Constant shortness of breath- Anxiety??

[ssharm]

Hi, I am an 18 year old female. For the last 3 months I have had a constant shortness of breath that is very severe and it lasts all day and night. I have had a thorough physical examination and all tests came out clear. My doctor says it is anxiety and even though it is hard to beleive i have convinced myself that it is true. I was under a lot of stress with University and I have had trouble sleeping for years. I am waiting to see a psychiatrist but i am scared. I keep thinking what if medications do not work or what if I don't get better. The problem is very severe and I feel as though i can never breathe. I have been trying to ignore the problem by going out with friends, doing yoga but its always there and it feels terrible. I don't think i can just ignore it.

I am just wondering if anyone has ever been through this horrible experience, if it is truely anxiety, and if your condition has improved. I really just need any kind of hope or support at this point. Thanks a lot,

Samantha.

[Kat11782]

Hey i am a 33 yr old female and have been dealing with panic/ anxiety since i was 17 but not until my 2nd child a year ago did i have this breathing issue. I feel like im not breathing right and it makes my neck sore and my ribs. It just makes so tired like it's a job to just breath. Has anyone found that an everyday pill for anxiety gets rid of it? I've tried meds but they give me bad side effects. I have ativan for my bad attacks.

[Arose935]

I am 36 and have had heart palpitations (most call anxiety) since i was very young. I have been diagnosed with anxiety but also tachycardia, where your heart races, especially at rest. Beta blockers can help slow the heart rate. Also I suggest checking B12 levels as this is rarely checked for and can increase these symptoms drastically, especially the shortness of breath, because B12 anemia prevents red blood cell counts and you need red blood cells to carry oxygen to the lungs. I take B12 injections because anxiety and stress depleats your B12 (info given to me by a study from a Radiologist who looked at my heart)

[Bella5793]

so funny you said that about your engineer father.  My brother in law is an engineer and thought same thing about his wife. Always saying anxiety is all in your head and you can just stop it.  Until, he was in his office and his red light on his phone kept blinking and he had to tape a piece of paper over it and low and behold that was the start of his anxiety!

[Five7]

I'm going through the same thing I take a hot shower and use a towel roll it up long ways lay on it starting from your tail bone and breathe slowly and think about the good times with family and friends also use your fingers to rub your temple stay on the the towel for half hour a day. Feel free to sing in the shower positive thinking. It helps me.

[Mbeezy24]

It's about time I found people who are experiencing the same problem I'm having. I've had a constant shortness of breath for 3 weeks now and it won't go away. I had a panic attack 3 weeks ago (trembled & dry heaved) and never really recovered from it. I had the runs and dry heaved early in the AM during my panic attack causing me to spiral in fear. I went to the ER because I thought it was something very serious and it turned out to be an anxiety attack. My EKG results came out completely normal along with my oxygen levels, etc. I was already feeling sick from allergies and all the  pollen from outdoors which eventually led into me being diagnosed with
sinusitis 1 day later. The doctor prescribed me with antibiotics for the next 10 days and those symptoms eventually disappeared. The only issue that is left over is my shortness of breath. For some reason it is still lingering and it's very bothersome. I constantly called pharmacists for medical advice and there were so many different answers from life threatening to anxiety. I visited the ER again yesterday to make sure I was on the safe side and sure enough my results came out normal again. My blood pressure was slightly high but the nurse told me it was from all this stress and fear I've had for 3 weeks straight. As of now I'm still feeling the shortness of breath and I scheduled an appointment to see a pulmonologist this Friday again to make sure I'm on the safe side. When will this misery ever end? I never worried about my health this much since I was in middle school 7 years ago. I had a constant fear of having heart problems for 6 months straight back in the 7th grade and that was horrible. I never smoked, nor drank in my life and I'm 20 years
old so what gives?

