Help me figure this out, doctors seem clueless.

[KRichardson]

I've always been healthy, born and raised in Southern California, moved to Colorado for 2 years, then moved to Dallas, Texas which I discovered I have TERRIBLE nasal allergies here.  I've been here for 3 years.  

Last year after my vacation from California I had a panic attack out of no where around aug/sept.  In a car, girlfriend was driving us to a friends, we were going out that night.  I had no clue what was going on I felt out of control.  It happened day after day and in the middle of the night I'd wake up feeling like I had stopped breathing in the middle of the night.  Finally I went to ER and they didn't do an EKG, just called it anxiety and gave me Klonopin.

So I go to my family doctor, he says "Klonopin is addictive, you need Zoloft".  So I try Zoloft, for like a month, did nothing.  I explained that the Klonopin seemed to work.  He gave me Buspar, that was a joke.  I finally got frustrated, threw it all in the trash and said I'd figure it out on my own, and I did... panic attacks were gone.

NOW oddly enough Aug/Sept of this year... panic attacks are back... which convenietly are when my nasal allergies started back up.  This time around I'm getting things like skipped heart beats, and I feel it in my chest and it's freaky.  A lot of the times it happens back to back.  Sometimes it never happens.  But the thing I am seeing most consistant, is I am short of breath ALL the time. About a month ago I went to ER and had EKG and Bloodwork done, all came up fine.  But the shortness of breath is kind of new.  Where before it's incidental now it's like 24-7.  I'm always out of air.  And now I have these heart skips, it really has me nervous.  Sometimes when I feel a panic attack I'll go to feel my pulse on my neck and it feels like I have no pulse and I panic and then I feel it.  

Anyway I don't know what to do.  Is my allergies causing lack of oxygen?  Am I asthmatic?  Do I have heart problems.  I'm tired of going into the doctor and experimenting... it's driving me nuts!!!  It's effecting my job and my life at home.   I'm always tired because I can never sleep in peace.

[liv4now25]

The very first sign of my panic disorder was breathlessness.  I felt like I could not catch my breath.  Sometimes it would seem as if my throat would freeze up and I could not swallow, then I would panic.  My first bout with panic attacks was all about not being able to breathe.  I was tested for asthma, allergies and since I was a week out of surgery, I had a D-dimer to rule out pulmonary emboli.  I was in the ER twice with my "breathing problems".   Eventually, my panic of not being able to breathe turned into full blown panic disorder with an array of other symptoms to accompany it; depersonalization, heart palpitations, dizziness, cold sweats, jell-o legs, nausea and the fear of dying.It's a VICIOUS cycle.  

I was sent to a psychiatrist who told me it was panic disorder and I was put on Paxil.  About six weeks into it, my obsession with being able to not breathe eased up.  I started meditating and acupuncture.  I started doing a LOT of research on panic disorder and once I realized that the feeling of breathlessness was symptom I felt a bit more at ease.  

I agree that you should see a cardiologist to rule out anything.  I did that as well.  My heart was very healthy, despite the palpitations that I felt constantly.  It might put your mind at ease.  You might also want to consult with an allergist.  Another visit I had too.  
Good luck, my friend.

[hammock]

There is a great book called "Panic Attacks, A Natural Approach" by Shirley Trickett, published by Ulysses Press. The ISBN is 1-56975-187-0.  I've had it for years and I cannot begin to tell you how much it helps me. It describes panic attack symptoms in details and sheds light on the causes (yes, allergies DO cause panic attacks).  Every time I'm in the middle of a panic attack (I've had them since I was a child) I read through it and it calms me down. It's a small book, so you can even take it with you if you need to.

Good luck!

[cal7902]

I think you should see a cardiologist to rule out any serious heart conditions, but I have a similar story to yours.  I went to a DR who specializes in dysautonomias.  He initially thought that I had dysautonomia cause by Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP), but I tested negative for this.  He then explained that dysautonomia is a very broad term and that I could have a "slight dysautonomic" thing going on,. meaning that my nervous system may just be out of whack.   He also said that dysautonomic activity tends to be seasonal, usually showing up during the spring and fall.  He also said that some DRS are doing  testing to see if there is a correlation to seasonal allergies.  This is nothing  to be scared of, but maybe something to look into.

