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Mysterious shortness of breath: What has helped you?
I will try to make this as short as possible, but this has been going on for over 5 years, so it might be farily long.
Beginning in summer of 2012, I began having shortness of breath (SOB) with no other symptoms. I felt a constant need to yawn, and every few breaths wouldn't satisfy the SOB. I would take a deep breath, and felt like it would get "stuck" before satisfying the air hunger feeling. About every 3-5 deep breaths would satisfy it, only for it to return a minute later.
I got an endoscopy and other tests done, which revealed that I had some esophageal erosion due to acid reflux and a slight hiatal hernia and was diagnosed with GERD. I had always have bad heartburn, so I was prescribed with Prilosec, which I have been taking daily since them. I've tried stopping it a few times but the reflux always comes back a lot worse.
Lung tests and x-rays were normal. Heart tests normal. Blood test revealed a slight anemia but otherwise pretty normal.
I did some research reading forums where someone suggested taking vitamin B-12. Strangely, I took it and the SOB disappeared almost instantly. However, it only lasted a few days for it to return just as bad. I then started taking an iron supplement, which again made the SOB disappear quickly- same thing; symptom returned days later.
After further research, I came across a breathing exercise method called the Buteyko method. Essentially you do a lot of breath holding to build up CO2 and reduce breathing as the theory is that I had chronic hyperventilation causing too much CO2 to exit my body. After applying the method and reducing my breathing, the SOB disappeared after only 2 days and I felt completely normal. I continued the method a few more days then no longer felt the need to pursue the exercises. I was normal for a whole year when the SOB once again returned with some chest tightness. I applied the method again and the symptom went away, this time with a little more effort; after about 3 weeks. I included physical exercise which also helped with my breathing.
After that, I was normal for about 2 years. I mistakenly stopped or at least slowed down exercise and the SOB returned once again. I applied the method and began running for exercise but the SOB kept getting worse. It got so bad, I had multiple panic attacks and the feeling of completely empty lungs with the inability to satisfy it with deep breaths. I had to stop exercise altogether, apply the Buteyko method and do breathing exercises very carefully with very light and slow exercise. This helped, but it took many weeks for the SOB to improve. Then, it was almost normal when over a year ago as I was running, I couldn't get a deep breath to satisfy exercise-induced SOB. I have had SOB continuously since then (a year and a half).
I once again started doing breathing exercises and slowly building up physical exercise, but I can't do any prolonged cardio activity because the SOB gets to a point where deep breathing will not satisfy it. While the breathing exercises have helped, they have had very little effect compared to previous efforts. It seems that every time the symptom returned, greater effort yields few results.
I suspect there is something, some underlying cause that is causing the SOB that has alluded me this entire time.
So for the past few months to a year, the SOB is worse on some days, better on others, but never gone. There's no rhyme or reason or pattern for it. It's just there, sometimes affecting my sleep. I sometimes can't get a deep breath to satisfy it every now and then, but for the most part, a big gulp of air will satisfy it. But it returns seconds to minutes later. It's as though every breath doesn't deliver what it's supposed to, the SOB builds up, and then I have to take a big gulp of air to get rid of the feeling, pattern repeats. My breathing pattern is normal, however. I don't feel like anything physical is happening, but sometimes it feels like my airways and nostrils are slightly inflamed due to allergies, but when I don't feel inflammation the SOB is still there.
Recent lung function tests show normal- I don't have asthma, or any other problems with my lungs. Heart tests are normal though I did have about a two week bout of heart palpitations which came and went. Haven't had any for a while- it just mysteriously started happening then stopped. Blood tests are normal, though tests always show a slight elevation of biliruben which my doc thinks is Gilbert's disease.
I don't have sleep apnea (normal test), bloody oxygenation is normal, heart rate normal.
I recently saw local naturopath (since mainstream docs aren't able to help) who immediately suspected a liver problem when I described my SOB, possibly liver inflammation. He used an electrodermal testing machine to test his theory which did seem to show a problem with my liver and gallbladder. He gave me digestive enzymes and a gallbladder formula to help clear a bile duct clog, thus reducing liver inflammation. He also determined with the machine that I have an egg sensitivity so I've been avoiding eggs.
