I completley know what everyone is
experiencing. About 3 months ago I
experienced vertigo. I came home from
work, sat down and the room started to
spin, I was sweating, I couldn't see and I
had to hold onto the wall just to keep my
balance to get to the bathroom where I
thought I was going to vomit. After that
happened, I started to get so anxious
about this happening again. What if this
happend at work? Or if I was out to
dinner? This fear of vertigo was
diagnosed as general anxiety disorder and
panic disorder. I would get at least one
horrible panic attack a week, one of which
lasted for 7 hours and landed me in the er
because, as we all do, I convinced myself
I was dying. I was prescribed celexa,
which I only took for a week because it
made me feel sick. I then got prescribed
prozac. It made me crazy. I had constant
horrible anxiety, my heart was constantly
beating rapidly, my mind wouldn't stop
racing, I was getting panic attacks
daily...It was a nightmare. I was missing
a lot of work and becoming agoraphobic. I
didn't want to leave my house at all, even
going on a quick errand by myself sent me
into a complete panic. I couldn't even go
out on my past birthday, we got to the
restaurant and I convinced myself that I
was going to faint or vomit and had to go
home, and we did. Needless to say,
against my doctors will, I weened myself
off the prozac. Since then I have gotten
vertigo about 3 more times and gotten
through it. I just sit down close my
eyes, wait a few minutes and it passes.
Well now, 3 months later, the only symptom
I still have is difficulty breathing,
which I am learning to cope with using
tai-chi, an ancient technique that greatly
improves breathing. The only advice for
everyone out there suffering with this is
that you have to realize you are fine.
These are all "feelings" and you have to
learn to leave it at that. You may "feel"
like you are going to faint or vomit or
have a heart attack but you are not. In
all of your lives how many times have you
done something like that? Maybe once? So
now why all of a sudden would it start to
happen every time you are out in public?
Distractions are necessary, they are what
got me through the toughest of times and
attacks! I didn't think I had any stress
or anxiety in my life either but my body
was telling me otherwise. Slow down, try
not to worry so much, and try some yoga
and tai-chi. Good luck everyone!
|
bethiecaute
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 30 Sep 2006 Posts: 1
Hard to Breath When Stressed! Posted: 09-30-06 21:12pm
I am the same way!!!
I recently moved to virginia from
massachusetts and left my family behind,
and every now and then I get really sad,
stressed out, and anxious. Every so
often, in a really stressful situation, I
have a hard time taking a deep breath. I
breath fine normaly, but then feel I need
to take deep breaths when my body wont let
me. Its like my body is saying I already
took too many deep breaths and cant
anymore, so then I feel the need to yawn
in order to catch a deep breath. It only
happens in a stressfull situaton most of
the time, and when im not thinking about
it, I breath absolutly normal. There are
no other signs or symptoms besides being a
little depressed, and stressed out. I
also get really nervous when I think about
heath issues, which makes it worse because
I get all worked up about it. I see what
you all mean!
|
trixie22
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 28 Apr 2006 Posts: 1
I Been Here For Quite Sometime Now! Posted: 10-09-06 14:34pm
I know what you are all going through.
Though my situation may be worse than some
of your own because I have medical issues!
Try checking out emdr on the internet
(eye movement desensitization
reprocessing)... It is like hypnosis but
more effective... It focueses on trauma
one has experienced and helps put that
anxiety at ease! I haven't gone through
it myself but I think I will... I just
recently picked up a therapist ... On top
of my pulmonary specialist, cardio
specialist, gi specialist, etc! I have
had troubles breathing for almost a year
and a half now! Around a year and a half
ago I was getting high (which was an
everyday thing for me) and for some reason
I had what seemed like a heart attack...
