unexplained breathlessness

[jellybean321]

Hi.im looking for some help as getting no where with doctors. I have had episodes of breathlessness since I was pregnant with my now 5 year old son. Since last august it has become worse. I get episodes where I cant catch my breath. I feel like I cant fill my lungs. Some times it lasts afew minutes and sometimes hours. I have had various blood tests, been tested for airborne allergies with no positive results,been given inhalers but told tgey dont think it is asthma as oxygen levels good and chest fine,im.on antihistamines and montukast which helps abit. They are trying to say its anxiety but its not! I react to fizzy drinks,alcohol and chocolate for definite but just cant pinpoint it. I did have labyrinthitus earlier last year and when.im struggling with my breathing it can make me lose my balance abit. Any ideas please?!

Have they X-rays your chest OP? I get this too, it’s partly dust mite/pollen and partly a pituitary gland problem that’s a hang over from when I had pneumonia. Basically my pituary glad can sometimes completely overreact to things that would mean I need to breath more quickly and go into over drive. My oxygen levels are fine too

Hi. I had an.xray about 4months ago which was fine. Today it was on and off all day. Sat in the car today and it was really bad. Suddenly couldnt catch my breath which felt like drowning or suffocating! Came on very suddenly and slightly improved with inhaler by time the episode had finished I then had a slum like extreme fatigue which lasted about an.hour before finally coming back round. Even later in the day as soon as I eat and sat down it started again!

Panic attack?

No im not thinking or worrying about things when they happen.

Sorry but they sound exactly like my panic attacks. A feeling like you can't get enough air in, dizziness and then bad fatigue afterwards. Im ok now but I had these all pretty much all day long for a while and I don't have to be feeling anxious or worried for them to start. They would happen out of the blue when I least expected them.

I meant to add that when you are struggling to breathe you hyperventilate which causes dizziness as the CO2 levels in your body fall. It's sounds counterproductive but when this happens try holding your breath, this raises the CO2 levels and makes the breathless feeling subside

Sorted the fatigue now as had vitamin d deficiency and tablets seem to have helped. The breathlessness on the other hand is annoying. For instance sat watching tv tonight and started up. Took inhaler which has actually settled it down tonight. Im seriously not thinking or worrying about things so what is triggering it?

@jellybean321 did you ever get to the bottom of this? I am going through the exact same and it's exasperating trying to work out what is causing it.

I had this and eventually worked out with the GP that it was silent reflux. Acid irritating my lungs while I slept. I also of course got anxious which made it worse. Took omeprazole for a while which helped

Interesting @wtftodo Thank you. I'll check it out. Were your symptoms exactly the same ie. Feeling like you can't get a full breath?

Did they check your iron, folate and B12?

I'm going through this too since DD was born but actually it's been since I moved back to the UK after she was born. I choke up on chocolate and my heart beats fast sometimes but it's definitely not a panic attack!

Do you ever get an extra heart beat ?
I notice it when I’m sitting watching TV or on my iPad. I assume they happen when I’m busy as well, and that I just don’t notice them.

I noticed I was breathless when wearing a mask and it turned out my ferritin was very low.

Have you had spirometric assessment at your GP, OP? They are treating you for asthma when it may not be ( inhalers and montelukast, all of which are excellent but only If you have asthma. Utterly useless, otherwise, ( though, thete may be a placebo effect if it is a panic attack).
I hope you've had a chest X ray.
A full, thorough history should be taken, asking about about family history too.
FWIW, panic attacks can come out of the blue, often never associated with an anxious feeling or stress. Can even happen when you are asleep.
It might be worth carrying a paper bag around with you and use it at the onset of breathlessness to see if it alleviates the symptoms.
Other thing to mention, if it is panic, is that one can often breathe 'sub optimally, ie, get used to breathing quickly and shallowly, ( utterly, unbeknownst to you, youself). And the result is a 'breathless attack which is exactly what happens when you, however unconsciously, 'overbreathe'.
But I would exclude organic causes first.
All the best, it sounds horrible.

Yes it felt like I couldn’t get a full breath at times. I’d also start getting breathless while reading stories to the kids, or suddenly was out of breath walking up stairs or doing my usual cycle rides, to the extent people at work noticed. Initially the GP was dismissive and said I was just turning 40 and so wasn’t as fit. I also had low vit D etc but tackling those didn’t fix it. I went back to GP freaking out about various nasties and saw someone lovely who ran x rays, ultrasounds, blood tests, asthma test etc. Once id taken omeprazole for a while (a few weeks) it improved. Takes a couple of weeks to take effect and then a while for lungs to recover. Effectively I was aspirating stomach acid in my sleep..

I don’t really get normal reflux symptoms so it took ages to work that out; I get weird mild stomach pain, sore throat in morning, breatlessness

And my anxiety definitely also made the breathlessness worse. I found that doing breathing exercises helped eg breath i for five, hold for five, out for five, hold for five repeat

I should say, that spirometry does not necessarily diagnose asthma even with 'resersibility'. ,(Unlike COPD) And lots of Gps are not doing this atm as it is a breath generating procedure which they've stopped due to COVID but it is a VERY valuable diagnostic test, and you could be referred to hospital for it.
I'm concerned that you are possibly being treated and coded on your medical notes as having asthma when it has not been properly diagnosed...not to speak of paying for unnecessary medication!
This happens a lot.
Silent reflux, panic attacks etc...should all be considered. Also ask if you can be referred to your local NHS respiratory service, who will consider all other possible diagnoses.

@jellybean321 did you ever get to the bottom of this? I've had this on and off for a few years but this time it's lasted for a few weeks. One day I'll feel fine, the next I will feel breathless. Sometimes lasts hours or minutes. Worse at night. Also have low ferritin, low vit D and amemia