Have to take deep breathes all the time? Physiological or anxiety?

[tan235]

Hi All,
So I go through periods of hyperventilation.
I've been free of it for about 3 months and now out of nowhere I have it again.
How do I know if it's because of a tumour or something else?
It feels like I have no choice, I get this weird heavy feeling and I need to sigh or take a deep breath, sometimes I actually can't take a deep breath and that's a downward spiral until I can.
I really don't like it - the Dr will just say anxiety which baffles me even more, that's the annoying things of having a history with anxiety is no one believes you anymore.
Do you guys feel this way when the hyperventilation thing happens, it's almost like someone squashes your lungs.

Thanks Guys!

[swajj]

You have given an exact description of how it affects me. Just remember if it was something other than anxiety it wouldn't have gone away for 3 months. Try taking a brisk walk. If you can manage that then you will know you are fine. If there was something wrong with your heart etc you wouldn't be able to manage that. My doctor suggested the walk to me when I had HA. btw if you get a bit breathless from the walk that is normal. I usually found that yawning would help me get a deep breath. The more you try to control your breathing the longer it will be before you breathe naturally.

[tan235]

Thank you - the other thing I noticed is that if I'm distracted, I don't notice it.
I just wonder why it's coming back!
I guess I have been worried I"ve got a brain-eating amoeba for the past 2 weeks due to using tap water in a neti pot so maybe that's why ;)
It just feels so physiological rather than anxiety.

[swajj]

Don't all anxiety induced symptoms seem physiological? That's the reason we always say to ourselves "there is no way this can be anxiety". You have the answer "distraction". But how are you going to distract yourself from that little voice that you aren't getting enough air? Or the need to constantly check that you are getting enough air? That's the problem and if one day someone discovers the answer then I guess we'll have a cure for HA lol.

[tan235]

You and me both, I've had this for so long - at least 20 years, and every year I say, 'that's it, no more, I need to trust in my fate!' yet here I am ... googling lung cancer, tumour in lungs....
I'm an intelligent woman, seriously why does my brain not just find logic and reason instead of doom and gloom.

[swajj]

"how are you going to distract yourself from that little voice that says you aren't getting enough air"

Do the walk. If you aren't huffing and puffing, turning purple and collapsed on the ground you can take that as proof that you are breathing normally. Then remind yourself that you have tested yourself and passed the breathing test. Eventually you will have enough peace of mind that you will stop focusing on your breathing.

---------- Post added at 11:43 ---------- Previous post was at 11:37 ----------

Because you are scared of dying. That's what my psychiatrist said is the root cause of HA. He told me to go and ask elderly people if they were scared of dying and they would all say no. Evidently you reach a stage in your life when you just accept you are going to die. I considered asking my close to 80 year old neighbour if she was scared of dying but it just seemed wrong. lol

[tan235]

YEs this is true, my neighbour is 90 and he said he's ready, he said if he could choose to stay he would but knows it's the way of the world and he's just accepted it.
That scares the living day-light out of me actually.

[swajj]

[I][B]The following is long but worthwhile reading. The author was a retired neorogist who contributed here for a while. He is my "go to' source whenever I need a reminder that real disease is remarkably different to "health anxiety" disease. I think he has passed away as he was very old. You should read it because it might help you.



(The sensation of shortness of breath is actually the consequence of both shallow breathing habits and muscular tension of the diaphragmatic muscles which are responsible for achieving inspiration, together with mild disturbances of autonomic processes responsible for the natural pace and rhythm of respiration, heart rate etc. Many persons suffering such symptoms also attempt to instrument voluntary control over their respiration by constantly trying to achieve an inspirational breath, which is the over-extension of the lungs which produces a calming affect similar to yawning in some regards. Shallow breathing also produces mild disturbances in blood gas equilibrium and causes too much CO2 to be retained, often producing a panting or grunting effect as increased respiration is engaged to blow off excessive CO2 necessary to restore the balance. It's important to realize that actual dyspnea, or shortness of breath, produces rather dramatic pallor to the skin, cyanosis in serious cases and is accompanied by physical weakness and fatigue of a nature requiring prompt intervention. I can assure you that once you've actually observed an individual in true respiratory distress, you'll immediately draw the distinction between their symptoms and your own)

---------- Post added at 11:56 ---------- Previous post was at 11:55 ----------

neurologist

---------- Post added at 11:59 ---------- Previous post was at 11:56 ----------

Scares me too lol

[tan235]

Wonderful, what a pity he isn't around anymore.
We all need a neurologist to chat too - I'd love to have a friend as a neurologist ha ha poor friend.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me - you've made me feel so much better and no deep breathing now for at least 15 minutes ....

No wait ... just the thought and yep a yawn.
;)

Thank you x

[swajj]

lol you're welcome.

One of my best friends is married to a doctor. But I never cross that line. I think deep down inside we want to be seen by our significant others as completely sane because we know we are.

[Deckard]

I've been having that shortness of breath feeling for a months now. But it's not constant, when I forget about it (being distracted, like talking to someone) I don't notice it. Of course, I couldn't resist Googling, and we all know what that leads to.

Logic dictates, as others have said, that if the condition is not noticed when distracted, there shouldn't be a physiological problem present. The post by swajj reassured me quite a bit though.

Recently I found something to successfully distract me, while at the same time proving to myself that my lungs function properly: singing. Especially singing along to fast paced songs (like REM - It's the End of the World, or Red Hot Chili Peppers - Can't Stop). I tell myself, that if I can keep up with those songs without turning blue, I'm fine.