Been taking this and avoiding eggs for a couple of months, but there has been no noticeable improvement. Everything else is normal. Emotionally I'm normal- no anxiety, depression, etc. The SOB seems to be the only symptom of something, but always comes back worse, until a year and half ago when it came back and has remained since. I feel like I shouldn't have to do breath holding exercises every day just to maintain my breathing well enough to do every day things.
Does anyone have any idea of a possible underlying cause?
2021/2022 UPDATE:
Since my original post about 3-1/2 years ago, a lot has happened, so I’d like to update the post to share with others who come across this what I’ve done since then.
I have maintained a weekly Buteyko method breathing exercise regimen where I do a few of these breathing exercises 3-4 times a week in the morning. This, in combination with daily light to moderate exercise (specifically weight lifting, with 1 or 2 days a week of walking and light jogging), I feel has kept the air hunger symptoms tolerable and manageable. I have mostly good days with some not-so-good days, but doing a breathing exercise and knowing that it’ll get better again helps me get through those times.
I also have sinus inflammation which can exacerbate the symptoms, but I’ve also managed this, which in turn reduces the severity of the air hunger symptoms.
So, while I haven’t found a cure nor is the problem completely gone, I have been able to maintain normalcy in daily life and manage the symptoms through the strategies I described.
This discussion remains active, alive and well through the comments section where others who have similar symptoms have shared what has helped them as well as suggestions for possible solutions to explore.
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Hi @whoami, thank you for sharing your situation. I hope you know through this forum that you're definitely not alone!
And thank you for providing this information. I'm glad you went through some tests to start eliminating things that could be causing it. You mention about slight improvements when you use an inhaler. Your lung function test came back normal, though I'm not sure if it would catch the possibility of occasional or sports-induced asthma. That could possibly explain the improvement when using an inhaler.
Have you tried reducing the intensity if your running for a time, just to see how that might affect your breathing overall? I definitely had to play around with the intensity of my own exercise until I found a "sweet spot" where I wasn't pushing my breathing too hard, but it was meaningful exercise.
Also, have you done or considered getting a sleep study done?
By the way, I too had mild anemia in my bloodwork back over a decade ago, which I think has since resolved, but at that time I seemed to be lacking in some nutrients. I'm not sure if that played a part in breathing symptoms, but I am speculating that lacking certain nutrients can affect the ability of the body to transport oxygen regularly.
Vitamin d contributes to lessened anxiety. Anxiety was my cause if you ever worsen. Consider acceptance therapy which is essentially do nothing about the symptom refocus on life allow it to be there. The less important you make it the less important it is
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2 ReactionsPlease read my other posts, I’ve helped people like you get off this health anxiety I’m a one in a million case forum. It is anxiety. Anxiety isn’t all in the mind the body reacts to its reaction. You have sob/air hunger rn your body is scared of it it thinks it need to be rid of it needs to fix it so it pumps more stress around your body and causes more of the symptom. How to fix? Acceptance therapy. DARE, Shaan kassam, Claire weekes are few of names that teach it. You have felt this less when you got busy with life when you stopped trying to stop it stopped trying to not feel it. When you forgot all about it. I reached rock bottom couldn’t leave the house for six months and now I’m a better person than I was before I had the symptoms. I had zero mental anxiety at that time so I too was so unconvinced of anxiety diagnosis I was told many times while I wanted to find a physical reason.
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1 ReactionThis story upset me. I was diagnosed with a hernia I wasted 6 months miserable waiting for sob to go and go and it never would I was scared to do anything I felt like I was gonna drop dead any second. Six months after a scope saw a hernia I did an ultrasound where there was no hernia or no significant hernia that would cause sob. Months later I finally saw what it was anxiety, I know you’ve been told this before and I would’ve said get out of here too. I really believe you have it. Look at my other posts. Dare, Shaan kassam and Claire weekes. Acceptance is how it goes away, doing nothing is how it goes away, stop caring about it and start only caring about life. It fixes itself by you doing nothing. That is acceptance. You have to live your life 100 percent as normal and bring this uncomfortable however horrible feeling(s) with you. It’s the only way. The more you try and focus on fixing it the worse it’ll get. And do not come back to me and say oh it’s been two weeks and it hasn’t worked. Anxiety is a paradox the more you care the more your body cares and looks for it the more it’ll find it be scared and produce more of it. I had zero mental anxiety when I had bad physical symptoms, but because I had it for so long and of course that means my reaction to symptoms was very poor I had to work on mental anxiety afterward when I stopped feeling physical sensations. But it is the same thing allowance. The more you try to rid yourself of a physical sensation/or a mental thought or whatever the worse it’ll get.
