Shortness of breath

[RichardH32]

I recently developed shortness of breath that has that started on the 18th of January 2014 and has gotten to the point of feeling SOB 24hours a day.

I'm a 32 year old male, ex smoker (Roughly 16 pack years. Quit 3 months ago). On Jan 8th 2014 I had a laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair that was deemed successful by my surgeon. The pain seemed normal and subsided after a period of 9 days or so.

On January 18th, I experienced a tight chest during a family dinner that caused me to leave early. I took 1.5MG of Ativan after about 1.5 hours of this tight chest and shortness of breath. This seemed to be classic symptoms of a panic attach, which I have never experienced in my life. There was no obvious triggers as the family dinner was pleasant.

The 19th I experienced no breathing problems at all. The 20th I had shortness of breath that came and went. From the 20th on the shortness of breath seemed to be increasing from periods to an around the clock thing.

On the 29th the my breathing became quite uncomfortable. Shortness of breath and I started feeling tingling in my left arm. It got to the point where I was taken to the ER. By the time I arrived the tingling and numbness had moved into my face, hands and arms. I felt like I was struggling to breath  They ran all kinds of tests that all turned out to be normal.

CT Scan - Checked for pulmonary embolism - None
Blood Work - Normal
ECG - Normal
Oxygen Saturation - 99 or 100 percent the entire time.

They're official diagnosis was panic attacked. This all seemed reasonable at the time because I did in fact have one due to my breathing. I believed my breathing was simply the trigger to the attack and not the cause.

They sent me home with xanax .5MG. This seems to make me generally feel better, but the SOB persists.

On Jan 31st I went to my long time (10+ years) GP for a follow up. She ordered pulmonary function tests for the following week.

On Feb 1st, I returned to the ER (A hospital farther away that my GP is affiliated with). The SOB was still consistent with periods of worsening. The only different test they ran was a chest xray, which was normal. All of the other tests were normal. They could not provide an answer for the SOB.

On Feb 3rd, I have my lung function test. I do not have the specific numbers, but all the tests they did turned out within the normal range. I am waiting to have the official results reviewed by a doctor, which may take days.

I am really at a loss at this point. I feel SOB all day with some mental relief from the xanax. I've been reading about something called diaphragm weakness that may have been caused by my hernia surgery. I'm really trying to think outside the box due to all the other tests coming out normal.

Any suggestions, experiences, anything would be more than appreciated.

Thank you,

TH

[Red_Star]

My existing magnesium deficiency worsened after surgery (any type of mental or physical stress means the body will use up more magnesium). My symptoms were a very long list but included shortness of breath, tingling, anxiety, panic attacks. I would highly recommend first of all trying magnesium supplements. Look for types of magnesium with "ate" at the end like citrate or glycinate for better absorption.

I've also had shortness of breath due to iron deficiency anaemia, reaction to vitamin B12 injections, hypothyroidism, and shock.  My severe shortness of breath due to severe bradypnea (down to 6 breaths a minute) due to severe hypothyroidism showed a normal oxygen saturation. I believe the increased carbon dioxide causes a false normal pulse oximeter reading.

[Geesie]

Richard
it is a real bummer when you have been healthy all along and then suddenly things go wrong and you don't know what is causing the problem.
You have been through surgery and sometimes the anaesthetics can cause tightness in the chest.  you seemed to have had a number of obvious tests which has not shown up any cause for concern.
The numbness you experienced in the arms and face is due to hyperventilation.  Next time you get the numbness breath into a packet and see if the symptoms go away.
I remember many years ago I underwent surgery and initially felt ok but then about a week later my chest was so sore and it restricted my breathing.  this sensation caused me to breath more shallowly but more frequently - which caused hyperventilation.  when this happens it is scary and can cause a ripple effect on your emotional state.  Hence the reason they claim you had a panic attack.  
I suggest you wait a few weeks still and if the symptoms remain, get the doctors to search for what is wrong till they find it.
I hope you get better real soon!

[RichardH32]

Hey again,

Would there be a more appropriate place for me to post this besides General Health?

Thanks!

TH