I couldn't breathe, I was dry heaving, my
chest was in serious pain... Well I never
recovered from it... Im sure it was just
an extreme anxiety attack but I cannot be
certain... A week before the event I had
passed out at a race track... I didn't
smoke weed for a week and then when I did
this is what happend! Not only did my
breathing get out of wack but my digestive
system became extremely affected... I
ended up finding out that I have mitral
valve prolapse, acid reflux, bile reflux,
hiatal hernia, gastritis, colonic inertia,
etc! I am still in the process of
getting to the bottom of this! I am 23
and it is hard to deal with this...
Everytime I try to take a deep breath I
cant... I even try to yawn and most of
the time I cant get a breath yawning
either! I definately wont rule anxiety
out... Its almost as if I programmed this
breathing flaw into my brain the night I
had the attack! Either way I wish
everyone luck in here... It is horrible
to be held back from oxygen consumption!
I know alot of doctors like throwin out
anti-depressants like they are candy... I
myself haven't tried them! At this point
in time im willing to try anything! Best
of luck all!
|
Canadiangal
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Oct 2006 Posts: 2 Location: Canada
Hard to Breathe Posted: 10-21-06 20:14pm
Hey how's everyone doing? It's amazing
because i've been sitting here the past
week trying to diagnose myself because I
find it hard to believe there's nothign
wrong. I spent 3 hrs in the emergency
only for them to tell me there's nothing
wrong with my heart. But that left me to
wonder, what about my lungs, or brething
tubes. I have been bulimic for 10 years
and feel like I might have damaged
something. I stopped that for almost a
month now, and this started about 2-3
weeks ago. Someone mentioned hormones,
and the funny thing is, I havent started
my period this month and a pregnancy test
came back negative. So could they be
related. This really sucks. I hate
feeling like this and hate to think ill be
living like this forever. I dont even
feel like im stressed, nothing any worst
then before in my life and it never
happened like this. I get that rare
occasion of a good breath as well....I
have some relief seeing others describing
my exact problem.
|
Canadiangal
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Oct 2006 Posts: 2 Location: Canada
a Question Posted: 10-21-06 20:17pm
When ur trying to take deep breaths, does
it eventually start to hurt below ur
chest, in middle, by your ribs at all?
Any other pains anyone gets for trying to
breathe too many times at once?
|
ohmtm
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 1 Location: Allentown, PA
Trouble Taking Deep Breaths Posted: 03-09-07 03:04am
About a year ago when I could not get
"deep breaths" I was very anxious about
going to bed (thinking I would stop
breathing during my sleep). I actually
considered calling 911, but made it
through the night, and my breaths seemed
to come back again when the sun came up. I
considered that it might be an allergy to
mold, since I have a mulch bed outside my
bedroom window and the fan was on, and
that mold spores can be destroyed by
sunlight.
After a few days I went to my Docter and
it seemed like that was a reasonable
conclusion, and did not have problems for
a while...
I began having trouble getting "deep
breaths" again lately and I looked on the
Internet and found this sight and it was
great.
If I'm busy doing something (even
exercize) there's no problem, but if I
have time on my hands, I make it worse by
thinking about it and dwell on it
continuously. I might be a Hypochondriac,
but this thing sucks. Anyway, I'm trying
"Saint John's Wort" to help with anxiety
and it seems to help somewhat. I had used
it previously during a bad time in a
relationship, so I know it can't hurt, but
it's not a Panacea.
|
ocdengineer
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 05 Mar 2007 Posts: 48 Location: SA, TX
Allergies Posted: 03-09-07 18:41pm
Hey all,
I recently went to an allergist for the
first time in my life and found out that I
am allergic to damn near everything, so
maybe a trip to an allergist would be a
good start. I am now on immunotherapy and
take benadryl as needed (rarely). Anyway,
I had a very hard time breathing.
I also know that any little physical
problem can start the adrenaline pumping
and the "fight or flight" mechanism starts
to kick in, so try to relax when you are
worried about a physical symptom. I know
that indigestion can cause me panic, so
now I take some antacids with a large
glass of water when I have a stomach ache
and 9 times out of ten it does the trick.
