital because of the shortness of breath 5 times, this Time the feeling had stuck around longer & more intolerable, about 3 times in the hospital I went to the doctor And he said I had hyperthyroid, it was still happening throughout, I went another 2 times after the thyroid diagnoses to the hospital, now Ive been telling them that it's still happening but they want to blame the anxiety or the thyroid but I had it before both of them, the anxiety went away I was just in a bad part of my life, I can totally see the difference anxiety is a severe mental feeling And you can feel mental And physical, now the breathing definitely feels physical/ real. & now I requested an asthma test & a swallow test. but I doubt anything will be off setting, I can run, I can get physical, I don't tire out or have the issue breathing, last time I do believe It went away when I completely forgot about it, but I've been trying to do that, again but its really hard when its happening, or when "trying" to forget only makes you think of it more. I also realized that when I am around people I can control it a little better but not always. so I don't really now what it is. but I am 18 and it feels like its been part of my life for a very long time. I have them more as episodes. I'm pretty sure I wrote an incorrect amount of times Ive had this thinking back its been with me more times then I can remember. but the feeling will come & go, but not fast. it will come And stay for a solid 3 weeks-2 months, than it'll be gone And come back, but when it does come back it happens daily & multiple times a day, even 24 hours through the day, I've even had the feeling show up in my dreams multiple times, in my dream ill be seeking help And have the really bad shortness of air in my dream character. Hope to hear back from any of you.
Replies to "I realized I didn't really put my medical history in an understandable manner, my first shortness..."
Hi @edgarc, I'm so sorry you've been dealing with this for as long as you have. If it's any consolation, I believe most people's symptoms, including myself, are either temporary or will get better over time.
That's a good sign that you can somewhat control it around people, as that means you have something to work toward in being able to control it more.
Trying to forget it is hard, but I've found that if I am involved in deep tasks, or work, or hobbies, it definitely does the trick as far as getting me distracted enough. I don't sit around and watch TV, but my distractions activities are playing guitar, working with wood and on projects, yard work, etc. Pick something you know can get you distracted for a good while.
I know what you mean about wanting to be close to home within a quick drive of somewhere you can get help. I can relate- I was that way too. But as things improved, I felt more comfortable going places like fishing in the mountains, taking road trips and vacations, etc. I do believe you will improve. Here are a quick list of things to work on that may be able to help;
- Look up Buteyko Breathing Method and learn as many techniques as you can to learn to breathe properly
- Resist the urge to take a big deep breath as much as possible- this helped me a great deal in the beginning
- Mild to moderate exercise (walking, light weight lifting) with very controlled and slow breathing through the nose
- Use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to deal with the anxiety. It doesn't involve any drugs at all and is a way to help feel anxiety less and less, and I do think this will help with the breathing issue as well
- Learn to belly breathe instead of chest breathe. Simply look up "belly breathing technique" to learn how to switch to belly breathing (using your diaphragm instead of your chest)
The fact that the breathing returns to normal at times is also a good sign. It means there is something that is helping you to return to normal breathing rate and rhythm.
How often do you do physical exercise currently?
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Do you have any other symptoms? I have this air hunger (as I call it) or air gasping. I have laryngopharyngeal reflux disease, hiatus hernia and vocal cord dysfunction. I'm listing all those things because I completely understand your experience. Look up laryngopharyngeal reflux disease/respiratory reflux. This can cause all the breathing issues you describe and the condition flares up and then goes again which is why you will feel fine and then it comes back. It is triggered by diet, allergy, lifestyle etc. If you can do physical activity without issues it doesn't sound like asthma as such (I have this too since I was born.) I would suggest seeing an ENT to do a scope (laryngoscope) to see your vocal cords as a first step. If they think you have anything they can advise. I'd say that's the best Dr to see first to try and figure it out. To note sooo many drs don't know about lpr so it is complex and many patients (I am one) bounce around so many specialists and get dismissed. If you have the luxury to choose which ENT you see try choose one who knows about lpr. I am of course not a Dr but just sharing my experience, I have spent a good few years trying to understand what an earth was going on with me and it was an ENT who finally gave me answers that has helped me start my attempted healing journey. Look up Dr Jamie Koufman