Hello (New member introduction)

Hello everyone,

I just joined this community and i must say after looking around and reading a few threads it seems like a friendly place. If i can give a brief introduction about myself.

I'm 31, male and live on the south coast of England.

I have suffered from health issues for most of my life. At aged 16 i developed cancer in my neck, i beat that only for it to return again when i was 19 and this time it was more aggressive and had spread into my chest too, again i beat it.

After that experience i went into self destruct mode and got mixed up with drugs and alcohol. I developed pancriatitis twice and decided to quit my destructive lifestyle, i have been clean and sober for three years now.

The damage was already done though and i developed diabetes and am now insulin dependant.

The last 10 months have been a very difficult time, and in the last 6 or so months i have noticed that i feel very different inside, and not in a good way, it's like something has clicked on inside me.

The first thing i noticed was my breathing, i kept feeling like i couldn't breath properly, this continues to this day, and i was admitted to hospital on a few occasions. The doctors have done ECG's, blood tests, chest X-rays, ultrasound..etc and they say they can't find anything wrong with me.

But i don't feel healthy and feel like there must be something wrong as a healthy person wouldn't feel like this would they?

Anyway, not a single doctor has asked if i suffer from anxiety or even offered it up as a reason for the way i feel. After very little googling i discovered that my symptoms matched anxiety but i found it difficult to believe that anxiety could make me feel so terrible.

After reading the anxiety symptoms thread here I was amazed, i read through and was just ticking off in my head at least one symptom from each category.

I know self diagnosis is never usually the way to go, but in this case i'm pretty sure i have anxiety, now the question is what do i do about it, i guess that's why i'm here, to learn from and hopefully one day advise others.

Sorry this was so long, thanks for taking the time to read.

Regards, Wayne.

Hi Wayne and welcome

First off well done on coming through all that wow!

I just wanted to say hi and add that i too first noticed my breathing, i was yawning lots and kept telling the doc i couldnt get to the bottom of my breath, it didnt seem to make sense to them but it did to me, im still not sure exactly what caused that as i developed acid reflux around the same time as the anxiety so it was one of the two, so first of all if you suffer any sort of heartburn or acid reflux then my guess is that could be a factor in your breathing as im pretty sure it was the main cause of mine, however anxiety can also cause a problem with breathing.

What other symptoms do you have? do have feelings of worry or panic or is it more just the breathing side of things?

And yup you hit the nail on the head ... no more googling please lol its not good idea if you have anxiety cause you can end up developing more symptoms or at least your mind will tell you, you have those symptoms ... its all very confusing but first of all check with your doc if you do have it then you will prob be given a beta blocker of some sort to take the edge of the worrying which might help your breathing too but also if you do have any acid problems make sure you ask about that too

Hope this helps a little
sam :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MiST

health issues for most of my life. cancer, neck, chest, I beat it. Pancriatitis twice. (Clean and sober for three years now.)! I developed diabetes... Anyway, not a single doctor has asked if i suffer from anxiety or even offered it up as a reason for the way I feel. Wayne.

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Welcome Wayne!

Yes, anxiety.
Anticipatory, apprehension, anxiety.
Always wondering, what's next, where, how, when, and can I beat this one too?
Self-disiplined, strong, not weak minded, powerful, ready, waiting, watching, scanning...for the next threat to arrive.
There's an odd and unexplained feeling in your mid section and chest that you couldn't place, figure out, see on a scan or a ray...
What is it then...Your mind.
You have defeated everything that you've ever encountered. That which needed be defeated, but this one is different, you don't see it, you don't know where "it" is.
It's not a growth, a tumor, a disease, but it is spreading throughout your body and mind... We know what this is, we have all felt this too and some in not many, still do...
The fix? Understanding what exactly, this is. It is anxiety, confirmed. Why? You're a Warrior like many of us here, just waiting for the next strike...
(Why did no MD suggest anything? You conceal it, that's what "it" wanted you to do..because you're fearless. Reveal "it"...then they'll see "it"...Get it?)
1. Get into your PCP, if you don't have one, find one.
2. Copy this page, take it with you, this is your presentation to him/her.
3. Take the medications, as prescribed, to re-gain the total control that you're still looking for..it was lost but you didn't let it go..
4. Arrange to speak to a councelor, therapist, Psych,..always take this with you...start right here..

