Connect
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.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Lung Health Support Group.
Connect
Hello, I have also been experiencing the shortness of breath, tightness in chest/throat. I have been to the hospital about 6 times because of this issue. Every time I go they only take an X-Ray, & an oxygen test & everything is fine. I am 18 but have had this for about 4-5 years, it has come and gone for about 5 times. it currently came back a month ago & is very intolerable. I see them as episodes, some may last a month or two & go away than appear.
I do not now how long it plans to stay this time, but I hope it goes away very soon. I have had these episodes way before all of my now diagnoses, I had really bad anxiety for two years, & was put on anxiety meds for over a year, but I had these episodes before anxiety, I was also diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism less than a year ago. which again the episodes happened way before this. I am currently trying to debunk these feelings, doctors And family tell me it might be a mental thing, but it feels to real to be mental And not physical, they tell me the mind can do some scary things. but we are not crazy as some may make us feel. some family thought I was seeking attention. but I truly hate this feeling And am getting very sick And tired of it, as I write this I am feeling the throat tightness, And shortness of breath sensation. I have gone to the ENT, Endocronalgist, got various side tests done, And am going to have the asthma And swallow test done this month, but once again I see most of you have had this & seen no result so I see no hope. I can run, I can get physical And it won't happen as bad, sometimes i'll be sitting down or eating & it will happen. It happened with my friends, my family, at the movies, at work, in my house, at the hospital, I have parked outside the hospital multiple times just waiting for the respiration to take me out & inside as quick as possible but it never actually finishes me off, its truly an annoying thing to live with. I didn't take much action before because I was younger but this time I plan on figuring It out, I am not depressed I seek help because I want to live. I have two pets cat And a dog, they said maybe the hairs, but Ive had this before I got the pets, I really wish we could find something, I am sorry this is probably really long And most wont read but it is the first time I find a group of people with the similar feeling/beliefs. I don't know how's this app works, I signed up right now specifically to write this. I just feel very hopeless, I do feel safer at home only because I know where the hospital is, & the quickest route there, I do see it getting worse when I leave my area or on the highway as I see no where to run especially driving I'll get really light headed And scared, Ill usually yawn A LOT to get the air but not every yawn grabs a deep satisfying breath, I express it as some "click" & some don't "click", I also burp, or hiccup on purpose, not in front of people ill usually isolate myself, I am not a disgusting person. but at some point I can't gasp for air I just start doing weird things, walking in circles, putting my arms above my head, shaking my arms, just a bunch of movements because I get really scared & frustrated why I can't take air. I also noticed a bit of chest tightness, & I gasped pretty hard yesterday the right side of my chest began to hurt, like some organ was tangled it was very uncomfortable. sorry if this wasn't informative just needed a place to rant And relate. like I said previously I am new to the app And only created an acc because I seen this chat, once I submit this comment I don't know where to see the replies if anyone does bother to read it, I kept scrolling down And down but can't find & ending. hope to hear back from any of you, & hope we all get better.
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.
Hi Gabriel, do you still suffer with this? I can see everyone's comments but from my own experience and countless research if you haven't found the cause based on everyone's comments im like 99% sure this sounds like laryngopharyngeal reflux disease/respiratory reflux. This would make sense with your GERD diagnosis/be the cause of your sinus issues, cause your shortness of breath and many other issues you describe. LPR is a complex beast and it is really understudied and under diagnosed. If you look up the symptoms I'm sure you may get why I am posting this. Most drs don't know much about it and patients (I am just like you) see basically every specialist and get the all clear, respiratory, heart etc. The only way to really manage it is diet and lifestyle changes that would also help your GERD. Ppis can often have little to not effect on lpr and sometimes make it worse. I too have lpr and no one understands what I mean, I'm constantly gasping to get air in and it feels like nothing is working and I'm still out of breathe. It's much worse when I'm trying to eat. I won't list every symptom I've ever experienced because the list is endless but changing my diet dramatically made a world of difference. Sadly allergies, illness etc make lpr flare up but can get it much more manageable through diet and lifestyle changes. Look up Dr Aviv and Dr Jamie koufman who are experts in LPR. I hope you have found relief since 2019, I for sure know it is a nightmare rollercoaster and it's hard to find any relief. It's endless.
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
I ended up going to emergency at the hospital.
My lungs, heart and oxygen levels were all good. I prayed to God each day to alleviate this affliction. Last night it stopped. I have a little pain under my left rib , but breathing has returned to normal. I have a ultrasound referral this coming Saturday to check for the thyroid. I also drank boiled water with squeezed lemon and grated fresh ginger last night. I loaded up on anti inflammatory vitamins yesterday.
Hi @as1607,
Thanks for the information, am suffering this from 2 years. i got use to it and then suddenly there was flareup which made me soo depressed and anxiety played another role in make it worse. i have hiatus hernia, GERD. but i never thought its related to having tight neck, breathing issue till i see this post. now i have hope again that i can make it out of this. quick question, if i tried to avoid ACID food, eat before 3 hours from going to bed. take H2 blocker at night and omeprazole 40 at morning. when would i feel relief of these symptoms ?
i used to take GERD treatment but i never thought about my diet and i used to give up the PPI, H2 blocker after 2 to 4 weeks when i find no effect.
Thanks for sharing this
If you have lots of throat symptoms this does sound like it could be LPR. For GERD and lpr diet is the most important factor fuelling your symptoms and not eating right will just keep you having horrible symptoms. Taking medication can help for some but think of it like it is just like putting a big band aid on a problem but isn't actually sorting out the cause, which if you have lpr or GERD is eating things that trigger it or not adapting your lifestyle. Everyone is different but I'd say it took me around 5 months strictly on the acid watcher diet to say I felt mostly normal everyday. That said, it is a chronic disease so it will never go away so if started eating normally again the symptoms will just come back if that makes sense. Remission is possible but there is no cure sadly. I personally found ppis offered no help so no longer take them. Many do take them alongside diet and lifestyle changes and then they stop taking and taper off. Look at the acid watcher diet warriors on Facebook for so much info.
If you change diet, lifestyle etc and really commit I promise you can really find some relief from these symptoms. I had debilitating symptoms, dysphagia chronic cough, severe shortness of breath (they told me I had COPD because it was so bad, I do not), I could barely speak my vocal cords were so effected and inflammated, constant esophageal spasms and muscle/nerve pain in my neck and the list goes on. And now I have some shortness of breath (trying to identify the trigger food), I can eat solids again, I don't struggle with my voice, I barely have a cough. It's changed my life and no doctor helped I found the diet myself because I was sick of feeling so unwell. I hope you find relief!
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsHi @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?
Thank you very much for the update! That's amazing that your breathing has returned to normal. I sincerely hope and pray that is stays that way.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 Reactions@as1607, you bring up very interesting points. I have researched GERD and reflux and LPR and have ready, though little, that LPR could certainly cause breathing problems in some people. And yes to your point about PPIs not helping with the actual condition, though they do help with the symptoms, I do believe the acid is still there and can still cause issues.