shortness of breath/frequent yawning

[kellb]

I am a 41 year old female with a 2 year old, in good health other than being about 10 pounds overweight. Two months ago I began experiencing shortness of breath. I yawn constantly in an attempt to get air. The doctor thought asthma, especially given my family history of lung problems, so though my lungs sounded clear I tried advair/albuterol.  No change in condition.
I had a ct scan to check for a pulmonary embolism and everything looked good. I have been taking previcid for 2 weeks to treat possible acid reflux, but there has been no change in my condition. I feel better when I sleep and wake up feeling great, only to have the sob return within a few hours.
A possibly relevant fact: the day before this started I was at yoga doing a twist when I felt a very, very sharp pain in my right side under my rib, along with a feeling as if a rubber band had been snapped in the same place. The pain was excruciating and traveled through my breast and shoulder, but was gone in a few minutes and I was able to continue class. Also, I was in the desert for a few days and it went away but returned about a week later. I fairly certain it isn't stress/anxiety as the trip out of town was not relaxing. The breathing seems better when I stand/worsens sitting down, and I may have been standing more than usual on the trip. I am feeling so frustrated, scared, and depressed.

[DJ_Kisner]

I am 21 years old and I have been struggling with this for a few years now, I have noticed that I only have SOB straining while I yawn when I am stressed out or anxious, When I play a video game and keep myself distracted it never happens, but when i'm trying to read or do homework It happens like crazy and I literally cannot stay focused to save my life, it's seriously one of thee most annoying things I've had to deal with next to having a floater in my left eye, My best advice would be to try and build cardio to build your lung capacity, I used to be in amazing shape, could run a 7 min mile and was very fit, I don't remember ever having this problem, now i'm out of shape, can barely run 5 mins without getting exhausted and am having SOB like crazy, I hope theres a cure to this :*(, It seriously makes my ADHD 10000x worse :*(

[Chels016]

Im 12 and this breathing problem happened this summer and its still happening and the doctors tested me everything and everything seems fine but now they are treating me for acid reflex it seems to help alot but not  fullly.

[y2kalmeida]

I am 29 years old and started having the same symptoms about a year ago. yawning, shotness of breath, constant belching...I went to the doctor and he told me it was stress. I started on Zanax and done! No more of these crazy symptoms. It relaxes you and clears your mind so that you don't even think about having SOB. And remember, you can have anxiety sometimes and not even know it, until these symptoms arise and we automatically think the worse. I def. reccomend seeing someone to prescribe meds for anxiety!

[Vickie1965]

I'm a 46 year old female and I'm scared to death! I had open heart in June of 09. I worked in healthcare so they required us to take a flu vaccine if we could. I called my heart suregon and he told me that it would be fine because it had been over a year since my surgery for me to do the H1N1 mist. Within 10 mins I was having a reaction almost went in to anifalitic shock and almost died! Curious to know is any of you have taken the H1N1? My breathing issues started in May of this year it was like I couldn't get a yawn out and was short of breath. I had started a new med and thought that could be it but it wasn't. When the middle of June got here I was hurting down my arm, SOB, and chest pressure so, I went to the ER. They kept me and scheduled me foe a heart cath thank God it was not my heart! My doctor told me that it was anxiety. I didn't seem to have anymore symptoms so we we on vacation and still no issues. July comes around and they are back and worse this time! I had Neck surgery in Feb. of this year and it strains my neck and shoulder muscles SO BAD that I can't hardly stand it! Please if anyone has any answers of ideas for me please share them. Thank you! Vickie

[badkittie1290]

Thank you everyone for sharing your comments. I too have a story. I am 27 and I have been dealing with the "not being able to breath" for about 8 years now. When I was younger, I always had a positive mind about things. At some point in my life I began to worry more. The constant worry also brought me to the hospital many times! I too had an EKG, heart checks, doctor visits...everything ALWAYS came back fine. I didn't know what was causing this type of stress. The only thing I could come up with was breaking up with my boyfriend a year before and drinking more and more. I stopped drinking and the breathing problems started again! I had anxiety, shortness of breath, problems eating because I couldn't breath. I would get so panicked that I wanted to call 911. The only thing that calmed me down was to clear my mind and try to think about nothing. The more I thought about my breathing I would panic more. Through out life of having this disorder, I have learned to distract myself. If I don't even notice or worry or think about things or my breathing, I tend to do fine. I have a major problem with "past experiences" that cause this breathing problem. For example, I went to a restaurant with my family and I all of a sudden had this dizzy passing out feeling. Out of the blue! Nothing was stressing me out. From that point on, I would always have that feeling in restaurants. More so when I would think about it. I think that if we slow down a bit and stop focusing on tiny details like breathing we will be fine. It seems that, like me, most people on here, once distracted seem to not have the breathing problem. As beings of the Earth we are not rooted in the fast pace environment that has become our world. Humans tend to adapt to their environment and most do...but, there are things that are not natural. I believe subconsciously things affect us that could bring on a more focused attention to...yes, anxiety in our life, fast pace living and depression. Meditation helps, not worrying about dying helps, not focusing on how we breath helps, not stressing about life helps. Slowing down a bit in life in general helps. The breathing technique helps. (closing one nostril at a time and breathing in for 4 seconds...then switching to the other nostril) why, because its taking our mind off of things. Drinking helps for me ( I am not telling anyone that drinking is the answer) but it tends to take my mind off of stress, thus levitating my breathing problems. Hope my "peanut gallery" helped. Just know that I am an experienced breathing problem....actually writing this has helped me..My mind is distracted...

[sezen34]

I am 39 years old female and I have been having these exact problems since I know myself. My parents constantly took me to doctors but like everyone else I have had many tests nothing said for sure. When I am not stressed it seems I don't have the symptoms as bad but as a person I am very stressed I guess I am born that way so this kinda explains why I have these symptoms since childhood. I am always searching if I could find anybody to help me bc I am really tired of it. As I am writing this  comment I am breathing so deeply and want to yawn constantly. My son who is 3 seems to do it as he sees me doing it that worries me so much because I think he feels my struggle and then he is stressed too . Anyways please keep posting whatever seems to help to this problem.
Thank you