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1 ReactionWell, I believe I may have cracked the case. Here is an article on having tight psoas muscles and their effect on breathing and other functions in the body and how to strengthen and stretch them! My symptoms started around the same time as having issues with my pelvis being out of alignment. This may be a very simple solution!
https://www.issaonline.com/blog/post/how-to-stretch-and-strengthen-the-psoasHello, I´d like to share my story.
I´m a 28M non-smoker, healthy weight & diet. Since March 2022 I have periodes of extreme pressure right below my ribs, epigastric region both sides. Feels like my stomach pushing up my diaphram. That in turn causes a 'false' shortness of breath. It's really deliberating and puts my life on hold. It came on randomly during a walk and passed. Two days later it came again and sent me to ER. Some postures like driving seem to make it worse or bring it on. When it´s really bad I also get chest rushes/sinking feeling, really scary. Especially in the moring when I try to sleep again after waking up. Since then I have seen;
three gastroenterologists (gastroscopy was fine, barium swallow fine, manometry weird, probably failed.) - gave it diagnosis Functional Dyspepsia and prescribed antipsychotic/anitdepressant
cardiologist all fine
pulmonologist lungs fine, said chronic hyperventilation (had physiotherapy for it, no help)
6+ osteopath sessions
6+ physiotherapy breathing exercise sessions
Full scan of my bone structure - Fine
Doctors don't know what it is. Some weeks are better, some are hell. This month is really bad, was in ER again one week ago. Only between october and december 2022 have I been 95% better. But it came back with a vengeance this january. I have tried months of ezomeprozole and pantoprazole, tried to adapt my diet, no help. I took the antipsychotic amisulpride 3-4 weeks, didn´t help and I stopped because it was destroying my libido. Amitriptyline a week, no change. Riding a bycicle/bike is impossible, it's even worse then. I've tried loads of supplements without help. It's so bad that is has brought me to tears at it's worst.
Been thinking it might be Anxiety because I have some health anxiety, but this seems different from those problems. Also comes in moments without too much stress. Used to think LPR or hiatus hernia but the tests are fine?
Does anyone have the same issue? Or can help me?
Kind regards to you all! This makes my life hell... I´ll update if I find the miracle cure.
thanks for posting. I have also noticed that my chest tighness on breathing also depends on my position. In bed I don't have an issue especially is I am laying stomach down. When standing and on the treadmill then I notice chest stiffness etc. on heavier breathing.
Comes down to isolating the causes such as lung capacity, damaged ribs/nerves/ligaments and scar tissue from surgery or heart issues.
I'm so sorry to hear that you are having this problem. I believe it would be worth going to a practitioner who does the technique called Atlas Orthogonal (AO). The website is globalao.com. Hopefully, there is a doctor near where you live. These doctors focus on the upper cervical region, C1 and C2. If those two vertebra (the atlas and axis) are not in alignment according to the AO standards, then the entire spine, including the rib cage, can be affected, as the body attempts to compensate for the misalignment. I receive this technique myself and highly recommend.
@penny52, thank you very much for sharing. This is exactly what this forum encourages, so much appreciated. I am glad that you have cracked the case for yourself. It's always a wonderful thing to hear people come back and give good news about any kind of improvement or solving their issue. And then when you share it, you're giving many others the opportunity to look into the information to see if it would help in any way.
Hi @inde, Thank you for sharing your story and history. Sorry you're experiencing this. I know how distressing it can be especially since it's an involuntary and necessary function- breathing.
Though it may not seem like a good thing, it is a good sign at least that you have another symptom besides just the air hunger/shortness of breath sensation. I say that because with no other symptoms, it makes it more difficult to link pieces of the puzzle together, but with more symptoms you have a little more to work with.
Do you remember anything at all that happened during your walk when it happened? Can you remember any symptoms or anything strange happening even prior to the walking?
That's interesting about the chronic hyperventilation during your lung function test. That may be a symptom of whatever issue is going on as a way to overcompensate for the shortness of breath due to the potential obstruction. You might benefit from mindful breathing exercises to help slow the breath when you're not having bad symptoms.
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