Once the adrenaline starts pumping then
you risk the possibility of
hyperventilation which can be caused by
rapid short breaths. The easiest way to
fix that is, no lie, with a little brown
paper bag. All you do is breath in and
out of the little brown paper bag and it
increase the amount of carbon dioxide in
your blood stream and stops the
hyperventilation.
I hope this helps,
OE
|
AnnieAnnieAnnie
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 12 Apr 2007 Posts: 1
What a Relief! Posted: 04-12-07 03:02am
I'm 16 and i have the same problem. i cant
get my satisfying breath. and when i pay
attention to it, it gets much worse. if i
try really hard i can get my breath but
after a while it gets painful and annoying
and it just comes back again. when it
started happening i got soo scared. i went
to the doctor today, spent 3 hours doing tests and
getting x-rays but nothing could be
confirmed. the doctor prescribed two
inhalers that don't help and referred me
to another doctor. its so annoying! but i
feel sooo much better now that i know I'm
not alone. i was actually worried i had
some foreign disease. now im a little less
concerned. my chest is really sore from
trying so hard. i also noticed some weight
loss, appetite loss, sensitivity [ meaning
i cry really easy ] and irritability. it
sounds so much like anxiety but i have
less going on in my life than usual. last
year i was had much more going on and i
was fine. . . i guess ill just have to
wait and see.
Check for allergens in your home or work
place. Pets, dust and vegetation could all
cause problems with breathing even if your
just a tad allergic to them especially
pets! Central Air can help quite a bit but
not if you have a house full of pets
running around. It will only blow the
dander around.
My wife has two cats and they have to have
their own room that I try to stay away
from as much as possible. If they do come
out for a while we usually have to caccum
everything including any firniture they
lay on.
Also you can buy a good heppa type vaccuum
and air filter for your home and cover all
you bedding with plastic to reduce dust
mites.
If that doesn't help it's probably all
inside yourhead like everyone's probably
been telling you!
|
NEXUS31
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 6 Location: MIAMI
Posted: 04-16-07 03:12am
I have been with this problem for over 6
years.
It is what it is and it sucks!
Vicks inhaler help me come down from a
panic attack related to the lump feeling
in my throat. Other then that xanax and
when I can't sleep due to this problem
AMB10 (ambiem) works wonders. Sleep well
and wake up relaxed.
Over the years I have seen this problem
growing and with the way things are going
in the world today I fear that this
problem might become a very common issue
for people to deal with.
Also don't think too much about the lump
feeling, this would trigger an attack.
Idle mind can be bad for you.
Take walks, go fising, biking, boating or
anything else that makes you happy and
reduces overall stress. Take sometime for
you.
Just today I had a panic attack due to
this feeling in my throat.
Cheers.
|
alexisb
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 11 May 2007 Posts: 1 Location: california
Breathing Posted: 05-11-07 22:31pm
I've suffered with panic attacks for the
past 5 years. it's been hell. its started
when i was 17 and now i have terrible
anxiety. I constantly have been yawning
just to get a deep breathe and when i feel
like i can't, i hyperventelate and get so
scared i want to call 911. I'm so tired of
this. I'm a happy person with a career and
great family who supports me, but this has
been getting in the way of everything
including my social life. I don't want to
take meds, ive had a bad experience with
them. Can anybody throw me some relieve
tips? I'm so glad im not alone, i really
felt i was
|
babygirlky
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 13 May 2007 Posts: 1 Location: kentucky
Panic Attacks Posted: 05-13-07 11:23am
hello all i am new here and i to suffer
with these problems . i started having
them 2 yrs ago after i had my youngest
child. and i have been on meds. i was
takeing paxil. i have found out that panic
attacks do run in the family. i have 3
children who have them, my father and
brother too. but i didnt like takeing
meds. so i had to find another way. meds
always made me tired and i cant do that
with 5 children. heres what i do to
control them. and i have showed my
children this to and aslo helps them when
in school or were ever. i sit and close my
eyes. take a deep breath and when
breathing out i calmly say
relaxxxxxxxxxxx. i do that about 4 times
and i start to relax. sounds crazy but
sence my brain doesnt seem to know when to
do it . i tell it when i do. i have now
been off my meds for 1 year. and i feel
better i am able to do what needs to be
done and go to places i want to go.. still
hard sometimes. my children and i have
each other to take to but we also have
couslers to talk to ..if we see one of us
panicing then we help the other out. hope
that helps others the way its helped me..