[llwoodsll]

I've had the same problem since April of '15. Doctor thinks anxiety. I've had all blood work done, just haven't had a scooe down my throat. He thought it may havr been stomach acid hurting esophagus and airways but so he put me on pro...zam. I forget  exactly what ot is called. Anyways, didnt help. I did have acid though, which went away when my wifes did, after she gave birth to our son. Shortness is still there. When I am preoccupied with things I enjoy, i do not notice it as much. When mine started in April 2015, I was having allergy problems. I hit Zyrtec and flonase hard for two weeks (doctors orders) because i was so congested. Around that time I was having trouble swallowing food at times, when my sinuses cleared up the swallowing problem went away and SOB started. I had severe polyps also. Could breath through nose great because polyps were in my upper sinuses. I scheduled and had my second sinus surgery to get them removed and was hoping that would be my fix all. Nope still have same problems. I just deal with it better. Doctor gave me xanaxs. Doesn't really work. Just makes me feel okay about it. Anyways, I don't really think I have GAD like doc says but more of just general depression. I'm happy but my head isnt right all the time so I dont know how to explain the depression either. O think my next step will to be to see a shrink. Not sure there is a lot of help on any forum except to understand that there are a million people that have the exact same problem and are still alive. Yeah, pending doom seems to come along woth not being able to breath the way you are use to. Or perhaps you (I) am breathing the way I always have but my brain thinks otherwise. I lost my mom to cancer (after losing my dad 5 years earlier, in Dec of '12. Doc thinks that may contribute also. Who knows. Keep visiting the doc and remember you know your body better than anybody. If you dont feel your problem is something they are telling you, let them know. You'll (like myself) will be running in circles forever.

[Jenny2207]

I think you may be my twin!! I am 41... And have had anxiety and OCD since I was young but have had pretty good control for several years now.  I had a lot of stress come on over the past two years and still have it. Well... The breathing / hyperventilating started and the panic attacks where I can't get air started back. (I also have had issues several times over the years about heart attack worry too).  I am in therapy, breathing exercises, yoga, treadmill, exercise (all just starting to see if it will help) because I stopped exercising when this started back.  Also I am supposed to start lexapro tonight and see if it will help. I am so sorry you and I and all of us are going through this. You are not alone.  There are No support groups in this town for this. I think it would be a huge blessing to have one. I have been thinking of starting one myself. I'm gonna go for now. Seems just typing all this makes me breathe funny. Peace, prayer...and hang in there my friend. Jenny

[AussieLass]

I have never posted on a forum before but I felt compelled to do so on this topic. 9 weeks ago I suddenly began experiencing breathlessness which didn't go away. It was very distressing. After a week I visited the doctor who diagnosed anxiety. Another week later, it hadn't improved so I visited a different doctor for a second opinion. The diagnosis was the same. It was very hard to accept because I didn't feel like I was anxious, except the breathlessness was making me anxious. I was in a vicious cycle, day and night. A couple of days ago, I came across a YouTube clip by Robert Litman. It is called "The Relationship Between Breathing and Anxiety". It is a 35 minute clip which demonstrates and explains techniques for helping with anxiety related breathing problems, using a technique called Buteyko. It made a massive improvement to my breathing within 24 hours, breaking the cycle. It is drug free and simple to follow. It gives practical techniques to follow when symptoms emerge. I hope it helps anyone else experiencing anxiety related breathlessness.

[Didhdshdjdjdud]

30 year old male, turning 31 in a few days.

I've been constantly short of breath since January. Symptoms diminished slightly, for a while, but returned with a vengeance.

Every time I go to the hospital, my oxygen level is 95-97%, usually, but when they hold a stethoscope to my chest, they say they don't hear air movement. How is that even possible?!

I'm an ex smoker. Quit in early January when I first began to experience these symptoms. I did relapse, but am happy to report that I've not had a ciggie in a week.

Countless ER visits in the last two months. It's been insane. It's like an ongoing nightmare.(thank god for good insurance, right?) Every visit has come to nothing.

Oh, both my feet are swollen, for days, now, by the way. I've told this to the doctors, who seem to just brush it off.

