I can't breathe :(

[CrossingTheWater]

I'm in hell right now! I've been constantly breath for over 3 days. This has been happening for years and it usually has a pattern:

No sign of breathing problems for a few months (even if I am anxious)

Breathing starts getting worse...occasionally feeling as though I need to take a deep breath. It gets worse over a period of a few weeks and then peaks for about a week before getting better again. (this doesn't seem to be affected by how anxious I am).

When I say 'out of breath, I mean really out of breath. It feels like my lungs have decided to close up and it hardly makes a difference if I take a deep breath..the air just doesn't seem to go in! My chest feels tight like it's a big knot. You know how people say 'walking through treacle'? Well this is like breathing through treacle. If you breathe out for ages and then hold your breath that's what it feels like all of the time. Like my chest is going to explode.

I've been to the doctors to see about asthma. In fact. I've been three times. One doctor thought I might have asthma, but only mild, the other one said I didn't have asthma and the last one said I didn't have asthma. They gave me an inhaler, but I didn't notice any difference. So it looks like it's not asthma, but I do get out of breath when I exercise.

I thought it could be an allergy, but surely it would be there all of the time?

It can't be a panic attack because it's just one symptom.

I think it's been getting more severe over the last few years. I'm terrified in case it keeps getting worse and worse until I can't breathe at all and I die.

It could be an undiangnosed heart problem...I am only 16 though!

It gets a bit less acute when I distract myself, but it hasn't gone away. When I'm asleep I keep waking up to take a deep breath...surely that wouldn't happen if it was anxiety?

Any suggestions? What can I do? I'm desperate! I'll never ever take breathing for granted. It's been more than 3 DAYS! I feel like I'm completely under this thing's control and it could cut off my oxygen supply at any moment. I feel helpless. I can't control this, doctors can't control this, medicine can't control this...I'm going to die. *cries*

Please help.

[xxlisaxx08]

I think you have to try and accept that is not anything physically wrong with you, which is really hard to do but I don't think 3 doctors would get the diagnosis wrong. Did they mention it was anxiety at all?

The more you think about something and focus on it the worse it will be, as you've said it seems to reduce a bit when you distract yourself (which is what happens with anxiety, as your brain can't be distracted and anxious at the same time)

I think trying relaxation would help you a lot as you learn how to control your breathing eventually.

Lisa x

[mila]

Hi,
i get feelings myself where i feel i can't open my chest, other times it feels as if i am trying to breathe in a room where there is no oxygen, or no air at all.Or like there is huge resistance when i am trying to breathe and i have to work it. Does this sound anything like what u feel? I fear so much i won't be able to breathe, and i visit doctors many times when i feel like this but they always say nothing's wrong with me.

[amandaj]

hi i feel like this 24 hours a day its horrible but it is just anxiety apparently ,mila what you are explaining is me take care both of youxx

[Mikke]

You are hyperventilating!

You can read an interesting article on the subject here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperventilation_syndrome

As you hyperventilate, the chemical balanse in your blood gets altered, so you think you need more oxygen while you are actually having to much of it, and this feels just like choking.
It is not at all dangerous, but you need to control your breathing to make it stop. Some people like to breath into a paperbag for about 1-2 minutes until the chemical imbalance in their blood gets adjusted, but doctors don't recommend this as you could easily inhale to much carbon dioxide. Personally I'm more comfortable with proper breathing teqnique. I sit down, lean slightly backwards towards something, and hold one hand on my chest and the other on my stomach. Now I'm beeing careull that only my stomach should move as I breath slowly, taking deep and not shallow breaths. This is tricky, as you need to ignore the urge to start breathing shallow again.

I have it the exact same way. I gasp for air for days, so that my blood gets used to having large amounts of oxygen. But this only makes things worse. You have to use willpower and avoid gasping for air.

[heath]

Hi There

I also have had this feeling and it was when I was first found out I was suffering with Anxiety the feeling was that intense that my doctor put me on an inhailer to help me get my breath. I also remember having to sit down all the time because even walking up the stairs and i was totally out of breath and just couldnt breath. These are classic symtoms of anxiety I didnt belive anyone who told me this because it is so very real. I even had second opinions from doctors but the physical symtoms are just as bad as the mental ones. Hope this helps you.

[CrossingTheWater]

Thanks for the replies.

I just find it hard to believe that anxiety can do this. It's been really severe and has lasted forever! Anyway, it's only a bit better now and I hope it goes away soon.

How long do you think this will last? Sometimes it makes things worse when I do breathing exercises because I'm concentrating on it. What if it never goes away? I'm so scared that I'll be stuck like this for months or years.

[Mikke]

Anxiety can do that to you, unfortunately.
I've been so dizzy I couldn't walk for weeks from anxiety and somatizising. Have had headaches so painfull I couldn't have the lights turned on. for days from anxiety.

I was gasping for air for weeks too. When I realized hyperventilation is a very common symptom of anxiety and talked to my psychologist believing I had some sort of asthma, he told me all about how common this is.
In fact, hyperventilation is a trigger for most of the other anxiety symptoms, as the rest of your body activates as the lungs start inhaling more oxygen than it needs. Your muscles begin to twitch, you heartrate elevates, you start to sweat etc etc. It all starts with hyperventilation quite often.

It will be like this until the moment you actually believe there isn't anything wrong with your lungs or other parts of your body.
You must either control the symptom (your breathing) or the cause (stressors in your life that makes you hyperventilate).
Also remember that hyperventilation is not at all dangerous, so there is no need to panic if you can't control your breathing everytime or every day.