Difficulty breathing and unable to complete a yawn

[momsblessings]

I have been having a hard time getting a full breath and am unable to complete a full yawn at times, however, I yawn excessively even if not complete.  This inability to get a Breath results in chest pain, throat/jaw tightness, and headache, where my head feels woozy.  I was diagnosed with a mild case of vocal cord dysfunction and went through speech therapy.  I am continuing to have problems and I am unsure if the VCD is what is causing it or something else.  I also have a lump area between my 2nd-3rd ribs (or so) on the right side that is unknown, and I have had a history of neuroma's in the rib area on my posterior side in the past.  My past medical history is that I have complicated migraines, mitral valve prolapse, and was anemic but now I am not.  I had been on Topamax which put me into metabolic acidosis so I am still recuperating from that.  Most recent labs said I was WNL on my metabolic panel, but I still feel horrible and cannot breath well, nor do I have any energy/stamina to do things like I normally do. I just turned 42 yrs. old and have 3 kids, so I have a busy lifestyle typically, but I am having a very hard time doing anything with the difficulty breathing and chest pain issues.  No one can figure out why I cannot YAWN normally and the pulmonologist just feels it is only VCD, but it is not improved since going through therapy.  Any suggestions?
Thank you.

[mcresh]

I had this problem on and off for years.  I went to the Dr. many times where they put me through various tests only to find out "nothing" was wrong or that I was just hyperventilating (but breathing into a brown paper bag would NOT help).  
Needless to say the problem continued.  I started to try to figure this out myself.  
I believe this is an allergy to caffeine.  I have since stopped drinking or taking anything with caffeine in it and I have been free of this problem for a few years now.
I was an every day coffee drinker, so I understand how difficult this can be, but trust me, I feel SO much better now.  I can BREATHE again!!

[metoo_]

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH! I am just relieved to know that I am not alone and I am not crazy. I have also had tests that came back normal though an xray did show an upper respiratory constriction. I have been dealing with this off and on since I was 20, I am now 40. At times it is worse than others but when I relax I feel better. I believe that this is due to fretting which a friend of mine called me out on. I thought I knew the definition of fretting until I looked it up in Webster's and was shocked to discover all the nuances that described my mental state to a T. I believe that this problem is two-fold. There is the obvious physical aspects but I believe it is also rooted spiritually. I have discovered that it is also related to unforgiveness (at least for me) and that unforgiveness is directed toward myself. I am learning to love myself and forgive myself for things past and mistakes made. It is a process and confession is also a part of it (which I am starting on that process too). BTW Psalm 37 is a wonderful antidote to stress and fretting. Hope this helps someone. Thanks for all the comments and suggestions.

[tommy00778]

I too suffer from incomplete yawning..I think also that it might be stress related and that your body reacts to feeling anxious etc and the muscles in your chest are not allowing the yawn to complete...its the only answer I can come up with..?

[PramodNair]

Simple solution for that... http://pramodayurveda.blogspot.ae/2014/02/right-side-rib-pain-while-breathing-or.html

[lindangreg]

ive had the same thing for almost 16 years and been to so many differnet doctors in my life  i get to a point in life where i just cant take it any more .  ive had heart tests , asthma tests , breathing tests , chest xrays , head scans , whole body scans to show my nerves and veins .. they put it down to panic attacks and anxiety !!! i get it sometimes for days and days on sudden attacks . i try to yawn get to a deep breathe it can work for a min or so , but trying to do this after a few days my chest really feels like its caving in and my throat and im scared to sleep but sometimes i dont care if i dont wake up as i cant handle it any more .. what really scares me is waking up in middle of night gasping for my breath .. from reading more n more on the internet i think its hyperventilating .   im going back to the dr tomorrow to see how i can finally get some help

[Jenachan]

It happens to me a lot!  cant take a full breath, constant insufficient yawning, waking up in the middle of sleep feeling like dying and out of breath. I did lots of tests and couldnt find the source of the problem. I started to watch what I eat/drink and kinda agree with girl who mentioned the caffaine allergy. I noticed whenever I drink coffee(even decafed coffee), I start to get the symptoms, but still not sure 100% about it. To everyone who has the same problem, please consider this reason and share your experience.