HELP Anxiety and shortness of breathe, tight stomach

wantrelief · Post by **wantrelief** » Sat Dec 25, 2010 8:54 am

A few months ago I started feeling short of breath here and there, gained some weight and out of shape. Then it started to get a bit more intense, had to sit for longer periods of time to catch my breath. Anyways, I had a FULL cardiac workout and nothing. then I went to a lung dr and they want to put me thru an asthma test workup. I really don't want to do it as they give you meds to make you feel like you are having an asthma attack. Then if its not asthma, they want to do a cardio-pulmonary stress test. I just went thru a heart one and CT angiogram even, so do I really want to do this? My pyschologist thinks it may be out of shape and anxiety causing it. After working out I don't feel short of breath anymore, however, I get it out of the blue (when I'm stressed out). So I think it's anxiety.

Anyways, do a lot of people with anxiety get labeled asthmatic or develop asthma? just wondering.

Also, lastly, when I try to take a deep breathe in, everything seems tight, my stomach, my lungs, do you think it's just stress tension, holding myself tight and cramped for so long with anxiety. Does breathing exercises relax that tight muscle feeling.
Thank you!

aliengal24 · Post by **aliengal24** » Sat Dec 25, 2010 1:20 pm

wantrelief-

I am going thru the same thing!! I went to a cardiologist and they put me on a heart monitor for a week and they said it was normal so they didn't do any further tests. I felt ok for a little while, and now it's back. I have been getting sudden spells of feeling reaaaallly dizzy and like nothing is real and like I'm going to pass out or something. I get short of breathe before and after this happens. It is scaring me to death and keeps happening. I'm ready to go back to the cardiologist for more tests. I've gotten asthma tests before because they thought I might have asthma. It turns out it isn't asthma though. I don't know what is wrong with me. Maybe it is all just anxiety but it's really hard not to think it's something else. I do know how you feel though. I'm sorry to hear that you're going thru something similar.

Pauly J · Post by **Pauly J** » Sat Dec 25, 2010 2:14 pm

HI there and Merry Christmas to all,

I, too have very similar things going on with myself! I was short of breath and thought i had asthma or heart problems, until i found out it was anxiety! I have learned to deal with it, knowing it is not life threatening! I also like you aliengal have the dizziness thing that really bothers me! Was so concerned with it that i took off from work for almost a couple of months thinking how can i work, drive, or function daily with this dizziness! I have recently learned that it is also a symptom of anxiety and am learning to accept it by breathing excercise, floating with it and compassionate self talk...it helps alot! A question for you aliengal, how do you function with daily routine with dizziness? Do you still drive, work, etc!

aliengal24 · Post by **aliengal24** » Sun Dec 26, 2010 3:50 am

PaulyJ-

I dealt with anxiety before and I had to quit my job and I took some time off. Although it was different symptoms of anxiety...I don't always get the same symptoms. Before it was my stomach..I'd get horrible stomach aches. Now out of nowhere I get dizzy and short of breathe, and it scares me cause I can't find the cause of it. If I knew I was anxious I would tell myself it's just anxiety and try to talk myself thru it, but it just comes on so randomly! And it happens when I'm happy and calm and nothing is bothering me. I do work now, although I don't work a lot. And I do drive. I don't usually drive very long distances though. The dizziness seems to happen when I'm sitting down inside somewhere either talking or eating. It's weird. Did your dizziness come on out of nowhere or could you find a cause for the anxiety??

wantrelief · Post by **wantrelief** » Sun Dec 26, 2010 5:22 am

The weird thing is that when I try to take a DEEP breath in it feels like I'm tight in my stomach, intestines, not just lungs. I have one of those spirometer reading devices for home use and I should blow 465 or so and I blow a 400-440. I just wonder if it's tight muscles or tension that causes this. My therapist thinks it is anxiety. I don't get it from exercise anymore, just out of the blue. I just don't want to be on asthma meds if this really truly isn't asthma. Because the doc said, once on, on for life. What? ugh.

