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.
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.

[Kassora]

Holding a deep breath and stretching my tight chest feels wonderful to me also.

I also feel like I have stuff in my throat - but I have came to the conclusion that there is nothing really there, just feels like it.  I have tried to force myself to cough it up.. gargled with salt water, listerine, etc.. and nothing...  and it has recently affected my nose, ears, eyes... I feel real congested in my face - this just started recently.

I have also noticed that "sometimes" I get a slight rash under my ears, on my chest, and sometimes on my abdomen - Although very faint. Does not itch.. is just a discoloration.

Before this happened to me, I worked out at least 5 days a week. Both weights and arobic exercise.. I was forced to stop... - I have gained 30 pounds since this started. I am not sure if it is due to little exercise or due to whatever is wrong with me.

I dont cough anything up and I dont weeze or cough.  My pulmanologist said that no breathing treatments would help me since my lungs are very clear.  She went ahead and let me try one in her office to see if it helped at all.  I stayed on it for about 15 minutes, and no improvement... least for me.

I also get occasional acid reflux... I wonder if I should look into this acidosis thing.. and wonder if it is related.

I had my gallbladder removed about 3 years ago.. but according to the doctors, it is not related to my problems.

This whole thing is very frustrating. I feel like I am falling apart.

I thought maybe it was a allergic reaction to something, so I changed everything, laundry detergent, toothpaste, shampoo, food I was eating... there is just no rhyme or reason for it.

Your symptoms seems very similar... if you hear anything.. anything at all from doctors, friends, web.. please share.. Thanks so much,

Kass

[Kassora]

WOW!

Annie44 I have experienced these exact same symptoms for a year now.... I have taken every test and everyone says I am in perfect health.

I also need to yawn.. the tightness in my chest gets painful.. and under my ribs.. especially my right side gets very sore to the touch.

The doctors have ruled out everything.  In fact, I am 36 years old, and I had comments that I have some of the clearest pictures taken.

It is SO frustrating.. I even changed my primary care doctor hoping that maybe the doctor I had for 5 years was losing his mind.

Now the new doctor is saying it might be Fibromyalgia but I have read the symptoms for that and that just dont seem right..

Where is Doctor House when you need him???!!  

Any suggestions?

[fightingdove]

At the end of October '06 I took a nasty fall on my chest and shoulder. 5 days later I started experiencing symptoms that have made me feel like I may be having a heart attack. These especially occur when I am lying down and sometimes wakes me from sleep. As I am falling asleep I feel my breath getting shorter and slower and it feels like it's going to stop. I could swear that it has stopped, waking me from a sleep with a rapid heart rate. I've been to cardiologists, neurologists, gastroenterologists, pulmonologists and no-one seems to know the cause. I am only 33 although I did smoke for 14 years. I stopped as soon as this started. I also get the SOB during the morning and day but I feel like I can handle it then. It's when I'm falling asleep and it feels like it's stopping that scares me.

[annie44]

'm so glad I stumbled on this site. I'm a professional landscaper, female, 44 years old, very petite and in excellent shape, though the hard physical labor is beginning to wear on me. In October, near the end of an extremely strenuous 2-week job that involved moving by hand lots of large river rock, shoveling gravel and digging trenches, I started to feel "toxic," and my breathing became rapid and shallow. I thought I was suffering from lactic acid build-up, as I had really pushed myself too hard. The job ended, but the symptoms didn't abate for a week. As of this writing, I don't feel "sick" anymore, but this breathing thing is driving me nuts. It comes and goes, sometimes seems worse on sitting or being idle, sometimes worse on exertion. No real rhyme or reason to it. The symptoms include a need to draw frequent deep breaths to feel satisfied, tightness in the upper chest, yawning to get a deep breath. I haven't been to a doctor about this, and from reading the various posts, I'm not sure it would do any good. I'm not interested in taking narcotics. Was wondering if anyone also feels pain or tenderness in any of the ribs when pressed? I'm definitely going to look into chronic hyperventilation syndrome. What else can be done to treat this, or is it something that will go away with time? Thanks!

[shoshr]

Wow... this is scarily similar to the symptoms I have. Why is it that all these male doctors want to give me is Xanax when they can't hear me wheeze, but I'm not uptight or anxious - no more than anyone else would be if they couldn't breathe properly! However, when my pulmonologist did finally get my PFT done, it showed Obstructive Hyperinflation, which means that I can't empty my lungs properly, and I'm wondering if this is compatible with Chronic Hyperventilation Syndrome or if it rules that out?

Does anyone know? No medicine I'm taking is helping.

My dr says that I have asthma not COPD because my diffusion rate is good, but nothing is helping, not pulmicort, xopenex, albuterol, or anything else they give me for asthma. I have good days and bad days. A good day is when I can move around fairly freely, as long as I don't move too fast or do too much, a bad day is when I have to stay in my bed or armchair, and even then need my inhaler or nebulizer several times a day. I'm only 41, with three young kids & a home business; but suddenly I've become disabled. My dr wants to do another PFT in 2-3 months, but I don't understand why I have to wait that long; I'm sure he wouldn't wait that long if it was him!

Any ideas anyone!?? I'm desperate!

Shosh

[kellb]

I saw a pulmonologist last week and he said it's hyperventilation syndrome and that it probably began with the yoga injury changing my breathing pattern and throwing off the CO2 levels in my blood.  Since the original injury I have had periods where the SOB improves but it always returns.  The pulmonologist said this is probably due to stress/anxiety-the second I have a sensation of not being able to breathe I begin trying to breathe very deeply and throw off the CO2 levels again.  I am trying to meditate several times a day and to resist the urge to overbreathe.  It's very difficult but things are improving.  The pulm.  said if it doesn't stop completely I can take anti-anxiety meds that would get it under control, but I am trying the more holistic route first.
Royalscrapqueen's description of HVS is the about the best I have read anywhere.
Thanks to everyone for the info and support.