topic Shortness of breath😯 in Anxiety

Shortness of breath😯

Dani31 — Sat, 23 May 2020 10:24:33 GMT

So it's been well over 8 weeks now of random numbness, pins and needles, heavy chest, short of breath(oxygen levels are fine) 24/7 which i went to ER for twice was perfectly fine, this has been the worst for me. I've been to so many doctor appointments, had full bloods, chest xray which was clear. I've litrally given up was perfectly fine till my daughter was 7 weeks old and had my first panic attack randomly. I'm convinced there is actually something physically wrong with me. How can anxiety stuff my breathing up? I never had breathing problems before. My doc has said you need to start antidepressant as I'm destroying my life and family's. He is refusing to do anymore testing as he believes it's all anxiety. He said 100% the antidepressants will take my symptoms away. I have been to a phychologist a month ago but my next appointment isn't till next week feeling so defeated why is this happening to me😭 i actually don't even care if i die anymore. Has anyone else experienced this or am i just losing the plot😂

Shortness of breath😯

Sophie_M — Sat, 23 May 2020 10:37:17 GMT

Hey Dani, welcome to the Beyond Blue forums, we're so glad you decided to join us here. It sounds like the past 8 weeks have been really stressful and confusing. We're sorry to hear how defeated you're feeling. Please know that you do not have to do this alone. Many in our community have had similar experiences and understand. Hopefully, a few of them pop by to offer you some words of kindness and advice.

We recognise that this must be an overwhelming situation for you, so we just wanted to let you know that if you find yourself feeling particularly overwhelmed, know that there is help available to you. The Beyond Blue Support Service on 1300 22 4636 or our friends at Lifeline on 13 11 14 are available to provide support and advice 24/7. Please do feel free to use these services to talk through what's on your mind when it's feeling like too much to cope with.

Please also feel free to keep us updated here on your thread with what you are feeling and experiencing whenever you feel up to it - we hope that you find this to be a safe and non-judgemental space.

Shortness of breath😯

therising — Sat, 23 May 2020 11:02:58 GMT

Hi Dani

While the symptoms you describe can definitely relate to anxiety and panic attacks, something else a little outside the square perhaps worth considering are 'silent migranes'. The symptoms can sometimes be a little trippy, based on personal experience, and can come on either gradually or quite suddenly. If you have possible reasons for the anxiety, based on certain mental health challenges, things can appear fairly basic. If the symptoms appear to be happening for no obvious reason at all, maybe it's worth mentioning a desire to have a referral to a neurologist.

Is there a history of migranes in the family? By the way, silent migranes are migranes without the headache. They can impact certain parts of the brain, which goes toward explaining the effects.

Take care 🙂

Shortness of breath😯

Dani31 — Sat, 23 May 2020 11:11:49 GMT

Hi,

Thankyou for your reply I've always had headaches but so used to them i just get on with it. My shortness of breath happened after a panic attack and never went away. I know my sister suffers from silent migraines but unsure how it affects her. I've been to a few docs but get flogged off all the time I'm really not sure what to do before my panic attack i had a severe sore neck and top of my spine was in pain alot i think from breastfeeding as i would always have my neck and spine bent to feed, not sure if that's a connection though.

Shortness of breath😯

brave_heart7 — Sat, 23 May 2020 13:41:15 GMT

Hi Dani31,

Firstly, I wanted to say thank you so much for sharing your experiences here, it takes a lot of courage to reach out! I can imagine that these past eight weeks have left you feeling confused, so I thought I'd help by explaining how anxiety can affect your breathing. When we're stressed/anxious our sympathetic nervous system takes over and produces more stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. This is known as the 'fight or flight response' - the body does this to help prepare us to fight or fly from a real or perceived threat. These stress hormones affect the body in a number of ways but the main effects include; increasing heart rate, increasing blood pressure, expanding the air passages of the lungs and redistributing blood to the muscles. When this happens in our body, we tend to breathe more shallowly and quickly, which can lead to hyperventilation & feeling like we're struggling to breathe. I have experienced these symptoms myself during panic attacks, and what I have found to help, as cheesy as it sounds, is to do breathing exercises to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and try to calm the body down. There are some really good phone apps - breathe2relax, mylife, and pause are my personal favourites - but there are so many out there! I have also found that using these breathing apps even when I'm not feeling anxious or stressed really helpful as it makes me feel more confident about being able to successfully relax my body when I'm feeling overwhelmed.

