Breathing problems

[kittygirl]

 

Hello everyone,

I am having a hard time figuring out what is wrong with me. I feel like I can't breathe all the time.  I have constant chest tightness/fullness off and on, throat tightness off and on, feel like I am being smothered, sigh all the time, have a lot belching, tired, and feel like I can't get a satisfying breath.  I have this most pretty much all day and night, even waking up in the middle of the night with a severe feeling of not being able to breathe that puts me into a panic attack. I have had anxiety and panic disorder for 11 years now, but the main reason for my anxiety I feel is because of the constant feeling like I can't breathe. I am 28, not overweight, and don't smoke or do any drugs. My blood pressure is always pretty low, like 110/65 or so, and heart rate normal.

I do luckily have insurance, and have been seeing my Dr frequently to rule out any other conditions other than anxiety. My blood test are normals, thyroid normal, chest x-ray showed a little asthma, but that wouldn't make me feel this way all the time, and I used a inhaler and it doesn't help the situation/feeling. The only thing else my Dr could figure out it might be is GERD. She prescribed me medication for it but I currently have the flu so I didn't want to be on any medication till I get over being sick. And suggested seeing a ENT.

Anyway, I guess my question is if anyone else has these feelings, or have any suggestions what else it could possibly be. I am so sick of living this way, it is very frustrating. I have been told in the past it's anxiety, but I am not particularly anxious about anything, and have a pretty good life when it comes to relationships and family, job, money, etc. Even when I am busy, it is still there.

Thank you for listening to me rant and rave.

Tamara

[sarah78]

Have you ever heard of Hyperventilation Syndrome?

Perhaps google the symptoms and see how much they match yours...It is possible this is what you have..it is diagnosed by your doctor and there is treatment options such as seeing a respiratory therapist. Then again your symptoms also match anxiety, but HS can cause anxiety so the symptoms can overlap. I thought I had this a month ago until I realized that I was obsessing over my breathing due to anxiety...

 Take care.

[dvlsfan30]

once your over being sick try the medication out for the gerd. maybe that is the problem. also thinking about it all the time even if your not anxious can cause problems. im on lexapro because ive been having thoughts that im dieing even though i have been to the doctor. now today it burned a but when i urinated and im freaking out about that thinking i have a uti. im 19 and its ruining my life really. but give it some time and try the medication and see how it goes from there.

[sickofthiss]

i use to always be like this, i always concentrated on my breathing which made it worse for me. i use to not be able to talk properly some times because it felt like i was running out of breathe.. im sure its just anxiety related alot of people i know get this also, and yea i use to wake up gasping for air its normal for anxiety sufferers, if doctors say your fine then your fine, learn to ignore the breathing i know its hard but it will help

[Xalatimo]

i use to always be like this, i always concentrated on my breathing which made it worse for me. i use to not be able to talk properly some times because it felt like i was running out of breathe.. im sure its just anxiety related alot of people i know get this also, and yea i use to wake up gasping for air its normal for anxiety sufferers, if doctors say your fine then your fine, learn to ignore the breathing i know its hard but it will help

Exactly, and it's the same with any other anxiety symptom–the more you focus on it, the worse it gets.

[savexourxship]

I was the same way, all of my anxiety was completely born from worrying about my breathing.  I always felt as if I couldn't get that satisfying breathe or take in a deep breath.  What I do when I feel this way is very simple and works wonders.  I just put my left hand right on my belly and breathe through my nose nice and slow, it helps to do something to occupy your mind so you can let your brain take over your breathing.  After about a minute I feel relaxed.  Breathing through your mouth uses your chest more than your diaphragm which can seriously mix up the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood which can in turn make you feel much worse.  I agree with one of the above responses that you should look into Hyperventilation syndrome, simply over breathing.  Not always too fast, but sometimes too deep.  Good luck!

[dan15]

My breathing and my heart are my main symptoms of my anxiety.  My breathing always felt terrible and I felt like I could not get a good breath.  I ended up going to an ENT doctor and they found that I had a deviated septum that I had fixed and my tonsils were huge so I had them taken out.  I still have some facial problems like chronic sinus issues but I don't want to have surgery on them.  That is a big part of why my breathing has been bad over the years, but anxiety is a big cause of it as well.  If you start to feel like you can't breathe, then your anxiety gets worse, which in turn makes your breathing worse.  So it is the whole chicken or the egg thing, and with us who might have a minor breathing issue, the egg might come first in our case.  It may not be the anxiety first.