Aa
can't get a satisfying breath
My daughter is 16 years old. She does not drink or smoke. On Dec. 7, she told me that she felt like she couldn't get enough air, so she was yawning. On Dec. 9, we were in the ER because she felt like she couldn't breathe. Tests were run. X rays were taken. The doc pronounced her okay. She had been taking Birth control pills for 2 weeks. We feared PE, but that was found to not be the case. She was taking the hormones to regulate her cycle. She had been having 2 periods a month for a couple of months. Doc advised to take her off new medication.
Followed up with PCP. Did lung function test. It was fine. Did thyroid test. It was also fine. PCP suggested anxiety. Put her on Atavan. She took for 2 days, but side effects made her feel worse. We reduced stressors in her life, but breathing is still not good. She knows she is getting 100% oxygen, but she feels like she can't get a satisfying breath. She wants help, but I don't know where to go. She says that she doesn't feel anxious. Breathing problem is all the time, in all places, under all conditions.
I have asthma, but all docs have dismissed this due to x-rays and lung function tests. She did have tonsillitis at the beginning of October. Took antibiotic and had a steroid shot. After that, periods became heavy and often. Was also being treated for skin condition on fingers at about the same time. Using Halobetasol Propionate Ointment nightly.
Uses Zyrtec nightly to control allergies and eczema.
Please help us. We need to know where to turn.
Followed up with PCP. Did lung function test. It was fine. Did thyroid test. It was also fine. PCP suggested anxiety. Put her on Atavan. She took for 2 days, but side effects made her feel worse. We reduced stressors in her life, but breathing is still not good. She knows she is getting 100% oxygen, but she feels like she can't get a satisfying breath. She wants help, but I don't know where to go. She says that she doesn't feel anxious. Breathing problem is all the time, in all places, under all conditions.
I have asthma, but all docs have dismissed this due to x-rays and lung function tests. She did have tonsillitis at the beginning of October. Took antibiotic and had a steroid shot. After that, periods became heavy and often. Was also being treated for skin condition on fingers at about the same time. Using Halobetasol Propionate Ointment nightly.
Uses Zyrtec nightly to control allergies and eczema.
Please help us. We need to know where to turn.
im 17 years old male and im having the same problem. I don't get a 100% breath and i try to yawn to get a better breath. it drives me crazy. it does not happen when im with friends or when im involved in some kind of acrivity. it happens when im alone and think about it. sometimes i think if im gonna die. I have also started to feel some kind of congestion in my cest. i need urgent help. By the way i drink alot of tea and wanna ask if this is the reason.
3 Comments
I get the exact symptom so many people are describing here -- I've always said, " I can't get air/oxygen". I try yawning, etc, but I only "get air" once in s while. (the doctor didn't know what it was)
It became clear to me that it's Anxiety.
The first times I remembering getting it were before Christmas every year ( long story -- I ended up doing all the shopping for family members, because they weren't able to, I had so many obligations) -- that's what helped me to realize that -- for me -- the cause is Anxiety
I'm sure certain things like caffeine would make it worse, medication for Attention Deficit... (So, anti-anxiety medication, like Ativan (Lorazapam) would be good to try...)
Even figuring out that Anxiety causes this "awful feeling" helped me.
: )
It became clear to me that it's Anxiety.
The first times I remembering getting it were before Christmas every year ( long story -- I ended up doing all the shopping for family members, because they weren't able to, I had so many obligations) -- that's what helped me to realize that -- for me -- the cause is Anxiety
I'm sure certain things like caffeine would make it worse, medication for Attention Deficit... (So, anti-anxiety medication, like Ativan (Lorazapam) would be good to try...)
Even figuring out that Anxiety causes this "awful feeling" helped me.
: )
I'm 17 and I started to have the same symptoms of not being able to get a satisfying breath and yawning a lot and only occasionally getting a good breath when this first started it happened only occasionally now it's happening 24/7 no matter what I'm doing or where I'm at I haven't talked to a doctor yet because I'm afraid if the doctor tells me there's nothing wrong and there's nothing they can do then I'm gonna be stuck dealing with this for the rest of my life
I believe it is an anxiety issue (what causes the anxiety is another question-mine came about through leaky gut syndrome). Lorazapam 1mg tabs(i took as needed-no more than 3xs day eventually tapering off to one or half a day till.i could go right off-I never wanted to use more! ) helped me until I was able to face my fears and work out how to breathe into abdomen-Dr can put you on to a physiotherapist at the hospital who can teach you...apparently most of us don't breathe correctly..we breathe into chest rather than the abdomen.
Hey everybody! Moral of the story first: I started drinking a lot of water and it fixed my problem. Read on if you'd like.