I hope this makes sense and reduces a bit of confusion around some of the physical sensations you're experiencing. Please don't ever forget that you're not alone 🙂

Shortness of breath😯

Dani31 — Sat, 23 May 2020 14:09:19 GMT

Thankyou for your reply,

I'm just more ao worried that i have had shortness of brearh for 8 weeks now all other symptoms have gone for a while now. It feels like my chest is always tight and i can't get a deep breath in 24/7. Like my chest and throat feel numb, like air hunger and I'm not getting air but i am. I'm experiencing this also when trying to exercise and its so uncomfortable 😭 I'm just so stressed it's something worse as it won't go away

Shortness of breath😯

Mrs_Ducky — Sat, 23 May 2020 16:31:40 GMT

Dani this was and is my first symptoms of when i have an axiety flare up (my term for when my anxiety gets high and stays that way for more than a day). The first time i ever had them was the scariest as i had no idea at all what was happening to me and hubby was at work and my family lived over 1000km away..

I had a move of towns/house and was physically sick earlier this year and i ended up at the hospital twice with this exact issue (they did lots of bloods, ecg's etc til i realised it was this flare up (it had been a good 8 months since my last time.. im currently awake as my anxiety has been high all evening and again my chest is showing the signs, although i know why and i am trying to distract myself til i can calm the cycle..

Shortness of breath😯

therising — Sat, 23 May 2020 21:34:31 GMT

Hi Dani31

The onset of the silent migranes, for me, was pretty low key. For some weeks, all I felt was slight pressure through my sinuses when one would start up, then things started to get weird as the weeks passed. An episode would begin with usual sinus pressure, then numbness down my left side, I'd lose the ability to grip things (like when turning a door handle). I wouldn't be able to think straight or easily process what people were saying to me. My legs would become weak and I'd start feeling like I was having an anxiety attack. At one point symptoms got so intense, thought I was having a stroke. Went to hospital. Of course, all was fine.

My GP insisted I was having anxiety attacks and wanted to put me on anti anxiety meds. I refused, insisting there was something else going on here. I'd had a couple of panic attacks before in my life due to obvious factors but this was something different. The GP told me to come back when I was ready to go on anti anxiety meds. Grrr, he wasn't listening. Went to another doctor while I was having a migraine and she referred me for a brain MRI. It was a miracle Dani, the timing was incredible. I was experiencing a migraine in the MRI machine. It actually showed up. Went back to the original doctor and he was apologetic and pretty shocked.

I'm not saying this is what it is for you, just wanting to elaborate on what one feels like and how it can impact the nervous system. It was like my nervous system was being set off, hence the anxiety. I wasn't feeling anxious at all. Not stressed at all but it was like my body was experiencing an anxiety attack, including trouble breathing. Again, this may not be the cause of things for you but migranes can happen for women when estrogen levels drop after childbirth.

Other ideas, besides a neurologist: Physio for breathing exercises. I'm a shocking breather, I must admit. I breath pretty shallow. Went to a physio due to muscle pain in my side at one point and she taught me breathing exercises, explaining that shallow breathing impacts the side muscles. Shallow breathing is what runners do, it's not mean to be an everyday way of breathing. The pain went away. We breath different ways for different reasons. Wondering if learning conscious abdominal breathing might help things for you. Endocrinologist (hormone specialist) might be another consideration, for more specific blood tests.

Don't give up wondering about what's going on 🙂

Shortness of breath😯

therising — Sat, 23 May 2020 21:49:24 GMT

Hi again Dani

Just finished the last post when something suddenly popped into my head. Pretty out there but it's got me wondering. Is there something recently introduced into your diet or environment that you could be highly sensitive to? Could it be setting off your nervous system and causing breathing problems? In other words, are you experiencing a reaction to something you're sensitive to (aka allergy/allergic reaction).

I know I'm offering more questions than answers but questioning means we never stop looking for answers.

