Breathing Problems - Help

[agathalou]

I'm 32 years old with minimal health problems in my background.  2 months ago I started having problems getting a full breath.  This coincided with my using a propane/oxygen torch to make glass beads, initially without adequate ventilation.  My doctor first diagnosed me with "restricted airway disease" and gave me some Serevent, to which I quickly developed a tolerance.  At that point it seemed to come and go - I'd go days without any trouble.  It didn't seem to coincide with my using the torch.  I went back to my doctor to see if there was something stronger, since the Serevent wasn't working, and she gave me Albuterol, which never seemed to help at all.  Now it seems more chronic, and it feels painful all along my upper airway, especially around my throat (but my throat doesn't hurt).  I don't have a cough, or phlegm.  It actually seems to get better when I'm lying down.  It used to get better when I exercised, but now that it's cold it's still hard to breathe.  Sometimes I also notice that it feels like there's a big bubble in my upper trachea, like a thick feeling.  It reminds me of when you try to eat mashed potatoes too fast and they get stuck halfway down.  I hardly ever have problems right when I first wake up, only after I've been up for a while.  Does this sound like anything in particular, because all my asthmatic friends say it doesn't seem like asthma.

[Karebear]

Hello,
I am about the same age as you, agathalou, --a little older
(mid 30's) and I am having the same type breathing problems as you.  It all started back in mid-November, but I was not exposed to anything (that I know of) like you were.  I have breathing difficulty that like you said, seems to get better when I lay down. It seems better to lay on my left side or flat on my stomach with my head elavated.  I'm also having that same strange feeling in my throat that is constant and annoying, almost a choking sensation at times or lump in the throat.  The cold weather makes it worse, as does the dry heat coming from the heater in the house, which dries out my mouth.  This is also causing dry mouth and swallowing problems. When I try to eat during these times, I almost choke as it cuts off my breath completely and feels like I have just had the wind knocked out me. The docs found nothing!  Please let me know how you are doing and if you find out what's causing this. Thanks. My e-mail is: ***@****    
Good luck and God Bless. K
P.S. If anybody can help us figure out what could be causing this type of breathing problem, it would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you in advance.  

[National Jewish]

Your condition does not sound like asthma since you did not have a good response to the Serevent

[suffer]

hi
i have breathing problems too. always feel sth being stretched in the middle of my chest and continuous tightness (sometimes pain) in my chest which i cannot take a full breath (i have to use up all my energy to breathe in one breath) my throat/breathing tube feels painful too during breathing. what to do? here's my email ***@**** , let me know how you are doing. god bless.

-Zoe