Breathing is hard!

[nyke06]

I am so relieved in part that their are others out there experiencing what I have been going through for some time, although I know how it makes me feel and would never want anyone else to have to deal with this. This constant yawning, need for a deep breath and frequently unable to "get it", causes me alot of anxiety and stress. I'm sure my husband thinks I am crazy, and my doctor just classifies me as needing antidepressants. I am very scared to start taking Celexa (what he gave me three days ago) because I have never taken any med like this before. I have been experiencing these breathing problems for most of my life. However, they were never really too noticeable until about two years ago. I was playing with my daughter, when I got a sudden sharp chest pain. The chest pain is still a frequent nuisance that causes me alot of worry (my father died at an early age of a heart attack). I have seen numerous doctors, all my tests (Chest xray, EKG, stress test, pulmonary function test, and ECHO) were normal. ALthough my ECHO did show trace aounts of leakage in my heart valves, the cardiologist said it was not a cause for real concern as most people have some very minimal leakage. He also said nothing pertaining to any of my test results would be a cause for my chest pain. My triglyceride level is also on the high end. I am not over weight, maybe 5 or ten pounds at most. However since my pregnancy two 1/2 years ago, I have more belly fat than I think is healthy. Ofcourse the anxiety I experience is directly related to the chest pain and trouble taking a deep breath. Like someone else posted, the only real relief I feel is when I have a few drinks. Maybe that gets my mind off of this problem. The more I am reading, it seems that all of us have stress in some part that seems to cause or trigger this to be worse. I just hope that something gives.. It is so hard to live with on a daily basis. It is also hard to breathe while eating, and since this has gotten so bad as of late, my appetite has diminished alot.


This discussion is related to shortness of breath/frequent yawning.

[sef802]

Hello!  I read all the posts on the other forum, and was also amazed that there are so many people that are dealing with this.  It first started happening to me about 3 years ago, and has been a problem for me on and off since that time.  I can go weeks without it bothering me, but then it starts bothering me and can last for days and even weeks.  

I have always suspected it might be an allergy or sinus related problem, but have tested negative for all allergies and apparently I don't have asthma.  I'm still thinking of getting a CT scan though when I get a chance.

However, I find it really interesting that everyone mentioned suffering some aspect of anxiety.  I too have suffered anxiety but know the problem is more than that.  I also find it fascinating that people said when they read the posts, it made it harder for them to breathe.  It was the same for me, and I notice when I start thinking about my breathing problem, it just gets worse.

http://buteyko.ie/blog/?cat=8

This was posted on the other forum and it makes a lot of sense.  Even if are problems started for different reasons, it is possible that this is an element of our problem.  Our body is getting enough carbon dioxide, so we freak out and then we need more air and then start overbreathing even more.  And then the problem just feeds on itself, because we are losing more carbon dioxide.  That's why anxiety really plays into it.  Just now I did a little experiment.  My body keeps telling me I need air, but I am not listening and taking small breaths only.  After awhile, the need to take a deep breath subsides.  Maybe we all had some particular problem to begin with, then the chronic hyperventilation began and our breathing lost its normal rhythm.  Maybe we only need to train ourselves to get back to our normal breathing.

Who knows, maybe that is wishful thinking but it is worth a try.  I also think it is possible that sinus issues can play into many of the problems people are posting about, but that the hyperventilation probably just exacerbates that problem.