How did I just come up with all this from being 8000 miles away, on this screen?

You're my long lost twin...I have lived, your life bruh.


Merry Christmas to you Wayne.

E-Man. :)

Thanks SamC,

Aside from the perception of difficulty breathing, i also have a constant feeling that something bad is going to happen, considering my previous health issues and continued health complications (diabetes) i feel like something else is going to go wrong.

Palpitations or the sensation of skipped beats which is scary and just an overwhelming feeling of fear and dread. I feel very low in myself and worry that depression could come back, i have a history of self harming and suicidal thoughts, i have not had any for years but i worry that they could return. Don't get me wrong, i value my life and have learned from my mistakes of the past.

Can i ask, does anxiety actually cause breathing problems or is it all psychological? just the sensation of not being able to breath properly?

I worry that my doctor will not take me seriously, whenever i raise my concerns they don't seem to want to know and tell me it's stress and to try and limit my stress.

Regards, Wayne.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Enduronman

Welcome Wayne!

Yes, anxiety.
Anticipatory, apprehension, anxiety.
Always wondering, what's next, where, how, when, and can I beat this one too?
Self-disiplined, strong, not weak minded, powerful, ready, waiting, watching, scanning...for the next threat to arrive.
There's an odd and unexplained feeling in your mid section and chest that you couldn't place, figure out, see on a scan or a ray...
What is it then...Your mind.
You have defeated everything that you've ever encountered. That which needed be defeated, but this one is different, you don't see it, you don't know where "it" is.
It's not a growth, a tumor, a disease, but it is spreading throughout your body and mind... We know what this is, we have all felt this too and some in not many, still do...
The fix? Understanding what exactly, this is. It is anxiety, confirmed. Why? You're a Warrior like many of us here, just waiting for the next strike...
(Why did no MD suggest anything? You conceal it, that's what "it" wanted you to do..because you're fearless. Reveal "it"...then they'll see "it"...Get it?)
1. Get into your PCP, if you don't have one, find one.
2. Copy this page, take it with you, this is your presentation to him/her.
3. Take the medications, as prescribed, to re-gain the total control that you're still looking for..it was lost but you didn't let it go..
4. Arrange to speak to a councelor, therapist, Psych,..always take this with you...start right here..

How did I just come up with all this from being 8000 miles away, on this screen?

You're my long lost twin...I have lived, your life bruh.


Merry Christmas to you Wayne.

E-Man. :)

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That's deep Bro! thanks for those kind and insightful words. I will indeed print off this page and also write down my symptoms and take a print out to my GP and hopefully they will recognize it as anxiety and take me seriously.

Merry Christmas..:D

When you are panicking the bodys response is to close up, fight or flight, so first thing usually is you feel your airways going like you cant get a breath so yes thats very common in anxiety but that in itself is pyschological as you throat is not tightnening and you can breath just as your heart rate rises and blood pumps and adrenaline rises it feels like your breath is taken from you, the feeling of not being able to breath is the anxiety intensifying so yes it psychological,

I did have that and still sometimes feel like i cant get to the end of my breath but i got control of anxiety 3 years ago and still have that problem which is why i think my problem with breathing was more from acid reflux but of course was intensified by anxiety.

The mind is very very interesting thing ... anxiety is all pyschological .. you could develop a sore arm for example, google the symptoms, googles worst case scenario pops up, you click in it and you read symptoms of a stroke, within the hour guess what symptoms of the stroke appear, its a viscious circle that goes on like that

As e-man suggests, go to the doctor with a note of your symptoms and get some medication for it, the quicker you can get control of it and learn that it is all in your head, the better, i suffered for 2.5 years before doing anything about it and when i decided to in a few months i felt a lot better and for the last 3 years (touch wood) i feel pretty much back to my old self again, so please go to your doctor and do not let them fob you off tell them you want something to calm you down a bit i.e propanalol or such like. :)

Brilliant, thank's so much for the advice guys, i'm so glad i found this place, just talking and realizing that i'm not going crazy is medicine in itself. I really thought i was losing my mind.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MiST

...At aged 16 i developed cancer in my neck, i beat that only for it to return again when i was 19 and this time it was more aggressive and had spread into my chest too, again i beat it.....went into self destruct mode and got mixed up with drugs and alcohol. I developed pancriatitis twice... i have been clean and sober for three years now...i developed diabetes and am insulin dependant....in the last 6 or so months i have noticed that i feel very different inside, and not in a good way, it's like something has clicked on inside me.

