Horrible suffocating feeling

[anniethepooh]

Hi I'm Annie and I'm 41.I'm having the scariest time of my life at the moment.Although I have had anxiety on and off for 13 years I thought symptoms could get no worse,but 18 months ago I had the strangest feeling that one lung wasn't working properly,during the last 3 or 4 weeks the feeling is with me all day, because it's affecting every breath I take I can't seem to get rid of it.I went to hospital last week for an x ray, blood tests and a trace was put on my heart but all came back fine.Now I think maybe it's my throat and just felt like my lung and the hospital may have missed something.I am having a bad time at the moment,marriage in trouble, and my baby nephew died a year ago and my sister is due to give birth again any day now.I like to try alternative things to help me, but a couple of friends think I should be on an anti anxiety drug.This goes against all my "Hippy ways"But the terror I feel at this feeling of suffocation may force me to take a tablet.Has anyone words of comfort to offer me?I eat healthily(although I've felt a bit sicky of late cos of the fear and maybe don't eat enough)I gave up smoking 2 years ago and I try to get out for a ride on my pushbike even if it's just for 5 minutes most days.But with this almost constant fear of suffocating I feel things spiraling out of control.I fear there is no help for me I've been to the docs more times in last 4 weekd than ever before,I think they're getting bored with me!

a cheetham

[Meg]

Hi Annie

Breathing is often very near the top of anxiety worries ..

Do you know why you thought the lung wasn't working ??Trigger ?

Did you see the Xray - would that help to see it inflated ?

Can you now feel it expanding as you breath . Lying on each side helps or on your back with fingers just touching over abdomen and feel/see them part as you breathe in .

You are having stressful time so its normal and appropriate to feel more anxious than usual .

First Steps to overcoming Panic and Anxiety (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=942)






Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?

[alexis]

Hi Annie, first of all welcome to the site, if you have a look around and at previous posts you will find you are not alone.
i am not surprised you dont feel so good with things going on in your life.
i sometimes feel as if my lungs are not inflating fully and a useful piece of advise given to me was to take a deep slow breath and sigh it out loud, was good for me, I also have throat issues.
How about rescue remedy have you tried that if you dont want to take medication.
Anyway you will soon get lots of useful answers, take care, there is also a chat room where people go after 7.30 it is handy for discussing things, love Alexis,x

[pinkscrumpy]

Hi Annie

Welcome to the site. I know a lot of people on here have issues very similar to yours. I hope they can help put your mind at ease



MANDIE XX

[EmmaJane]

Hi Annie,

Welcome to the site, have a look round the site, Im sure you will find some help here and also PM people if you want a chat

Take care

Feel free to PM me, if you want to talk.

Emma xx

Keep focused, keep positive.

[Robert1988]

Hello Annie,

Welcome to the site. I hope you find all the answers that you are looking for and I hope you get better soon :D

Rob

[anniethepooh]

Thankyou just for all being there at the moment,this anxiety is a scary place to be, it's good to know there are others who know how I feel.
Thanks Annie

a cheetham

[anniethepooh]

<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">Hi Annie

Breathing is often very near the top of anxiety worries ..

Do you know why you thought the lung wasn't working ??Trigger ?

Did you see the Xray - would that help to see it inflated ?

Can you now feel it expanding as you breath . Lying on each side helps or on your back with fingers just touching over abdomen and feel/see them part as you breathe in .
Not sure if I'm replying to this properly,this is all a bit high tech and grown up for me!
Not sure why my lung is bad ,there was no trigger,that's why it is so hard
to understand it.I didn't see the x ray, maybe I should have.

You are having stressful time so its normal and appropriate to feel more anxious than usual .

First Steps to overcoming Panic and Anxiety (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=942)






Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?




<div align="right">Originally posted by Meg - 01 August 2005 : 21:56:37</div id="right">
</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">

a cheetham

[Cinders4]

Anxiety is a very suffocating and restricting condition, so it is no accident that your body has chosen to identify your anxiety to you in this way.