They've run scores of tests on me. Quite impressive, actually....EKGs, x-rays, CT scans, extensive blood work, you name it, they've done it. Negative negative negative. Nebulizer, Ventolin inhaler, Prednisone....taken it all, does nothing.

When I went yesterday, they gave me a much stronger anti-inflamitory. Provided some relief, but with awful side effects. Jittery, rapid heart beat. Called my doc. Waiting for a call-back. Meanwhile, I've quit that med, but the chest tightness and dyspnea have returned. Quite upsetting.

I've been referred to a Pulmonologist, but the referral process takes a long while. God knows when I'll finally get to see this doctor. Meanwhile, the symptoms are practically unbearable. I'm at my wit's end. What am I supposed to do?!Take more pointless trips to the Hospital?

Feel really in the dark, helpless, in need of a doctor who can answer all my questions and relieve the symptoms!

It could be panic/ anxiety. But for this many weeks, continuously? It's quite confusing. I really don't feel this is the case. I'm generally calm. I feel the anxiety is a result of the breathing troubles, not the other way around. Anyone who can't breathe would feel anxious and scared, would they not?

Panting every minute of every day. Sleeping is difficult- impossible. I just sit up and watch TV until the fatigue is so great It no longer Matters if I'm short of breath. Sometimes that works, sometimes, it doesn't. A gathered a bunch of sheets, pillows, towels and blankets in a huge ball and then sort of draped myself over it. It's screwey, but it helps with the chest pressure-- ever so slightly-- to where I can kind of relax.

Starting to feel like the boy who cried wolf, though I don't feel I deserve to feel that way. My symptoms are genuine. I shouldnt have to feel like a malingerer when I know I'm not.

The worst part is knowing that I brought all this on, myself. Smoking, being fat, etc. God, I'm such a bloody screw-up. I hate how I've treated myself. Have I done irreparable damage to myself? Am I out of second chances? Can I ever feel normal again? I feel lost and in the dark. Scared as heck, too.

Anyway, it feels good to verbalize what I'm going through. I hope that other people with similar experiences to my own will respond to my post. Thank you.

[Raoul9]

Hey I'm going through the same thing.. I started being short of breath about a week ago.. I'm on all kinds of puffers and docs say oxygen is clear, X-ray is good.. they leave it to asthma and anxiety.. I don't know what to do

[Laurasuek]

Same here. It’s been 3 month. I just don’t get it. I have no relief. Been to several doctors. Almost every kind. I don’t feel it’s anxiety, I live on the beach have a great man and a great career and go on mini vacations on the weekends , but 3 months ago I woke up and had air hunger and now I’m not the same person. I’m miserable and cruel and in pain. Has anyone overcome this ? Pls help. I want my life back

[Paxiled]

Not sure what you mean by air hunger.  Was it only the one time or is it still going on?  Also, if you make a new post, you might get more answers, though you also might not as it's not really something anyone can know if your doctors don't.  Anxious people think anxious thoughts, they don't just have physiological symptoms.  Although the life you describe sounds idyllic, anxiety often is hard to pin down.  If the docs can't find any reason for it and it wasn't a one-time thing, it is possible you had an anxiety attack from something.  Anxiety attacks can trigger more anxiety attacks, as they're just an awful experience.  But again, they go along with fearful thoughts and usually irrational fears at that.  I have no idea what's going on, and I don't know how thoroughly your docs examined you -- were you checked for sleep apnea?  Although again, that's not a one-time thing, it's chronic.  So if there's truly no physiological thing going on, it's possible you had an anxiety attack and it so shook you that you're now living in that anxiety attack.  That's how chronic anxiety often begins.  If you think that might be it, the first place to go is a psychologist to try and figure it out.  Any idea if you were having a bad dream when it happened?  What's your thinking like?  If it's not physiological and it's a reaction to that bad night three months ago, the sooner you get into therapy to figure it out the better for you.