[Jennymay22]

i agree anxiety can cause breathlessness. BUT im tired of all this docs telling me that EVERY HEALTH problem i have is anxiety related.....  for the past 18 months, after the birth of my child i have been experiencing a bloated gassy feel that causes me to hardly be able to eat , or drink anything, and for some reason i get short of breathe, and i find myself gasping for air ( and i CAN HEAR myself weezing)  THEN thats when panic and anxiety kick in... i do believe that some illness can TRIGGER anxiety and cause you to panic, just thinking about it can cause some people to panic.  here is a way some people can tell if the breathlessness is anxiety related..... when you hypervenolate, it makes you feel like you can breathe right, but hypervenilation also cause numbness on most people.......  like tingly hand or fingers

[crabby70]

My husband has had shortness of breath, waking up not breathing and dizzinessand, blurred vision.  Went for many tests and trips to the er and they  said asthma.  He is in his late thirties and developed asthma?  I'm wondering if anxiety now?

[tanns]

My suggestion would be to see a cardiologist to rule out the serious stuff.   It seems odd that it is seasonal though.  One thing that I wanted to mention is that after almost two very long years of trying to figure out what caused my initial (out of the blue) panic attack and lingering"anxiety" I gave up and went to a psychiatrist.  He gave me Klonopin and told me to give it a month.  He said it should be completely effective in two weeks but to go two more after that.  If I felt better, it was anxiety.  If the symptoms were still there, it was not and to keep pursuing medical testing.  I still haven't tried it and still have symptoms.  

That being said, shortness of breath can be related to the anxiety.  I know there are a couple of people on here that have had bouts of breathlessness and it scared the **** out of them (and me).  I would get winded doing simple tasks and when I would go on my morning walk I would feel like it would be my last.  It is possible it is anxiety related.  But like you, I think something is triggering the anxiety (at least for me) so it is hard to accept that diagnosis.

Good luck to you, I hope you get some answers soon.

[KRichardson]

Yea the symtoms change one time it's because my heart is skipping beats and I feel the palpitations the next it's a breathing issue.  Lately it's just been a huge lack of breath.  It's not incidental either.  It's just like tons of weight is on my chest or my throat is closing up I can decide which it is.  I almost wonder if it's a symptom of my allergies that are causing I guess like an asthma reaction, all I know is my breathing problems don't come in attacks they're consistant.  And once again this issue didn't crop up until allergy season hit.  I'll just have to go to the doctor and find out.  The bad side of this is I come to the doctor every several months asking if I have some new illness he probably thinks I'm some hypocaundriac (spellcheck), but all I am doing is trying to get to the bottom of it.  I refuse to accept the whole "anxiety" ****.  I am infact having anxiety attacks but something is triggering it, I know it is.  Problem is every trip to the doctor is tons more money.  

I had brochitas when I was a baby, is it possible that I could be developing asthma in this environment?  Or does asthma only occur with violent attacks?  My breathing problem seems to be consistant, especially around evening time.

[Wolfwind]

I moved from the Pacific Northwest to Texas and discovered I was allergic to the pollen from the pine trees, go figure, we have pine trees everywhere in the Pacific NorthWest but they are a different family.  I would suggest going to a naturepathic doctor to get screened for allergies. If you are having allergic reactions to your environment, (for what ever reason) then you will create anti-hystamines, and this will help cause anxiety. When I take an over the counter anti-hystamines (like benadryl) it makes me have dizziness, shortness of breath, jumpy, and have great anxiety! Our bodies create anti-hystaines this to some extent naturally, but yours may be on overdrive.
I ended up moving from the area of Texas that was making me sick, and never realized it was my environment that was the cause until after I left the area. I also stayed away from anything with caffine in it, it made the aniety worse.