Molly77 · Post by **Molly77** » Sun Dec 26, 2010 8:01 am

I too hold my breath and get very tight everywhere else. Stomach, etc. Sometimes it seems to come out of the blue for me too...but I really believe it is that my body has been so used to being in this state all the time, that just with the thinking, one needs to be patient for the body to adjust to the "new" programming as well. On the tapes it does say that the relaxation won't happen overnight and it will take a while before the body learns to relax with the mind. Atleast that is how I interpreted it. I find that we have a difficult time trusting and most times the professionals are good at what they do. I also have had some medical things happen to me this year and would freak out about it coming back to the point I wracked up thousands of dollars in ER visits that said the same thing...I was fine and would be ok. The anxiety was making my body hurt in every possible way...still does in some places and it moves around..and my thinking helps me stay tense when I am in the negative.
When I find the tension and short breath comes on out of nowhere...I practice positive thinking and practice breathing slowly and lo and behold, if I focus on both..I find the shortness of breath lessens. If you are exercising and your breathing is fine, that to me, says anxiety. If it was something bad I would think exercising would make breathing worse. I however, am NOT a doctor.

Pauly J · Post by **Pauly J** » Sun Dec 26, 2010 11:51 am

Hi Aliengal, My dizziness came out of nowhere one day after having anxiety symptoms! It was a new symptom that i had never experienced before! I, too have been getting all types of new symptoms that was never before dealing with! It seems to have gone from the rapid heartbeats, to the shortness of breath, to brainfog, to temporary fears of agoraphobia, etc! The dizziness one really got me worried, thinking it was something serious! I have heard from many suffers that this is a very common symptom of anxiety! Also the doctors did the tests with MRI, EKG, etc, etc, and of course nothing was wrong! I have accepted it as being an anxiety symptom and have learned to float with it and not give it any power by focusing on it! If i tend to give it thought, i tend to feel it! If i dont think about it, it seems very minimal and i can function with daily routines! I notice my symptoms would happen at the most oddest times, when i am enjoying myself and feeling really good and then, BAM, anxiety strikes! I really hate that! So you are definitely not alone with this, just know that you are safe and that it will not hurt you!

"Nothing has meaning, but the meaning you give it!"

Paisleegreen · Post by **Paisleegreen** » Sun Dec 26, 2010 1:23 pm

Hi--my anxiety brings on tightness in my gut to the point that I wonder if my clothes are too tight and I will check to see if they, but they are fairly loose. Now I can tell that I'm tense and when I even think it or know it, I can talk to myself and tell myself to relax. I then can fell the muscles relaxing. So that makes me feel better.

I tell myself to breathe as well because I realize I'm sort of holding my breath. So I loosen my jawline or jaw muscles by just thinking that I need to take a breath or relax.
So you not alone in these symptoms. I am noticing the "brain fog", this is very frustrating.

I've weaned down since last night to 15 mgs of Remeron at night, I'm not sure if part of my problems during the night was due to a busy Christmas Day, which was mental and physical than usual, of course. Although it was very rewarding.

But did wake a few times during the morning hours with "scared" feelings and then I was able to go back to sleep to be woken up again with the "scared" feelings. So I'm contributing that to the lower dosage of Remeron, by just a few mgs, to just a very fun and exciting Christmas Day.

My fear tomorrow or sort of tonight is that I need to be at the Dr's by noon for an eye exam. It is across town and I haven't seen him for a few years, it seems. I just never saw him before with anxiety issues. So this is a new test for moving forward with anxiety issues, ugh. I'm hoping that I'll get a good exam.

wantrelief · Post by **wantrelief** » Wed Dec 29, 2010 2:25 pm

thank you for the comments Molly and Pasileegreen. I do think it's stress.

Just to rule everything out, they wanted to give me an asthma test and I read what was involved in a methal choline test and I just got more and more anxious. People's comments on it were frightening. Do you know what they do? they give you medicine to give you an asthma attack and if at first they don't succeed they try FIVE more times, your chest gets tighter, your breathing is harder, etc.

Then after they have you barely breathing after each toke of the meds, they stop and test your breathe. Then at the end, they give you medicine to take it away, which causes heart palpitations and nervous jitters and according to the tests they need to do it in a place where they can revive you if something happens. Seriously, are they nuts? Maybe the average person can handle it but to feel like I'm being forced into something that they think may or may not result in anything, I said no. Honestly the anxiety of it all was too much...I would probably hyperventilate at the test and it would show I have asthma even if I didn't.

I'll just give it more time, try to relax and see my regular doctor if nothing else. I've read if you are even a little overweight that your lung capacity can be decreased. Guess it's time for a DIET. I just need to give it time. Wouldn't that test scare you too? Thanks for all the advice and comments. I appreciate your words.