Sarah, I was short of breath upon minimal exertion for 91/2 years. Before it hit, I was working out at the gym for months before with weight HR s and very active but never out the two together. After years and years of tests, many invasive, at Johns Hopkins, Cleveland clinic, Hershey medical and all around where I lived in PA, I was getting worse and could do less but with no answers. I also developed the sighing and trying to get a good breath during this last year. My husband was with me through it all and he suggested they check my spine finally and it was discovered that I jd narrowing at several places in my neck but a herniated disc at C5/6. The neurosurgeon completed anterior cervical discectomy removing the disc and put in a spacer. The shortness of breath upon minimal exertion was finally gone after the surgery when I awoke… Praise the Lord! However, the ‘trying to get a breath’ was worse ( yawning, sighing) and I wasn’t sure if it was due to healing or the medications or?, so now, after a year and a half since the surgery and the healing, it settled down and got better but I still have it sometimes and it seems to be happening upon reaching high, lifting, carrying etc., so I think ( in my opinion only) that I wish they had replaced perhaps C3/4 as well? So, at this point I’m documenting When it happens and why so perhaps if it gets worse and it doesn’t seem to be getting better, I can see the neurosurgeon again and see what he thinks. I really don’t want to get another surgery, though. But I would indeed if necessary as this not being able to get a breath and feeling like a fish out of water is worse than the shortness of breath upon minimal exertion was in that I was able to just go slow and was okay. We sold our house and downsized, so there would not be any steps as it used to take me about 15 minutes to 20 minutes to go up the 15 steps we had in our split level. I couldn’t roll over in bed and pull the covers without panting and chest pain with tingling down the arm. I went from being very active to enjoying life at the pace of the turtle I guess, but despite the frustrations and the unhappiness of being in the situation I was, I felt blessed that it wasn’t my heart and my lungs nor any of the other dozen things that we explored, i.e. hiatal hernia, throat, nose, voice box, thyroid ( they ablated it ;(, etc. and just made the most of it. It wasn’t until it got so bad I couldn’t go from the bed to the bathroom, and my thumb got numb, I was off-balance, that is when we took action to find another direction.
I would think it would benefit you to at least explore this option of seeing a neurologist and having the X-rays and MRIs done, though, and I would love for you to get back to me with your results and any success that you have. Thank you, and good luck.