breathing difficulties

[bestone]

My son who is 21 years old lately seems to have difficulty breathing during mealtimes. He has no food allergies, but breathing while eating is difficult for him - he cannot seem to get enough air into his lungs. I have taken him to an ear, nose, throat doctor but no cause was found. Do you have any thoughts as to what this condition might be or what type of doctor might be able to help him?

[vcew]

A related discussion, Difficulty breathing while eating was started.

[National Jewish]

To have shortness of breath, only at mealtimes is most unusual unless he is choking on his food.  Older people with COPD often have shortness of breath that worsens while eating.  There are few other diseases that cause breathing difficulty, especially in a 21 year old.

I would wonder if this might be related to anxiety at the dinner table.  If the symptoms persist, his doctor should see him.  If he cannot get enough air into his lungs under other circumstances, he should be examined and possibly tested for asthma.  If he doesn

[bestone]

He simply looses breath. The food goes down fine. He has a good appetite and is not suffering from any sort of eating disorder.
It sometimes helps if he stands up and eats. Thanks for any insight you can offer.

[AndyRRT]

Well, this is very odd. The only thing that comes to mind is, when he eats, he could possibly be eating too much? As the stomach fills, it actually presses up against the diaphragm. The left hemidiaphragm cannot flatten during inspiration because of such a full stomach, hence causing some shortness of breath. (if the diaphragn doesn't flatten during inspiration, the lungs don't fill)

Now this seems pretty far fetched, but its an actualy accurance. However, not as impressive as what you are stating. Could there be some other underlying process? Very possible. And this is why he needs to see his physician immediately.

-Andy,RRT,CPFT

[AndyRRT]

Thats an odd ailment. Possibly may need more history from you to try and figure this one out. When your son eats, does he tend to choke or gag on his food? Or does he simply lose his breath?