The first thing i noticed was my breathing, i kept feeling like i couldn't breath properly, this continues to this day, and i was admitted to hospital on a few occasions. The doctors have done ECG's, blood tests, chest X-rays, ultrasound..etc and they say they can't find anything wrong with me.....not a single doctor has asked if i suffer from anxiety or even offered it up as a reason for the way i feel. After very little googling i discovered that my symptoms matched anxiety but i found it difficult to believe that anxiety could make me feel so terrible.

After reading the anxiety symptoms thread here I was amazed, i read through and was just ticking off in my head at least one symptom from each category.

I know self diagnosis is never usually the way to go, but in this case i'm pretty sure i have anxiety, now the question is what do i do about it...

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Welcome to the forum. It's a great place, great people.

You certainly have had stressful things happen to you, and I'm glad to see that you have worked through the abuse issues.

Breathing, this has plagued me on and off for years. I don't feel like I can take a deep breath the last month or so, I yawn at times excessively, most of them well short of a satisfying the need to yawn, very frustrating. Just happened to have a work physical recently during this time, pulmonary function test same as last year, pulse-ox @ 98%, chest X-ray, all apparently good. And I had an Stress/Echo test at the same time and passed.

So, stress and anxiety is likely the cause. When we're tense, we breath too often and too shallow. This can cause hyperventilation, which is actually too much Oxygen in the blood. Too much Oxygen means too little Carbon Dioxide. Believe it or not, there is an optimal balance of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide in our blood.

Breathing is more complex than many people realize, we breathe with the diaphragm but we also breathe with our chest muscles, the intercostal muscles that are between the ribs. When we get tense, we tend not to use the diaphragm, we breath with the ribs. This produces shallow rapid breathing.

http://saveyourself.ca/articles/diag...-of-breath.php

See the above link. Not sure about the pressure points, but he does describe breathing.

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00521...exercises.html

http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-...for-relaxation
I like the WebMd article better than the drweil link, but see step 4.

http://g09respirationr3a.wikispaces....6+gas+exchange

If you are under the care of a doctor and he/she has tested you and not found any issues, tension (It's easy to see why you would be tense) is likely the cause of the breathing issue. It's a common symptom. It's unfortunate that the doctor has not helped to reassure you about this point.

You are not losing your mind, you mind is just in an overactive state just now thats all,

its just about learning to control it and learning what triggers your worry attacks and working on facing that and being able to RATIONALISE what you are thinking is my main tip as anxiety has a habbit of throwing all rational thoughts out the window, so that will come with time, first tip is get some meds to take off the edge and work on it from there, like frankiefc says some relaxation and breathing techniques are always good to learn too.

But you are def not losing you mind millions of us have gone through and some are still going through what you are feeling now so take advice of your doctor and what people tell you on here and you will start to feel better as you learn how to control it but it does take tiiiiimme and patience so get ready for it there will be a few ups and downs but look what you have overcame already you clearly have a strong mind so im sure you will overcome this too :D

** and promise no more GOOGLING? lol any questions you have just ask on here as more than likely someone will have had it and can explain it rationally to you.

Wow, thank you artaud.

I have made a note of those tests you had done and am going to request if i can have them done also, as i feel the reassurance would be good for me. Thanks for the links also, i will read those in the morning.

I promise NO MORE GOOGLE BOX SamC..:D

I have not yet identified any kind of trigger, it's more like a constant state at the moment but now and then i get what feels like a "wave" sweep through my mid section and with it a small series of skipped beats or palpitations, a hot flush and a horrible feeling of sheer dread followed by the sensation of difficulty in breathing.

But your right, first things first i need to see my GP and get them to take my symptoms seriously.

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Originally Posted by MiST

Wow, thank you artaud.

