Tight Throat/Stuffy Feeling in Chest

[bbubbles89]

Hi everyone,

In the last 2 months I developed a weird sensation in my upper chest area. I have seen 3 doctors and did bloodwork, EKG, chest x-ray, swallowing test, and all of which came back normal. However, the sensation in my chest was first slightly tight (doesn't hurt) and over a course of a week or so it gotten so weird..there's this discomfort surge in my chest like an adrenaline rush when you almost hit a car or got scared from behind..etc. I've searched around online and like my doctors said, it could be stress related and anxiety. However, I get this all day and there is no pattern or situation that would bring upon an attack. It lingers in my chest all day long.

What I do notice is that when I am in a close room or in a car with the heater on and no air to breathe, my chest feels congested and my nose clogs up, and my neck gets tight like I'm in desperate need for air to breathe. Ever since I was little, everytime I participated in a sport or race that required long running and strenuous movements, I would always end up grasping for air, and my chest feels cold like a burning sensation for lack of oxygen. My heart is fine..it is always just my lungs feeling tight and my windpipe burns when I take in deep breath. It usually recovers when I sit down and rest..but now that I am in my early 20's my body might have gotten worst and I hardly exercise because of that. Also, in the early morning when I am about to wake up, I get that surge in my chest and when I stand up, it slowly gets better..but throughout the day it comes for a few minutes and go, the sensation is always around my upper chest and neck.

I was wondering if anyone has a similar condition or know what I might have? I'm ruling out anxiety and stress only because something tells me it's not that.

:/ Please help! Are there any specific tests that I can get to find a diagnose for windpipe related ailment?

[David Tinkelman, M.D.]

What you have experienced sounds very uncomfortable.  Many of your symptoms are consistent with anxiety with or without panic disorder.  However, you could have a physical problem, perhaps one that precipitates a number of your symptoms.  It is good that your EKG, chest X-ray and swallowing test were normal but that does not rule out other physical problems.

I am struck most by your description of respiratory distress;  “chest feels congested, grasping for air and desperate need for air to breathe”, and your childhood experience of difficult breathing with exercise.  That could have been asthma and/or a condition called vocal cord dysfunction (VCD), in which one’s vocal cords close inappropriately and cause blockage to air flow in your windpipe.

I suggest that you and/or your doctors seek a second opinion with a respiratory specialist, the testing likely to begin with pulmonary function testing before and after the administration of a bronchodilator and before and after exercise.  Another respiratory test for the diagnosis of asthma and VCD is a methacholine challenge and that might be considered by the specialist.

Good luck

[bbubbles89]

Hi Dr. Tinkelman, thank you for your reply.

This question was posted over 2.5 weeks ago and up until now, the symptoms persisted and has not gotten any worse or better. I do notice that it is a tight/heavy (not sure what to call it) is stuck in my throat/neck area. I feel like I have to take in deeper breaths when I sit for a long period of time (even in a car). I was walking around a shopping center for about 45 minutes and I could feel that my breathing is a bit heavier than before. My legs were not at all tired from walking but somehow I was breathing a bit heavier and quicker, and as I got inside my car and sat down, I was drawing in deeper breaths like I've exhausted myself when all I did was walk around for 45 minutes.

The back of my throat when I take in deep breaths, I feel this tightness/soreness at the lower part of my neck (above my collarbone). When I feel this discomfort in my throat, my lungs feel perfectly fine (also as shown on x-rays so I'm certain my lungs are OK.

I also tried the treadmill at home, which I used to be able to tread on for an hour, but now I last for about 5 minutes before I feel out of breath. It takes me at least 10 minutes laying down to recover from a 5 minutes treadmill workout. This is not how I used to be at all. Another thing is, when I sit on my bed to watch TV or just sitting anywhere at night, suddenly my nose feels stuffy and my throat feels tight, and my breathing becomes a bit uncomfortable but it would go away and then come back. In the morning when I wake up, my chest feels congested and stuffy for a good 15 minutes and as the morning goes on, it gets better. I wonder if it is because laying down affects my throat/breathing?

Throughout the day, the sensation would spread to my upper chest area and it never hurts but just weird and scary like a rush of nervousness. Whenever I mention a rush of nervousness in my chest, doctors assume it's anxiety and stress related seeing that I am young and my health check looks fine. But I know how my body feels and it is definitely not psychological. :/

I have a carefree life and everything is stable. I have taken anxiety tests and it shows that I am a happy person with a positive mind. Anxiety to me is not a 24 hour thing, and what I have is 24 hour of every day so I know it is truly physical. I have never smoke or drink, but I was bulimic for about 8 years and stopped myself about 3 months ago. Prior to all this, the night before the symptoms started, I threw up dinner and the next day I felt the tightness in my throat and following that is what I have described in my last post. Do you think my bulimic past has any relation to my current problem?

I am seeing my doctor this Tuesday and will asked to see a respiratory specialist to find out what it is. Should I also see a doctor that specializes in neck?

[Nel98]

Yeah mines kinda similar to yours.. I especially have those things where a room is heated.. I would have to gasp for fresh air and I would get short breathes.. So your not the only one. I am positive you'll just be fine :)

[Nel98]

Y