Shortness of Breath - blood oxygen levels fine

Age 35 - Female.  Good shape, a little over weight.   Excercise daily for 1 to 2 hours - at least 30 minutes of that is with my heart rate in the 140-160 range.  

Started 3 weeks ago experiencing shortness of breath.  Got worse and left side of my body tingled.   Not worse during exercise.   Three days ago, got really bad.   Went to doc, blood pressure high (156/???) but pulse was 50.  They admitted me to hospital.  CT scan fine.  Echo showed my right side of my heart slightly enlarged.  Did heart cath and it showed everything fine but oxygen levels a little low on right side.  

I have a low stress life - that said, I am feeling pretty stupid since they can't find anything - is this a panic attack?  It is constant.   They put me on Zanax? and I still had problems catching my breath.  Blood oxygen level was always good though.

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

This is unlikely a thyroid/endocrine problem...but,

did they test for pulmonary embolism?  This would cause all these symptoms.  The CT scan would have picked up big clots I would imagine...

Anxiety/panic could as well, but that is a diagnosis of exclusion (meaning, other causes have been eliminated).  

I doubt it is pheochromocytoma (over-prod of adrenaline).

[jonapot]

Severe Shortness of breath, with the feeling of tight band around the lower half of my ribcage.  Almost gasping for air at times.  I cough and wheeze and what comes up is a really gel=like sticky and sometimes salty tasting goop.
I was in the ER a couple of weeks ago because the chest pressure was so great and my B/P was elevated so high 200/124 plus and they kept me and did a Thallium stress test and lung x-ray.  The only comment the doctor made about my lungs was that "oh you have one lung a little smaller than the other" and told me they would look into the lung problem after they did the heart test but never did.  I got my report and read it and it said, "rightsided hemidiaphramatic atelectesis".
I am quiet fatigued all the time, I break out in almost cold sweats.  My family doctor treated me as if I had pneumonia but that was weeks ago.  I have gotten better on the breathing but still have the bandlike feeling and wheezing and sometimes cough up that gel substance.  Anybody have a clue????

[dupontwest]

A related discussion, COPD - Thyroid vs. Parathyroid was started.

[kitty726]

A related discussion, Shortness of breath without low blood oxygen levels was started.