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Sudden Shortness of Breath - not sure what to do?
Around a month ago, out of nowhere, I started experiencing shortness of breath which can be pretty burdensome during the day (although not every day).
How it happened:
On a night out, but nothing out of the ordinary. drinks, cigarettes, felt pretty normal. when I got home (about an hour after the last drink), I suddenly felt extreme shortness of breath. really couldn't breathe, was very close to calling paramedics. it felt almost like a panic attack (have had one of those before), but my heart rate was normal-is (100BPM, normal considering the alcohol consumption): so it rally just the breathing.
no History of asthma or breathing problems before, but I have had a range of neurological symptoms / autonomic issues over last couple of years since psyche med withdrawal, which had mostly gone away and felt mostly normal recently.
Since then:
over the following month, some days were OK, but some days I feel short of breath even during nothing. haven't been able to do sport although walking around at a good pace does tend to help overall I think.
I had a week where things weren't too bad before a new flareup over the weekend so I went to the doctor to get some tests done last weekend. test results are back: BP normal, heart rate normal, quick O2 test normal, ECG normal, chest X Ray normal, bloodworks all normal too. Seems there is nothing physically wrong with me.
I did ask about testing for asthma, because the original onset felt like an asthma attack from what my asthmatic friends have described, although I have not been coughing at all. My doctor told be that right now, due to covid obsession where I live (Hong Kong), they are reluctant to test for asthma or other things unless the patient has serious breathing problems, as there are still a lot of issues around covid control. So basically he told me he didn't want to test me for it.
So my question is: assuming my doctor is right, for those that have had autonomic issues leading to SOB, did you find a way to treat symptoms? both natural remedies / medical options would be helpful so that I can discuss with my doctor, because for now I am stuck in my life (for eg, would an inhaler be of use, even if it's not asthma related? etc).
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Similarly this happened to me about two years ago (I was diagnosed with asthma after a severe bout of Covid). Fast forward two years and I’m doing really well. Some thoughts, an “emergency” inhaler like Albuterol could certainly help on an as-needed basis. A maintenance inhaler like Trelegy (which is what helped me) may also be ideal. Seems as though anxiety could be a factor for you? (It was for me.) And of course if you did visit a pulmonologist (or respirologist as it is called other countries), the first thing they would tell you is to stop smoking. Often when someone stops smoking, things can get worse before they get better. Might be worth a try.
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2 ReactionsYes I haven't been smoking since it started (I don't smoke during the day anyway, just when I am drinking and I haven't been drinking in the past month.
Anxiety could certainly be a factor, but normally a panic attack implies rapid heart rate, whereas mine was normal, hence why I think it's possible it may be linked to something else.
About a month ago, I felt a heaviness in my chest and shortness of breath. I wasn't doing anything. Just sitting at my desk
Im not sure how long it lasted. Maybe 30 mins but I'm not sure
My question is
Can the heaviness be something else that's not a heart issue?
I felt shortness of breath at the same time. Are those symptoms usually related or are they happening at the same time mean it IS a heart issue?
To add context Im not a smoker , heart issues don't run in my family, I've had heart tests in the past and it was all good.
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3 ReactionsYeah, that combo definitely can be something else, and in your case it definitely is something else.
Anxiety can cause it, even if you’re not actively panicking, your body can still be in that state, especially if you deal with anxiety a lot. Muscle tension, acid reflux, or even a change in your breathing pattern can all cause the same feeling.
The way you described it actually sounds like the opposite of how heart related symptoms are described. And you don’t have risk factors either.
I wouldn’t worry, especially since it hasn’t gotten worse, hasn’t been persistent, and didn’t come with fainting or anything like that.
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3 Reactions@ashlynnmae
How does it sound like the opposite? Out of curiosity.
@ehdog
Well, like I said, it didn’t get worse and build over time. It was a one off, or at most something infrequent. It didn’t come with fainting, and it went away.
And I’ll admit, I was being a little hyperbolic there.
@ashlynnmae
Is it normal that my chest feels heavy/I feel short of breath when laying on my back? I have bigger breasts so maybe that's why?
@ehdog
That's normal.
When you’re on your back, the weight can press down on your chest a bit, which can make it feel heavier or like it’s harder to take a full breath.
I spent a career sitting at a desk, my posture getting slowly worse.
After decades of sitting hunched over, my breathing got increasingly labored.
Sitting up straight and breathing more deeply helped a lot.
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1 ReactionLast July while I was doing a fast 2 mile walk I got heaviness in my chest and sob. I went to the er and doc said no heart attack and go to my pcp. I’ve had an ekg, echo valve tests, heart catheterization done which was super easy and quick with all results normal. I went to a pulmonologist and had a pulmonary function test done and that was normal. I’ve had a CT of the lungs and they said I have small airways disease. I don’t smoke or drink. I have no Afib or rhythm problems. I’m getting a EGD done this Wednesday morning to see if anything is pushing on my lung or diaphragm because I had GERD with BE. Right now I exercise daily and just push thru the heavy lung feeling. If my EGD is ok I’m just going to live with it until I drop over dead.
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