Tight painful chest and short of breath

[xJust_Sarahx]

Hi
As i said ages ago i had to do a peak flow reading thing for a week and monitor it and then go back to the docs, although my peak flow reading was only at best around 350 the doctor said he can rule out asthma as the readings were fine. He listened to my chest and heart and said was fine, also my bloods came back fine and chest results came back fine and clear.

so he said hes putting it down to stress, he said there shown to be nothing physical wrong with me.

Thing is i really dont believe him, i just struggle to breathe every single day and its all day, and also i feel like i cant swallow properly, sometimes i go to swallow and it doesnt happen and feels awful and then sometimes i feel i have ot swallow over and over again, and my throat always feels tight lumpy and sore.

I get breatheless far to easy and feelin constant short of breathe is surely not normal.

so now my test is realllllly tight, it feels like i am trying to breathe with someone sittin on it, and it really hurts, im trying to get on with preparing stuff for sundays dinner but im really finding it hard cos i feel really short of breath and keep having to take deep breaths in.

How am i meant to just ignore this and not panic? is so hard and im scared, how can i not feel that something bad is happeneing to me?
Im at my wits end,

am i meant to just carry on with preparing for the dinner and continue struggling on and that but what if it makes me worse and never calms down?

:( x

[chanebehanan]

i know its hard, but you really need to just trust your doctor. remember, they are the one with the med degrees!

[potato11]

Hi Sarah

:hugs:

I remember when breathing was a big issue for me. In fact it was one of the main symptoms. I'll tell you some useful things I learnt:

1) yawns and deep breaths do not solve the problem. however, we get the urge to do them when we over-breathe, due the brain being confused.

this is because, despite taking in a lot of oxygen (through hyperventilation), respiration actually requires two key components - oxygen (duh) and carbon dioxide.

everyone thinks carbon dioxide is the bad guy, but actually in order for a red blood cell to deliver oxygen to a bodypart, it needs to react with carbon dioxide to exchange/release the oxygen from the cell.

so.... when we have too much oxygen (from hyperventilating) we have an imbalance of o2/co2. So despite breathing in MORE oxygen, we're actually not benefitting from this, because we can only take oxygen when we have enough co2 to make a deal with the red blood cells to 'let go' of their oxygen, but overbreathing reduces the amount of co2 in the body.

Meanwhile, your brain is registering signals from the body that the oxygen supply is reduced. So, it makes you feel like you need to breathe MORE.

This is useful in real fight or flight fight or flight because when we are using muscles etc, we are creating an equal output of co2 from the energy metabolism used. However, when we're just cooking the tea, we are not creating an equal surge in co2 when we activate the fight or flight mechanism through panic, so we end up with an imbalance.

the less co2 in the blood, the more 'alkaline' it becomes, which leads to 'vasoconstriction' - meaning narrowing of the blood vessels. this is NOT LIFETHREATENING however its a pain in the bum- because your brain, lips, fingers etc temporarily get less blood flow, in addition to the blood flow already being diverted to the muscles because it has been ordered to by the fight-flight mechanism in preparation for 'running'.

Fight/flight also dilates the bronchioles (air sacs) in the lungs, allowing them to take in more oxygen, which just adds to the 'strange feeling' when you dont need to run anywhere

So.. yes it feels uncomfortable but you just need to gradually learn to accept this is what is going on.

When you feeling like taking big breaths... take a long breath OUT. I bet you this will help relax the muscles around your lungs/stomach and make your next breath more 'satisfying'. Make sure you consciously relax your stomach as well.

Pursed lips breathing is also recommended for shortness of breath - purse your lips whilst breathing in and out, as if blowing out a candle. Not 100% certain how it works but it helped me.

I hope the above helps. Explanations help lessen your fear of sensations, and when you stop fearing them - you stop the unhelpful behaviours that make the symptoms worse, including triggering the fight/flight response that starts all these changes!

It will still take TIME for you to trust that this is what is happening. Just gently remind yourself when you are frightened that this is scary but just a result of stress biology. the symptoms ARE real, but its a benign cause.

I really recommend the links in my signature also :)

Feel free to message me anytime!

[Melon1]

I often suffer from a tight chest and feeling of shortness of breath. It is usually when I am anxious. I find the best thing is go for a brisk walk by yourself, take some deep breaths and breathe out for slightly longer. Try to enjoy your surroundings and try not to think anxious thoughts. It certainly works for me short term until my HA thoughts come creeping back...

Try to trust your doc. I struggle to so I know how hard that is! Exercise works wonders for my anxiety.

Hope you feel better soon X