🙂

Shortness of breath😯

Dani31 — Sat, 23 May 2020 23:59:49 GMT

Hi, thankyou for sharing your story in regards to your silent migraines what was your treatment? I spent 5 weeks in flight or fight mode wasnt anxious about anything i would just go into panic attacks sometimes 10 tines a day plus anxiety attacks in between thought i was literally dieing. Its like my mind has retrained itself how to breath or i can't remember what it was like to breath before this all happened. I started off having 4 days of hot sweats thought i might have the flu as my sinuses were playing up than bang one night went into a panic attack my breathing just went funny. I couldn't control my body or mind for weeks was very scary as my partner works away and had been away for 5 weeks, i hadn't slept in 2 months due to new baby and had to keep my daughter home to homeschool. It's like my brain exploded haha. Now im left with funny breathing or maybe i am breathing normally but my mind has been through so much it thinks it's abnormal.

Shortness of breath😯

ecomama — Sun, 24 May 2020 01:36:19 GMT

Dear Dani31

I had similar bodily experiences after the birth of my second babies.

If any of this seems similar, please take from it what you will. I really hope it helps. Hugs.

I also breastfed and arching over the babies for so many hours 24/7 really did whacky things to my neck, back, all sorts. I saw a chiropractor later on and this helped immensely. Mine is wholistic so took into account all things he could and helped me adjust many things; diet posture additives to baths (like Epsom salts) etc. A chiro can give you "corrective" stretches and movement exercises to release the compression of your sternum due to breastfeeding.

I was already in the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA). They have helplines with trained Breastfeeding Counsellors, you can call them. You don't have to be a member. ABA Counsellors have vast experiences with new mum's symptoms, no one can qualify for training unless they've breastfed long term. They REALLY helped me over many years. They're also accustomed to the sleep deprivation / exhaustion that comes with being a mum. And the psychological impacts too. AND the impact on the family and what types of support you need.

In combination of the above happening physically, I was having panic attacks. I was given very dim prognoses for my twins but they were perfect at birth. After they were born (HEALTHY) I was always in "protection" and caring mode, worried that the prognoses may be true, lots of Drs wanted to see them, not because they were ill, but because they weren't! Couldn't be MORE wrong. They are healthy young adults now.

It was a scary time with medical professional up to Professors telling me all these bad things - parallels to you feeling shunned with your symptoms.

Covid social restrictions / isolation is NOT helping new mums. You need support and the warmest support is from other mums who've "been there".

If you have been diagnosed with anxiety and / or have a number of children under a certain age, have little or no available family support, you may qualify for an inhouse "carer', heavily subsidised. You Baby Health Care nurse should be able to help you there. Don't give up on trying to get this. It's a very supportive initiative.
Ours was BEAUTIFUL. She held the babies so I could use the toilet! lol. Have a shower. Stand up straight.

Congratulations on the baby! Hugs.
EM

Shortness of breath😯

Dani31 — Sun, 24 May 2020 04:02:12 GMT

Thankyou so much for your reply this is my second baby my first is 8 years old now. Baby is now 5 months old and i feel i havent been able to enjoy much cause of this breathing issue, my doc said i have reflux too but sure as i always have a sour taste in my mouth. I most days jist wanna curl up and not wake up but i can't i have a baby and a 8 year old who need me. I'm just mentally exhausted i feel like the doc isn't helping much nor any doctor.

Shortness of breath😯

ecomama — Sun, 24 May 2020 09:02:40 GMT

Dear Dani31

The twins were not my first babies either, but the first time I had amalgamated issues, similar to yours. I did have aching neck with breastfeeding the others though.

Please try calling one of the helplines. The ABA one will understand a lot.

People care very much about you and this is a difficult time, after a baby and the other problems you have.

I'm not downplaying nor dismissing your physical symptoms or MH either. You could get a second opinion. Maybe try a GP who has breastfed her own babies?

Shortness of breath😯

Dani31 — Sun, 24 May 2020 09:57:42 GMT

Thankyou for your reply🙂

My doctor is male so seems like he is just flogging me off. I will defiantly give the aba a call and see what they help me with. It has been very hard finding the right way to go with covid going on. I seem to get a bit better everyday but when partner goes back to work for a week away i go downhill again. I don't have any family where i am as I'm from NZ and have been here 5 years now so it has been a real struggle i suppose last fee years and not been able to have support come to help me due to restrictions🙁 i guess i just have to keep going and hopefully i can get some answers and help

Shortness of breath😯

therising — Sun, 24 May 2020 10:58:34 GMT

Hi Dani31

Treatment for the silent migranes was blood pressure medication, to help regulate the blood pressure in my head.