So I started researching this a few months back as my SOB was getting worse. I am 29 yrs old and I remember dealing with this as a child on and off since then. I am also a nurse so I had a little bit of an advantage in solving this problem for myself and my particular situation. So I went to Dr, they said asthma they said anxiety etc etc. I am super chill, I don't stress!! I work out all the time to alleviate my stress. So I broke it down to what my body is trying to do and tell me. So if your body is craving oxygen, it likely either means your not getting enough(which I was, I checked my O2 sat at work), or your retaining too much CO2 (possibly). Or it could be metabolic (whole other discussion). Bottom line I noticed I didn't drink as much water at this exacerbated time as I did when it wasn't so bad. Guys, I seriously think a lot of this is simply related to our bodies just being a little too acidic and our bodies are trying to compensate. Oxygen is a base and CO2 is an acid. So if our bodies are trying to suck in more base then we could possibly be acidic.
It worked for me!!! Hope this helps someone!
So I started researching this a few months back as my SOB was getting worse. I am 29 yrs old and I remember dealing with this as a child on and off since then. I am also a nurse so I had a little bit of an advantage in solving this problem for myself and my particular situation. So I went to Dr, they said asthma they said anxiety etc etc. I am super chill, I don't stress!! I work out all the time to alleviate my stress. So I broke it down to what my body is trying to do and tell me. So if your body is craving oxygen, it likely either means your not getting enough(which I was, I checked my O2 sat at work), or your retaining too much CO2 (possibly). Or it could be metabolic (whole other discussion). Bottom line I noticed I didn't drink as much water at this exacerbated time as I did when it wasn't so bad. Guys, I seriously think a lot of this is simply related to our bodies just being a little too acidic and our bodies are trying to compensate. Oxygen is a base and CO2 is an acid. So if our bodies are trying to suck in more base then we could possibly be acidic.
It worked for me!!! Hope this helps someone!
I've had the same thing for about a year now. On and off. Went to a doc and everything was fine. He said it could be related to my (g.e.r.d.) Indigestion can cause it. And I know now that is exactly what it is. If I lie down right after eating a meal that causes my gerd to act up. Especially chocolate or something spicy. I get the not enough air symptoms. So I just sit up til it is normal again. I did the yawning thing too. Now I just try to relax when it happens, cause I know what is causing mine.
I came across the below answer will help...
Problem: i have had shortness of breath everyday for three weeks now it lasts usually all day im currently trying to stop smoking i don't get winded when i exercise nor does it wake me up at night i did have a sinus cold that went to my lungs but the breathing problem started a week or two before that? i have no insurance and my doc treated me for bronchitis and gave me 1 breathing treatment but didnt give me any instructions to continue them. it helped for a day but im still not breathing right. should i go on a inhaler? i can run jump get very active and it doesnt bother me but it just appears out of the blue when im home relaxing. i do have anxiety but i still get short of breath even when im relaxed
John Kenyon, CNA - Tue Oct 07, 2008 11:18 pm
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User avatar Hello -
While you have had a recent respiratory infection (bronchitis) and may even have asthma, it seems far more likely you are experiencing perceived, rather than actual, shortness of breath. The reason I say this is that you tolerate exercise with no problem, but only seem to have a problem drawing a full, satisfying breath when you are at rest. If it were a pulmonary problem it would worsen at night (these problems almost always worsen when the patient is horizontal) and if it were anything else it would definitely worsen with exertion.
The second part of my thinking on this is that while you acknowlege having some problems with anxiety, you find this breathing problem happens when "i'm home relaxing." Unfortunately, this is a very common (and extremely confusing) phenomenon in anxious people: they feel anxiety symptoms when they believe they are actually in their most relaxed state. What often happens is that anxious people sigh a lot, something of which they are utterly unaware. When one does this chronically (usually most often when "relaxing") it throws off excessive amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). Since CO2 is the very thing that tells the brain it should want more air (breathing is voluntary but the urge to breathe is not), if it doesn't get enough of it (due to it being blown off due to sighing or other faulty breathing patterns) it doesn't "think" it needs for you to be breathing so much. The result is that you, being awake, know you should be breathing, but your brain doesn't think so, and the result is you feel as though you're not getting adequate air in, because your brain is actually resisting the reflex to breathe. This feels wrong, so you try harder to breathe, believing you should be (and it's true, breathing really is important -- but when we become unwittingly aware of our breathing it throws the whole process into confusion).
This is a long way of saying your sense of shortness of breath is probably an illusion created by an anxious personality. Learning to be fully aware of this and trying to manage it consciously, sometimes can make things get back to normal. When this happens, try breathing slowly, through your nose. Try to consciously resist the urge to sigh when you're physically at rest and relaxing. You may be surprised at how the feeling of oppressiveness disappears. At least that's the idea.
