Air hunger / dysfunctional breathing

[TigerRag]

Please excuse me while I bang my head against a brick wall. I'll probably get more sense out of it than my GP.

Short version:
Diagnosed with asthma in 2014. December 2020 I was having problems with my breathing. It wasn't covid and because steroids did nothing, I was sent for an X ray which was clear.

I was told it was anxiety but no one has ever answered why my problems started in 2013 after a run.

Had spirometry (breathing test) not long after. By this point I'd changed surgery because I wasn't getting anywhere. Consultant cancelled my appointment because he didn't feel he'd have enough time to discuss his findings.

Told to see GP who told me it was anxiety and that I need to stop running?

Consultant told me he has no idea what's going on and ordered a blood test and heart and lung scans. All were clear. He wants to repeat the spirometry.

Still being told it's anxiety / dysfunctional breathing by GP. They know my peak flow is around 250. Apparently I'm doing it wrong. You're only blowing into a tube.

Does anyone have air hunger / dysfunctional breathing and did you ever get a diagnosis which explains this and did you get any treatment?

Yes, several years ago and no obvious triggers. Symptoms came and went. I had x-rays, Ventolin etc. All made no difference.

Spirometry eventually revealed severely compromised lung function from some sort of small airways disease. They put me on a steroid inhaler twice a day. I also lost weight and increased exercise.

I am now still on the inhaler but once a day at a lower dose. Peak flow readings are still lower than ideal but better, and improved again recently when I started using a deep breathing app daily (5 minutes at a time, usually 3 times a day)

Consultant had no idea why I have this bad lung function as I have no disease history. I have since discovered that asthma/lung issues are common in people with a history of childhood trauma and I have that. So there could be a link.