Always struggling for air Posted: 08-11-08 16:09pm
I spend most of my day every day trying to
get a deep breath and it's becoming
exhausting. I've had to quit working out
and my job (I'm a personal trainer). It
takes all my energy just trying to catch
that deep breath, but even when I do it's
not a minute or 2 before I need to do it
again. Bloodwork came back normal,
echocardiagram also normal. Spirometry
test during a breathing attack revealed I
was only expelling 20% of the air from my
lungs that I should be so I was prescribed
inhalers. They only exacerbated the
problem. They seem to freeze up my
breathing muscles. It doesn't feel like
my lungs are the problem, it feels like my
diaphragm or other involuntary breathing
muscles are the culprits. Taking klonopin
helps, but I can't exercise on it.
Anything that increases my heartrate
throws me into a breathing attack where my
muscles freeze up. I've had this problem
on a small scale most of my life, but it
has gotten inifintely worse since I moved
to Houston 2 years ago. I should mention
that I've been to the emergency room 3
times and each time they tell me my oxygen
saturation is 100% and send me home. Can
somebody please point me in a direction
for help? I know it's not anxiety, though
it is aggravated by anxiety, but this
happens when I'm sound asleep not
dreaming. I will wake up having to take a
deep breath and sometimes can only get one
in certain weird positions. Please help.
If there is a doctor out there your advice
is invaluable to me!
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kfkohio
Moderator
Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 176 Location: Columbus, OH USA
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Posted: 11-11-08 13:29pm
Have you been able to get any answers to
this yet? There can be so many different
causes, such as Asthma, Emphysemia,
Allergies, Panic Attacks. Breathing
difficulty, whether sudden or long term,
should always be taken seriously. Though
many causes are harmless and are easily
corrected, any difficulty breathing
requires a thorough medical evaluation.
No, I haven't gotten any answers yet.
Since my posting I've been to 3 different
doctors and none of them can figure out
what's wrong. I think my next stop will
be a neurologist as I'm starting to
suspect a neurological muscle disorder,
since it feels like my breathing muscles
are locking up.
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kfkohio
Moderator
Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 176 Location: Columbus, OH USA
Thanks: 5
Thanked:0
Posted: 11-12-08 14:54pm
Well let us know how it turns out with the
neurologist!