Asthma Forum - Can't take a deep breath
Medical questions     Health forums     Help     log in    

Can't take a deep breath

New Topic  Reply  Ask A Doctor - Offline
Medical Questions-> Health Forums -> Asthma -> Can't take a deep breath
Medical Questions
Author Message
runner34

New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 05 May 2008
Posts: 2
Can't take a deep breath
Posted: 05-05-08 15:52pm

Hi I'm a 23 year old graduate student in michigan and I've just about come to my wits end with a problem that I've been dealing with for almost three years now!.
I had bad allergies (running nose, watery eyes..you name it) while growing up and at that time I was naive and didn't want to take any medications for them so i'd just wait it out. The one remedy that I did find helpful was running, and for the most part this proved successful until one day three years ago. At that time I just got accepted to grad school and I was elated. My allergies started to act up so I decided to go for a 7 mile run (before every run I would decided how far i would go before I started and no matter how poorly I felt I would finish that distance...im very stubborn). On this day about two miles in my run i began to feel terrible and ache all over but, being the stubborn person I was, I continued to run the remainder five miles at a snail pace. At the completion of that run i felt o.k but the next morning i woke up and had this sensation that I couldn't take a deep breath. I went to the doctors and I had my heart and lungs checked out and everything came back normal. Since that day I've tried to ignore the fact that I couldn't take a deep breath and continue with my life, however it's gotten to the point where I'm so conscious of my breathing that it's very hard to do anything else and I've become very depressed. I constantly feel like my breathing is impaired and I have to work to get a breath in (I was checked for asthma and I don't have it)
Due to the fact that all the medical tests came back as normal everyone says this is all in my head, and to a certain extent I believe them, but I think anxiety and depression have resulted and compounded this problem but they are not the underlying cause. I do agree that anti-anxiety and depression medication may seem appropriate but I don't think they will have a big impact until I come to the root of the problem. The one strange thing about all of this is that since that day my allergies haven't nearly been as bad. If anyone has been in a similar situation or could offer any advice i would greatly appreciate it. Could exercising with bad allergies been the cause of my problem? I'm very desperate for help!
|
MandMs

Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 26 Jan 2007
Posts: 1875
Location: Strumica, Macedonia
Thanks: 21
Thanked:10
online

Posted: 05-06-08 02:07am

Have you been troubled with all these symptoms (runny nose, tearing, itchy eyes) during a season or all year round?
Did you have an anxiety issue before "that moment"?
Does the sensation of not being able to breath or "air hunger", occur mostly on waking or exertion?
Are you experiencing malaise feeling?
Do you usually get feeling of pain and weakness in your muscles, after very short periods of use?
|
runner34

New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 05 May 2008
Posts: 2

Posted: 05-06-08 18:02pm

Hi MandMs, I truly appreciate your quick reply.

1.) I usually had seasonal bouts of the allergies at the time (they weren't year round)

2.) I was always somewhat of an anxious person before that incident but never to the point where it would impact my daily functioning.

3.) The sensation of not being able to breath is practically constant...I don't think there has been a day the past three years where I can say that my breathing has been "normal"...It's been so long that I don't even remember what normal breathing feels like!

4.) Yes, at this time I would say that I've been feeling very down!

5.) That's the strangest of things...(quick note..I used to be a marathon runner and have run 3 boston marathons in the past) I can still run 4 miles under 7 minutes a mile but it just doesn't feel the same and I don't think I could tolerate running long distances anymore. I can climb one flight of stairs and feel totally out of breath but I also can run 4 miles in 26 minutes and be ok (ok in the sense that I can do it...the breathing problem is still there)

thanks again for the response
|
ahughes06

New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 15 May 2008
Posts: 6

Posted: 05-15-08 02:43am

Maybe running those last few miles with those allergies made you breathe a little harder or more shallow than usual? If that's the case, maybe your intercostal muscles are just a little tight from the unusual exercise of them. Don't hesitate to go back to the doctor, though.
|
Related Topics
This Forum This Category All Forums
Jump to:  
New Topic   Reply
Medical Questions -> Health Forums -> Asthma -> Can't take a deep breath



We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health
information:
verify here.