|
kogrox
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 2 Location: Chicago
Anxiety Cure (for Some) Posted: 05-16-07 16:09pm
I'm sure a lot of you have heard this
before, but if you are suffering from
anxiety and you drink coffee (or otherwise
ingest caffeine in any other form) do
yourself a favor - STOP! Gradually wean
yourself off caffeine over a 30 day period
and I guarantee you'll feel better.
I have suffered with anxiety (along with
many other symptoms) for several years. I
recently came across some info on caffeine
toxicity (something I had never heard of
before) so I decided to give it a try and
give up the coffee (I drank 2 large cups a
day - 1 before work, 1 after work) Guess
what? My anxiety and all the other
symptoms are gone.
|
louieann34
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 05 Mar 2007 Posts: 95 Location: Philippines
Re: Hard to Breathe??? Posted: 05-29-07 11:19am
Hypochondriac1028
wrote:
Anybody all of a sudden or
once in a while find it hard to breath and
have to yawn to catch your breath, it
feels like when I take a breath it dosnt
go down all the way and I dont gety thje
oxygen from it im
scared
Yes I have the same problem as you
have...I suddenly find myself catching my
breath and my chest aches when that
happens... My Doctor says that sometimes
the oxygen inside my body couldn't
circulate will, that is why I suddenly
couldn't breath.
So what I do is that, I just rest myself
for a while and smell a scent of a
Lavender Essential Oil for me to relax.
Hope you find a way to relieve you from
that situation when that happens again.
Take care always and God Bless!!!
|
jennamarie1
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 30 May 2007 Posts: 1 Location: croydon
Posted: 05-30-07 09:30am
the way i can describe how i feel is like
i am trying so hard to yawn just so that i
feel satisfied. it makes my neck feel
stiff and my jaw feel as though its locked
and my eyes water. sometimes il take a
breath and it is such a huge relief when
the air goes down properly, then other
times il take the same kind of breath but
i wont feel satisfied and i know i have to
get that breath in at some point to feel
relieved again. once i get the satisfying
breath in it will be a couple of minutes
before i have to go through the same
performance all over again, and it makes
me feel dizzy and so exhausted, and the
worse thing is everyone looks at you and
thinks your pulling weird faces and that
your always tired and this is very off
putting when you are trying to struggle to
catch breath. Ive been to the doctors for
it and they say anxiety, but im not so
sure, I have it now and this is after
going in the steam room at the spa last
night or I get it if i go swimming, or if
im in a place where im nervous, e.g before
an interview. unfortunately i dont think
there is a cure, just learning to cope
with it the best you can. I find going in
a room on my own and focusing on trying to
get that breath, the brown paper bag
option, take lots off small slow shallow
breaths for around 1 minute and then
trying to get that big breath in at the
end seems to help.
|
figurethisout
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 06 Jun 2007 Posts: 1
Trouble Catching Deep Breath Posted: 06-06-07 21:29pm
I have the problem almost exactly as
described by some in this forum. I
sometimes spend all day and night trying
to catch my breath, many times by yawning.
I have always pictured a yardstick in my
mind with two thermometor-type gauges on
each side. As I take my breath, the gauge
goes up one side but does not have the
strength to catapult over the yard stick.
Only when I have that heavenly deep breath
does it finally do so.
It is a very annoying and scary problem
that leads me to believe occassionally
that I have a heart problem. Many on here
believe it is anxiety; that is something I
have considered but I don't know what to
think. The shortness of breath is
occassionally accompanied by back pain and
even pain in my arms, especially, my left.