Some people with a lot of emotional issues (heartache) will have their anxiety demonstrated by symptons of the heart.

We are complex arent we, but the feelings you talk of are a common sympton with anxiety and depression and so Im sure you can be safe in the knowledge that this will pass and is not a major medical problem.

Its almost like a feeling of claustraphobia in your own body isnt it!!!!!

lots of us will know how you feel, this site is great for confirming you are not on your own!!!!

pm me if you want to at anytime xx

[nomorepanic]

Welcome aboard to you Annie!

Nicola

"Nearly all happiness comes into our lives through doors we don't even remember leaving open"

[henri]

hey annie,
well one thing's for sure, you are not alone in this!
have a good look around the forum, there are lots of threads discussing the symptoms you describe.
i have a breathing issue as well, sometimes i feel my lungs are closing down and are about to stop functioning. sometimes i resort to drugs but when i'm feeling stronger i just try to distract myself to stop myself from thinking about it, until it passes.
hope to see you around the forum soon,
henri

[sal]

Hi Annie

Welcome and i hope we can really help you through this.

Love Sal xx


Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.


"Life is a distance and to travel that distance you were given the strength and guidance to do so".

[eeyorelover]

hi Annie-
I had been having panic for years before I felt like I couldn't get a good deep breath. I went to the doc and had all the tests- nothing came of any of it. Everything said I was fine but I just couldn't get rid of this stuck in my throat - hard to breathe thing. Then I came here and realized that many people who have panic have the same thing. The way I proved it to myself that it was panic was I stayed busy doing something ( I scrubbed all the floors in the house) and completely forgot about it and it went away. I still get the feeling every once in a while but it's not so bad cause now I know that nothing horrible is going to happen from it.
Hope it helps to know someone else has the same problem.
And by the way - welcome :)

[michelleann]

hi annie
a big warm welcome to the forum:D
your not alone on this one i dare say most of us here have had issues with breathing and the feeling of suffacation i know i have, have a read through some of the posts and read the advice page.
hope this helps[8D]
michelle xxx

[Piglet]

Hi Annie and welcome.

The breathing one is such a common one through all us anxiety lot.

I hate getting out of breath it always leaves me feeling panicky.

I got a few good books about breathing off amazon that may help you.

Hyperventilation Syndrome - Dinah Bradly

Concious Breathing - Gay Hendricks

Ways to better breathing - Carola Speads

Have a look at some of the reviews on Amazon.

Feel sure if you could sort the breathing out a lot of the other symptoms would fall into place so to speak.

The one practical single thing that helps me everytime (if I can only but remember to practice it mid panic) is breathing slowly and into my tummy.

Love Piglet:D

[littleroseofsharon]

Hello, My name is Maria I just read your message, and I have the suffacating problem with my Panic attacks. I have agoraphobia and been mostly housebound the whole time. I know feeling like you cant breath will scare the crap out of you. With my panic attacks that is the most scarey one for me. The way I deal with it is to sing, because I know if I can sing I can breath. I have felt so alone most of the time, but you just have to remember to stay strong. If there is little support I will try to help you the best I can. I hope this message may let you know that your not alone. I wish you all the best, and hope to hear back from you soon. Maria

[littleroseofsharon]

Hello, I wanted to also talk to you about you not being sure about med. I have been this way for most of my life and never took meds. Everyone is different I just figured I got myself this way somehow so there is a way to get back without meds. That is only my opinion. You just need some support, and keep hope that it will get beter. If I can help out anyway I will. Its a long journey to complete success, but it is there. The way to starting to get beter is to change your thoughts. Its easier said than done. People always tell me its all in my head Yea true to an extent, the physcial is real. I used to be so dependant on my mother she couldnt go anywhere. I have got beter but still dont go far. You have to keep working on it. The reason I say you can get beter without meds. is because there is no cure for this it within ourselfs. We do have the strength, we just have to find it. Maria