Stress Center Peer Support

I feel like I am starved of air for quite a large part of the day. I went to the ER for this last year because it would not go away and everything checked out ok. I went to the cardiologist some months later and everything went ok there too. I went back to the doctor a couple of weeks ago and and did alot of blood work and everyhting came back fine (except for a high lever enzymes that after some other test they determined it is a fatty liver). He decided to switch me from paxil to lexapro and I have now been on 10mg of lexapro for a week. I am still feeling oxygen starved and I try to take deep breathes constantly. My doctor also gave me Librax to take twice daily but the more I look into it I find out that it is for IBS which I do not have. I did the worst thing that I could have done and I googled breathless, shortness of breath and WOW! What a mistake that was.....I went into an instant panic attack! Now I think that I have a low oxygen level and I even made it to CVS to see if the have an oximeter to check my blood oxygen level......I need some advice, feedback, similar situations, or anything to make me feel better. I am going to go back to my doctor to see if he can prescribe klonpin becaue I have heard great things about helping with the constant severe anxiety. I would like to know what you guys think.

Can anyone relate to this?

Sorry this is so long! Hello, this comes and goes for me. Sometimes after I take my medications I feel the shortness of breath for about an hour. Shortness of breath affects my husband constantly; it is severe for him. It can be a sensation of suffocation as if someone is sitting on the chest also manifesting as general shortness of breath. It sounds as though you are very concerned about your health; these anxious and possibly obsessive thoughts, what if thinking, possible hypochondriasis would in and of themselves cause your uncomfortable physical symptoms of shortness of breath. In addition I am guessing you have other stressors in your life, which even if not in the front of your mind, your consciousness can make you short of breath. My husband is in law enforcement and I know that the stress of his work and the contricting body armor does not help. We hold our breath when stressed. It sounds like you are doing this. But, you are on the right track by checking for medical conditions that would explain it. Since these are not the culprit, your mind is the culprit. Therefore, it must be related to thoughts and emotions. In yoga, which I practice extensively, the theory is that the breath directly reflects the mental state. Another tenet of yoga is that your mind it not what defines you; you can be the master of your mind; there is a level above it, you can mind your mind so to speak. Do you have the program? If so, use the relaxation DVD. You are on the right track by continuing to notice your shortness of breath. Pay attention to your body as well. Are your shoulders and neck tense? Relax them. Noticing is the first step! All I can tell you is what has worked for me, or at least alleviated and dimished my shortness of breath. Before going to bed, I put on a quiet relaxing music or the relaxation DVD and consciously slow the breathing so that it bcomes more rhythmic and deep. I like Lorena Mckinnet, Deva Premal, Sheila Chandra, and of course the practice of yoga, which is not for everyone, but it has slowly over time diminished the shortness of breath and suffocation symptoms. Try some of these with the idea of noticing your breath and consciously relaxing it. Here is a yoga link with some very short guided meditations

Whoops! I forgot the links:

kundalini yoga breath techniques
<A HREF="http://www.yogijim.com/free-yoga-classes.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.yogijim.com/free-yoga-classes.html</A>

to calm and slow your breathing
<A HREF="http://www.chinese-holistic-health-exer ... iques.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.chinese-holistic-health-exer ... es.html</A>

tension and relaxation
<A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_relaxation" TARGET=_blank>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_relaxation</A>

"belly" breathing, taking constrictive pressure off the chest, used by singers, the way a baby breathes:
<A HREF="http://altmedicine.about.com/od/optimum ... athing.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://altmedicine.about.com/od/optimum ... ing.htm</A>


Don't forget your posture! If you are slouched then your rib cage cannot fully expand
And your clothing. Are your clothes comfortable and non-constricting?

Hi,
I used to suffer with this problem and still do at times of stress, i just know how to better control it now. It first happened to me stuck in the middle of the ocean on a cruise ship, i thought i was going to die....I like you went to the docs, but nothing was found. I noticed that i would continually try and take a deep breath and it would stop half way, or i would yawn and that would be my way to complete my breath. The funny thing is, that if i was busy with something, i forgot my breathing. I now talk to myself positively when i feel it happening and try and downplay it. Whenever, i am in a stressful situation i notice my breathing pattern changes. They would have checked your oxygen level on one if not all of your doc visits. I think it is all related to your anxiety.Here is a link to get some info <A HREF="http://www.thrivingnow.com/for/Health/a ... breathing/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.thrivingnow.com/for/Health/a ... athing/</A> anhttp://www.breathing.com/articles/anxiety.htmd this one. Hope this helps a little. Good luck.

Thanks so much for the links and your words of encouragement. This community is a great place to find out that we are no alone with this problem. I do have the program and I am getting ready to start it tomorrow. I plan on following and implementing eveyrthing I read tothe "T". Once I again thank you so much for your help.

Last night I got absolutely no sleep. I felt as if I was going to stop breathing and I had a really bad discomfort in my chest. Like I said before I am taking 10mg of Lexapro and I am going to call my doctor to see if I add klonopin to this today. I need a quick fix for now becasue I can not take anymore. I go all day like I am starving for air!

Mike,
My anxiety is all around breathing. You sound like me and it is all anxiety. We focus on our body all the time and we focus on getting air. If you have been checked by doctors and your oxygen levels were fine then it could be IBS. I have IBS and if my stomach is distended I feel short of breath. I have started to tell myself, what is the worst that could happen? If I don't get enough air I will just pass out. I have never passed out and frankly if I passed out or died I would no longer feel short of breath. I know that sounds strange, but between my IBS and my anxiety I know I have talked myself into believing I can't get enough air. I am on the program for two weeks and I will overcome this issue and all my panic, anxiety. I only have anxiety over feeling like I can't breath, might die, or because I have had panic attacks I don't want to feel that way again so I worry about getting panic attacks!! Jeeze! Mike, if your doctors say all is well it probably is.