Problem: i have had shortness of breath everyday for three weeks now it lasts usually all day im currently trying to stop smoking i don't get winded when i exercise nor does it wake me up at night i did have a sinus cold that went to my lungs but the breathing problem started a week or two before that? i have no insurance and my doc treated me for bronchitis and gave me 1 breathing treatment but didnt give me any instructions to continue them. it helped for a day but im still not breathing right. should i go on a inhaler? i can run jump get very active and it doesnt bother me but it just appears out of the blue when im home relaxing. i do have anxiety but i still get short of breath even when im relaxed
John Kenyon, CNA - Tue Oct 07, 2008 11:18 pm
More Sharing Services Share| Share on facebookShare on myspaceShare on googleShare on twitter
User avatar Hello -
While you have had a recent respiratory infection (bronchitis) and may even have asthma, it seems far more likely you are experiencing perceived, rather than actual, shortness of breath. The reason I say this is that you tolerate exercise with no problem, but only seem to have a problem drawing a full, satisfying breath when you are at rest. If it were a pulmonary problem it would worsen at night (these problems almost always worsen when the patient is horizontal) and if it were anything else it would definitely worsen with exertion.
The second part of my thinking on this is that while you acknowlege having some problems with anxiety, you find this breathing problem happens when "i'm home relaxing." Unfortunately, this is a very common (and extremely confusing) phenomenon in anxious people: they feel anxiety symptoms when they believe they are actually in their most relaxed state. What often happens is that anxious people sigh a lot, something of which they are utterly unaware. When one does this chronically (usually most often when "relaxing") it throws off excessive amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). Since CO2 is the very thing that tells the brain it should want more air (breathing is voluntary but the urge to breathe is not), if it doesn't get enough of it (due to it being blown off due to sighing or other faulty breathing patterns) it doesn't "think" it needs for you to be breathing so much. The result is that you, being awake, know you should be breathing, but your brain doesn't think so, and the result is you feel as though you're not getting adequate air in, because your brain is actually resisting the reflex to breathe. This feels wrong, so you try harder to breathe, believing you should be (and it's true, breathing really is important -- but when we become unwittingly aware of our breathing it throws the whole process into confusion).
This is a long way of saying your sense of shortness of breath is probably an illusion created by an anxious personality. Learning to be fully aware of this and trying to manage it consciously, sometimes can make things get back to normal. When this happens, try breathing slowly, through your nose. Try to consciously resist the urge to sigh when you're physically at rest and relaxing. You may be surprised at how the feeling of oppressiveness disappears. At least that's the idea.
Hey everyone. I'm a 14 year old girl expirencing the same problem as all of you. I go throughout the day feeling like my breathing isn't very satisfying. Then sometimes it gets really bad to the,point in which I feel so hopeless that I break down in tears. This all started about a month ago in early August, and began at the same time I had a bad sore throat. I went to my pediatrician and was prescribed Amoxicillin. I had taken the medicine for about a day before I stopped because I thought it was making me short of breath. But, still after the medicine was out of my system I was still feeling this way. I ended up going to the E.R. About four times and was send home being told it was anxiety. Earlier that month I had tried a cigarette , but despite that, the doctors still told me that there was nothing wrong. At this point I was wracking my brain about what could be wrong with me. I was starting to think that I had possibly inhaled some food so I scheduled a bronchoscopy though a pulmonary specialist. There was nothing found in my lungs, and the doctors couldn't test me for Vocal Cord Disorder because I was so sedated. I went home and felt better for about two days. Then it started getting really bad again. Keep in mind, I was prescribed anxiety medicine and it didn't do anything. About a week after my bronc. , I went to an allergist and they gave me a breathing test and they found that I was breathing better with medicine prescribed to asthmatics. They also referred me to someone who specializes in Vocal Cord Disorder. Along with this I was also prescribed with Nasacort and Zyrtec. The medication has helped me a bit, but I'm still not able to get a satisfying breathe at times. I'm so scared. I feel hopeless at times that I will have to live like this forever. PLEASE HELP ME!!
Hey everyone. I'm 17 I've had The problem of feeling like I cannot get enough air or satisfying breath. It started randomly like sometime in January of 2015. It went on for a few days and I kind of ignored I was hoping you get better then one day it became so bad I couldn't ignore it anymore. I Felt like I Couldnt breathe. I thought I was having a heart attack because my chest felt so tight. I started to freak out and broke down, which made it worse. my parents took me to the hospital and the doctor diagnosed me and sent me home with anxiety. I've been going to a psychologist and psychiatrist and they've been saying that it's just anxiety as well and prescribing me pills that, to be honest, don't seem to be helping. I feel like no matter what I do I can't get enough air.. Breathing so deeply causes my chest hurt and throat to start to hurt after a while. It can happen up to like two or three times a day and I can go days sometimes weeks without having any of these "episodes". I try breathing exercises but they don't seem to work. I don't take any birth control and the doctor said it's not asthma. So I don't know what to do! I just feel hopeless..! can someone please help?
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