4 months of breathing off, weird feelings in chest and throat. Worried.

[talylor]

First posted in gastro but been trying to post here:

Tests so far:
1/25 EKG.
1/30 EKG again.
2/14 chest xray
2/20 EKG again. Echocardiogram
3/14 EKG stress for about 6 minutes.PFT test
Blood Work ruled out Lyme, RA, thyroid off, etc
4/6 Chest CT Scan
4/12 PFT again
4/13 Barium Swallow

Everything normal. Heart/lung/gastro docs stumped. Having heart monitor put on tomorrow.

Symptoms:
-Left sided soreness (upper chest/lower rib cage) Worse with movement sometimes (showering/cleaning)
-Can't catch a deep breath. Left side feels strained (sometimes tight/heat sensation)
-Stomach pit/sinking type feelings in upper chest/throat. feel them coming with hollow type sensation that goes thru chest.  Radiates in gut sometimes.
-Voice hoarse/strained (left side)
-Somtimes SOB walking up stairs; waking up at night if laying on back.

Feelings are random and TERRIFYING. Lasting 1-5 seconds. Deep breaths, position changes, resting, and I get one. 20 a day or 4 day. If I added up one days worth of "feelings" they wouldnt equal 1-2 minutes. All started in January. Was put on Macrobid/Metrogel for 5 days for UTI.Have neuropathy and it made it worse. Had bad headache so pharmacist said stop meds. Headache continued, eye pain, pain in left chest, shoulder, arm, wrist. Breathing problems. Remember taking one Tequin a few days later that I had from previous UTI.

At a loss as to what this is.
Could this be from the medicine after all this time? Read Macrobid causes lung and Tequin heart probs?
With all the tests could it still be lung or heart?
Very worrie

[National Jewish]

I think the tests you had should be most useful to your doctors in trying to decide the cause of your shortness of breath.  The echocardiogram and stress test will tell a lot about your heart.  The chest x-ray and pulmonary function tests (PFTs) will tell a lot about your lungs.  You should be encouraged that they are all normal.

I wonder if you are overweight – that can be associated with sleep apnea and the shortness of breath when you are lying on your back.  And the weight might also be associated with the shortness of breath when walking up stairs.

A cardiopulmonary exercise test would provide more information about your shortness of breath.  Spirometry, a simple breathing test, performed before and after this test would determine if you have asthma worsened by exercise.

[talylor]

Background:
37 yr old female. 5' 11". 165lbs. Hypothyroid for six years. On Levoxyl. Take birth control. Have neurological problems (weakness on right side) and involuntary jerks at night. Under care with neurologists for this for past year. Other than this...no other health problems. No family history of heart or lung disorders/diseases.

[jefnero]

Go see your endocrinologist! When reading your symptoms I immediately thought hypothyroid - and in reading your second post... When is the last time you had an ultrasound of your thyroid? I had all the symptoms you've described during a hypo-stage of postpartum thyroiditis, then enlarged gland was putting pressure on all of my neck structures. Not only making it hard to swallow, but causing a sort of vaso-vagal reaction, the strange effects of which I would feel in my chest, SOB, and the stomach-pit symptoms you describe. good luck-

[Christine25]

I agree with the previous post.

You wrote "weird feelings in chest and THROAT"
The throat would indicate a problem with your thyroid, get that scanned, and blood work done. Take care you yourself girl.

I know you must just want some relief at this point.

Christina

[talylor]

I had a holter monitor worn to check for irregular heartbeat. Doctor said it showed I was having some PVC's (premature ventricular heartbeat) but didnt think it explained all the feelings I am having. I need to ask him if my diary (symptoms log) I had to keep when on the monitor coincides with pvc's on the monitor cause if it does than that explains it. He told me he checked my thyroid bloodwork and its not that and hasnt suggested any further testing along those lines. He still wants me to try the gastroenterolgist and anti anxiety meds.

[Patti Lodes]

Have you taken Accutane at any time in your past? Look at some of my other posts.

[talylor]

I have never taken accutane. And I am still no closer to finding out the cause for my symptoms. My doc says I am having irregular beats but doubts that is causing my (or at least all) of my symptoms. He says they are harmless irreuglar beats and should go away. So he gave me Klonopin to "calm" my nervous system. I KNOW THESE BEATS are what is doing this. I wasnt sure for a long time cause I never really felt palps or racing heart or anything like it. Just weird feelings in chest and throat and occassional sinlge strong beats. But the more research I do...the more I am convinced it is the beats. I was on an antibiotic in January and this is when all this started (this med is known to cause pulomary problems) but of course they told me it wasnt related and of course, logically, I believe them, but deep down, i keep wondering cause I was COMPLETELY HEALTHY prior to it. They told me the medication does cause problems but rarely and chronic use if anything...my 5 day cours would not do it. Anyway...STILL cant take a deep breath. STILL feel tight chested. STILL have these chest and throat things. ALL TESTS CAME BACK FINE SO FAR, THANK GOD. BUT I DONT FEEL FINE AT ALL. Yet they tell me I am fine. Unbelievable

[chronos]

I have been searching for similar symptoms, yours come close.
I am M 45 recently quit smoking (30 days) I am athsmatic.
I have extreme upper abdominal bloating with left side chest discomfort for about 6 months now.   It feels like some one reached in and just clutched something in the middle of my chest.  I have an empty pit feeling right under my rib cage as if I just lost my best friend, causing me to take deep breaths and exhaling them forcefully several times.  I also belch excessively.
I can be standing, walking, sitting or laying down when these syptoms (symptoms) manifest themselves.  'There are also time when I feel dioriented (like when I turn my head and everythng seems to swim) before coming back into focus.  
I often feel flush or hot after  one of those chest clutches. I also feel like something is tied to my eyeslids trying to close them as EXTREME fatigue sets in.
I have have numerous EKGs. I have had and echocardiogram. I have had a nuclear stress imgaging (went 9 minutes on treadmill).
I even went to the ER and was admitted for a cardiac catheterization.  Left coronary %30 and right coronary %40.
I have had a G.I. endoscopy with no problems.  
I am on protonix, xanax (for anxiety), toprol (blood thinner), dannatal for IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)

So if any of you reading this exerience similar problem and have found relief, please let me know.  I do not know what to do, and niether do the doctors.

[breathing]

I highly recommend looking up hyperventilation syndrome.  Good luck to you.

[who13]

wow...i have somewhat similar symptoms..not so bad as yours anymore but close...ive been trying to figure out what it is for a few months now..

i started feeling them around the time i was smoking and drinking,etc..not living the "perrfect" lifestyle at the time..maybe 5 months ago or so...
i went to my doctor and he just thought i had a sinus infection or sinitus and put me on some ethromycin...
i took it all and didnt notice much...so i got more anti-b (amococyllin) and took that..i felt better for awhile..when i felt the beginning of the symptoms when i had the sinus infection i quit smoking,drinking,everything...
i started taking vitamins and getting myself clean and healthy...
well now i dont feel it as much but it comes and goes..
i feel it on my left side of my throat(especially when i get stressed),when lying down,and when i think about it...
its this "tight" sensation..not painful but uncomfortable..very light but i dont feel 100% like i did in the past....
im thinking i might try to get a prescription for some steroid powder lung stuff (purple disk,etc) and see maybe it will un tighten this weird feeling...i weeze from time to time but could be slight asthma which i do have....i also used my bronch spray releguisly for yrs which im sure doesnt help any..now i use it very rarely....
i also was thinking it could be maybe my lungs are repairing themsleves or something...but i can only wish..lol

[mememe49]

A related discussion, weird odor when breathing was started.