Do you ever have trouble catching your breath?

[lovemy6monkeys]

I apologize for not being around much, and then coming back with a question. Life has gotten incredibly busy, and I kind of wanted to step back from MS thoughts and worries for a while.

I'm having an issue, and I'm not sure how to deal with it. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I have had this problem a few times, and it seems to get a little worse each time.

Basically, it feels like my toddler is sitting on the base of my throat/ upper chest. Like a feeling of pressure, not enough to hurt, but enough where I feel like I'm not able to take a deep breath. I also sometimes feel a fluttering feeling in the same area. I had this a couple months ago, and saw my regular doctor. He listened to me breathe, ran a few blood tests, and even did an EKG. All were normal. He said it might be a muscle spasm from the MS and to talk to my neuro. I did happen to be seeing my neuro later that week, but he kind of dismissed it (at the time I was also having eye issues, so he concentrated on that). It just went away on its own soon after.

It is back now, but it is worse. Today is day #4 with it. Yesterday every few minutes I would have to gasp for air (kind of halfway between a gasp and a yawn/deep sigh). I had a couple of times yesterday where I got slightly lightheaded if I moved too fast, but it was very briefly.

This morning I am not any better than I was last night, and it seems like I have more trouble the later in the day it is, so I'm really hoping it doesn't get worse through the day today.

I have a friend with MS and she says that MS symptoms tend to get worse over about 5 days and then stabilize or start to improve. I never really paid attention close enough to notice, has anyone else noticed the same pattern?

Has anyone had this breathing issue? Any advice? Unfortunately, the earliest I can get to my neuro would be Monday.

Thank you for any help you can give!
~Jess  

[babydoll132266]

I also feel like I can't catch a a good deep breath like I'm being strangled to death..I also have MS..I have read somewhere about what they call the MS hug..has anyone else heard of it...I feel like the muscles in my chest are trying to strangle mr to death....is this just part of something I have to deal with having MS?.

[lovemy6monkeys]

Bob, I wonder if a muscle spasm could happen without me feeling a twitch or cramp, etc? Today seems to be a bit better than yesterday, so I'm hoping on I'm the downswing of this. Thank you for your help!

Karen, it does get worse during exertion, but goes back to the level I had before working out once I've "cooled down" from my workout. I've been using our elliptical machine 3 times a week. I have been slowly increasing my time (I'm up to 26 minutes at a time now!) and my workout on wednesday was hard, so I took the rest of this week off. But, even yesterday and today, where I'm resting a lot, as the day goes on the problem gets worse. By evening I'm wiped out from it :-(

Addi, I hope you get some answers! And thank you for the welcome back :-)

Mary, Hi!! I get the skipped heartbeat feeling, or even a rapid heartbeat for a few beats (maybe 5-8 beats), and also the flutter in my lower throat (but I'm not sure if the flutter is from the heart?) Could this be from a brain stem lesion? My neuro is convinced that my vertigo is from a brain stem lesion, though no lesion has shown up on MRI.

Goodness, I have missed you guys!
~Jess

[twopack]

Are you out there and okay Jess?  I'm a bit concerned that you haven't chimed in here again.

I experience this type of thing too.  A cardiology work up looked really good last year but I feel really bad lots of days.  I do get skipped heart beats and that feeling that I can't breathe in deep enough.  It often leaves me very uneasy and hasn't really been explained well enough to suit me yet.

Lately I've been wishing I had a crystal ball to tell me if I need to s u c k up the MS s h i t or head to the local leading heart hospital.  It seems like a cruel riddle -- How do you know when the brain stem lesion has played with the heart and circulation enough to cause a deadly complication?  (I refuse to answer that.)

Mary

[addicted2harleys]

Hi, Jess!   I took a little break from the forum, too.  I came back last week.  Welcome back!

I am having similar issues to you right now.  I think I am relapsing at this time.  This is something that isn't all familiar to me.  I think I am having muscle spasms somewhere in my chest area.  I get the pressure you are talking about but it feels binding-like.  It makes it hard to get a breath.  I feel everything I swallow going down, even saliva.  This hurts.  I feel like I pulled a muscle or four in my upper back, neck and right side lower back and right rib area.  

Anyways, some of my old stuff has come back, too, and I am having cognitive issues as well.  This is also new.  I have a neuro appointment Thursday.  Maybe we will both get some answers this coming week. :)

Glad to see you back,
Addi

[Karen99]

Does this feeling in your throat/chest worsen with activity or exertion?

[COBOB]

GERD would cause heartburn.  Esophageal  spasms would be like a muscle spasm of the Esophagus. The trachea can't spasm, to the best of my knowledge, so it has to be something in the surrounding area.

[lovemy6monkeys]

Thanks for the reply Bob!

I'm not discounting stress, so I have been trying to take it easy, take time for myself, etc. Not always an easy thing though :-(

If it is GERD would I be feeling heartburn? I have only had heartburn a few times in my life (all in the last couple months of a pregnancy) and I have not had any heartburn or other gastro issues at all.

Thank you for your help :-)
~Jess

[COBOB]

Laryngeal Spasms, Esophageal  spasms, or spasms of the sternocleidomastoid muscle are are possible causes.  There are also some other things that cause this feeling of a "closed airway" like GERD.  Sounds like your PCP pretty much ruled out cardiac causes.  An antacid like Gaviscon before bed and sleeping with you head & chest elevated can help with GERD.  If it is spasms, Flexeril, Zanaflex,or one of the other antispasmodics make help.

And not to sound like an uncaring Neuro, but if you're trying to keep up with "6 monkeys," is there any chance it might be stress related?

Bob