It is also easy for me at times to have
that numbness and tingling feeling in my
legs or hands. This only contributes to my
worry that it is a heart or circulation
problem.
Like one person on here put if before, I
twist and turn to relieve the back pain
while taking deep breaths and try to hide
the problem even from people I am closest
to. I am also a smoker but remember this
problem occuring even before I smoked. Has
anyone on here received a diagnosis that
helped their understanding? Does anybody
have all the problems I described? I
certailny hope not but I appreciate the
help and hope everyone feels better.
|
deaddogduke
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 06 Jun 2007 Posts: 1 Location: New York ,New York
Trouble Obtaining a Quality Deep Breath Posted: 06-06-07 22:10pm
I like, suprisingly so many other, too
have trouble obtaining a quality deep
breath. I yawn intensely to get that
final gush of air and now my jaw
continuisly aches. I breath in and out
with feriocity and feel like I can't get
enough oxygen. The more i think about it
the worse it gets.
This problem has been growing over the
past month. But lately the intensity is
increasing.
Called my docter to see if he could see me
on monday; there were no openings untill
friday, so he called me back. He thought
that it might be anxiety. He told me to
go to my club and exercise. Breathing
difficulties engulfed my existance that
night just as they had for days now.
I hope that it is anxiety. My plate is
full; live in Manhattan, have a stressful
high volume sales position, another year
of schooling, 1 Four year old child, and a
pregnant wife due with my second child
during the begining of August.
So if it is anxiety as my doctor and so
many others say: What can be done? Meds,
meditation, shrink?????? My doctor seems
rather unhelpful and I what this issue to
disappear...
|
edupat940
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Posts: 28
Posted: 06-13-07 15:42pm
I used to get that alot. No not so much.
The biggest changes that helped my
breathing were yoga breathing exercises
and to cut way back on the caffeine and
alcohol.
|
shan1
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 20 Jun 2007 Posts: 1 Location: cincinnati
Posted: 06-20-07 15:57pm
wow, I had no idea so many others were
having the same problems. Everytime I
went to the emergancy room the doctors
looked at me like I was nuts. They
diagnosed asthma even though my oxygen was
100%. I started having these issues after
my first pregnancy and then when I got
pregnant again. They have not gone away.
Inhalers do nothing. I'm only better when
I'm having my period. I feel like it's
hormone related.
|
anxious4533
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 11 Jul 2007 Posts: 1 Location: ,
Hard to Breathe Posted: 07-11-07 01:55am
I am so relieved to finally have found
other people with this issue. I am only
twenty years old, and I have the exact
same dilemma! Last year I started getting
really bad panic attacks for a while. I
ended up in the hospital and the doctors
said I was fine but that I had anxiety
disorder. I had never felt anxious before
in my life!!! But anyways, occasionally
now I feel like I am not getting a
satisfying breath. It has been going on
the last few days and I feel like I
absolutely have to yawn to get a
satisfying one in! I sit there trying so
hard, and when I can't yawn I gag and it
sucks. I don't know how to
fix it but it is annoying and sometimes
scary. It causes me to get more anxiety I
think! What a cycle.
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Schizophreniahealth
This page was last updated on June 11, 2008
doing tests and
getting x-rays but nothing could be
confirmed. the doctor prescribed two
inhalers that don't help and referred me
to another doctor. its so annoying! but i
feel sooo much better now that i know I'm
not alone. i was actually worried i had
some foreign disease. now im a little less
concerned. my chest is really sore from
trying so hard. i also noticed some weight
loss, appetite loss, sensitivity [ meaning
i cry really easy ] and irritability. it
sounds so much like anxiety but i have
less going on in my life than usual. last
year i was had much more going on and i
was fine. . . i guess ill just have to
wait and see.
I don't know how to
fix it but it is annoying and sometimes
scary. It causes me to get more anxiety I
think! What a cycle.