I'm 49 now and this all happened over a period of time a few years back. I wonder whether it was hormone related for me. Even though I don't get the migranes anymore and haven't taken the blood pressure meds for a while, these days I tend to 'power up' in more predictable ways as a female at this stage of life. Things can get a little warm on occasion. I've become physically and mentally sensitive to a lot of things like heat, certain sounds, foolish people, certain foods 🙂 and a host of other factors but I've got it all pretty much under control through some trial and error kinda natural strategies. Though 'sensitive' is a challenge it definitely has it perks in many ways.

We're definitely complex creatures. Takes a bit of a medical detective sometimes to put all the pieces together. If your GP is a little too fixated on the anxiety aspect and this just doesn't sit well with you, might pay to find a GP who loves playing detective (loves a challenge).

🙂

Shortness of breath😯

blondguy — Sun, 24 May 2020 11:21:31 GMT

Hi Dani31

I understand your feelings where shortness of breath is concerned...I used to have the same in my 20's and it was horrible to go through....I was slack and thought I could self heal which didnt work as it was my chest muscles restricting my breathing capacity due to my anxiety issues

Annabay (a Beyond Blue member like us) wrote a great thread topic about 'physical symptoms of anxiety' last year and its a great thread that also includes your symptoms...I really hope you find the link below helpful 🙂

www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/anxiety/what-physical-feelings-of-anxiety-do-you-get

any questions are always welcome Dani31....The forums are a safe and non judgemental place for you to post!

my kind thoughts

Paul

Shortness of breath😯

Dani31 — Sun, 24 May 2020 12:00:31 GMT

My mum suffers high blood pressure after having my brother and has been on meds for years . Everytime i get my bp checked its high but my doc says its realted to anxiety as my heart rate is always high because I'm nervous haha.Thats amazing you found answers in regards to your migraines, I'm feeling mine has something to do with my reflux he says to control my reflux i need to calm my anxiety but my reflux is giving me anxiety lmao i don't have any stomach issues but i could be aspirating acid or pepsin into my lungs or have upset my vocal cords which is not allowing proper function restricting my breathing as thats where im struggling to breath comes in i can breath out fine but wheeze on inhaling . But who knows this is my theory and doc won't investigate so guess im stuck and to tired ro find anymore docs. Thankyou so much for your help 🙂

Shortness of breath😯

ecomama — Mon, 25 May 2020 07:49:27 GMT

Hi Dani

My Nanna was from NZ too, and she went home to birth ALL her babies. She stayed for MONTHS and good on her too.

Family, friends, other new mums, other mum's support is so vital at this stage (indeed any stage) of having a baby! It's okay. You'll get answers because it sounds you won't take people fobbing you off and you SHOULDN'T either.

Straight up if you can see another GP who's a female, I really hope you get some empathy. Some answers would be awesome lol. Even referrals.

For goodness' sake add covid on top, you need support.

If anything an ABA Counsellor will probably get most of your issues in one call. Some have EN training too and who knows.

With anxiety we really need GROUNDING and the layers of problems you're listing aren't helping. I would ask for a MHCP for a counsellor and get that going via phone at least. I think this would really help whilst you're H is away for work. This may help ground you as you seek second opinions and some answers.

Yes, I suffered migraines but the key thing for me was / is to avoid foods high in salicylates. My mother still suffers from them but ignores any bio-feedback for her symptoms. I also know the initial signs of one, so nip it in the bud before it escalates. Stress is a biggie there.

Big hugs
EM

Shortness of breath😯

adarkbloom — Tue, 26 May 2020 14:34:27 GMT

Dani31, oh my god i feel exactly the same as you. same symptoms and everything and all my tests came back clear and my doctor says i'm fine and nothing is wrong but i am still so convinced that something is wrong with me when it very well could be brought on by my anxiety. ive been dealing with this for 2.5 months now.

Alison

Shortness of breath😯

therising — Tue, 26 May 2020 21:43:22 GMT

Hi Dani

I know I keep throwing possibilities your way, as opposed to some solid direction to investigate. Here's another:

With the acid reflux factor and the emotional factors, might be of interest to do a bit of research on 'Mood and Food'. A lot of groundbreaking research being done in this area these days, in relation to anxiety and depression. Amazing how our gut microbiome can impact our mental well being. Might explain the reflux too. Perhaps you're sensitive to certain foods you never were before on top of an imbalance in your gut. Let's throw a dietician into the mix of possible 'go to' people. Best to consider one who is enthusiastic about the mood and food connection.

🙂