air hunger/chest feels heavy/throat feels tight/tongue feels swollen :/

[eastofeden]

i feel like i can't get enough air!
every position i sit or lie in is really uncomfortable and i feel like im being suffocated or my throat is closing up but it's not at least i don't think so.
I've had this for about 3 days and it's freaking me out.
it feels like there's a weight on my chest.
i was really worried i could have a clot in my lung but there's no pain and
my pulse and stuff is normal.
i know these are very typical symptoms of anxiety but this is the first time I've felt them in years of anxiety.
my mind keeps telling me 'run to a&e, go to the dr asap' but i was there about 3 days ago and everything was fine.
should i just wait it out?
im not gasping for air but im yawning all the time and it feels like my ribs are concrete like i can't move them up and down or something and it feels like a hand is around my throat.

[Fishmanpa]

From the Symptoms Link on the page:

Breathing/Shortness of breath

The hyperventilation as above plus your bronchial tubes dilate thus requiring more air than usual to fill the lungs so feels that it's taking more effort to breathe - it is , you're taking in more air at each breath.

What you feel:

You feel that your breathing is forced and laboured. You become conscious of how you are breathing and you have a hard time catching your breath. It seems like you have to force yourself to breathe, in fear that if you don't, you'll stop breathing and die. Or, for no apparent reason, you feel out of breath and find yourself doing an unusual amount of yawning in an attempt to catch your breath.

What causes this:

When stress biology changes the body, it quickens the breathing and respiration so that the individual is ready for immediate action. Unfortunately, this also means that the breathing becomes shallow in nature (unless we are physically exerting the body such as running, fighting, swimming, etc.) which results in the body not getting enough oxygen. That's why we feel out of breath. This is a natural occurring biological outcome resulting from stress biology.

Sometimes this symptom will be persistent from day to day, and other times it may appear for awhile, then disappear. Both are common. Once the nervous system calms down, you breathing will return to normal.
Also, because breathing is an automatic bodily function, you'll never have to worry about not breathing. Your body does it automatically. It may be shallow, but you'll always get enough oxygen.

Regular exercise helps to maintain regular breathing patterns.
As with all symptoms, when the nervous system gets sufficient rest, this symptom will diminish and eventually subside.