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To give you an example how much your anxiety can effect breathing, I was showering on the morning of the stress test. I felt like I couldn't breathe, I thought I was going to faint. I had psyched myself up so much about the stress test, really nervous about having it. Yet within an hour and a half of the breathing issue, I was running on the stress test with no problem.

So it's our minds making our heart rate increase through stress and using our oxygen up quicker? is that not dangerous in itself?

Unless you have a heart condition Its more frightening than actually dangerous, a full blown panic attack usually lasts seconds to minutes even tho it feels much longer then breathing starts to return to normal after you settle down so worst case is ppl with severe attacks cant faint but your body naturally breathes on its on so there is not real real danger it just feels like that at the time

What is happening now is your mind is concentrating on the fact you cant get a deep breath but what you dont realise is you are still taking lots of small breaths which is enough for your body, you will prob just find yourself yawning alot but that is the bodys natural reaction to get a deep breath

Honestly one of the most dangerous things with anxiety is your own mind, it plays tricks and convinces you of worst case scenarios when fact is alot of ppl on here will tell you those worst case scenarios and there worries never actually come to anything its just about convincing your own mind there is nothing to worry about then thats a good giant leap but that will come with time :)

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Originally Posted by MiST

...making our heart rate increase through stress and using our oxygen up quicker?

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No, despite the feeling of issues with breathing, you probably have the normal amount of oxygen in your blood. It's more of a issue with interfering with the natural way you would normally breathe by paying attention to it. As I was sitting here just a little bit ago, I started to fall asleep. I could feel my breathing slowing, growing deeper, and I felt relaxed. When we're sleeping, we can't control our breathing, it's on auto pilot, and it goes back to normal. When we're awake and tense, we partially control the breathing, get everything out of sync, and we feel more tense or out of breath.

From the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

"When you breathe, you breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Excessive breathing creates low levels of carbon dioxide in your blood. This causes many of the symptoms of hyperventilation.

If you frequently overbreathe, you may have hyperventilation syndrome that is triggered by emotions of stress, anxiety, depression, or anger. Occasional hyperventilation from panic is generally related to a specific fear or phobia, such as a fear of heights, dying, or closed-in spaces (claustrophobia).

If you have hyperventilation syndrome, you might not be aware you are breathing fast. However, you will be aware of having many of the other symptoms, including: (Edited: Afraid)

Confusion
Dizziness
Dry mouth
Lightheadedness
Muscle spasms in hands and feet
Numbness and tingling in the arms or around the mouth
Palpitations
Shortness of breath"

Oh wow, sorry to ask so many questions about breathing but..

You know when we yawn, and we feel that really satisfying and deep sensation, why can't we achieve that sensation when we try to force it? is that type of breathing using the diaphram?

Sometimes i can make it happen if i breath in very slowly and don't stop and other times stop well short..do you know what i mean? i'm not very good at explaining myself.

I sometimes cant yawn at all but i think its cause you are thinking about it, it tends to happen naturally when you dont think about it

Yawning is a natural response and very common in anxiety because with anxiety breathing is not great and you tend to hyperventilate more often that not so your body triggers yawning which expands your rib cage and sends a trigger to your brain to say basically its ok i can breathe just relax .... problem is with anxiety coz you are prob still hyperventaling your ribs dont expand as well, hence you get a forced yawn or a half finished yawn which usually sends ppl into a further panic but is actually very very common

hope this makes sense a little, im sure artaud will explain it better if not, hes like a fountain of knowledge with these things :D

You explained it very well SamC, it's a tricky topic to try and discuss.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MiST

You know when we yawn, and we feel that really satisfying and deep sensation, why can't we achieve that sensation when we try to force it?

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Really good question. I don't know the answer, but a whole bunch of things happen when we yawn. Look at the following link.

http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Yawn

I get what I call plateau yawning, my diaphragm stretches, but not far enough apparently. I can feel it wanting to go more, but it doesn't usually. But every once in a while, it lingers at a point insufficient, then suddenly breaks through and goes all the way. Ah, it feels so good.

I think the tension knots the diaphragm, or seemingly so. When the tension passes, the diaphragm relaxes, and I'm good for another several months.

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Originally Posted by artaud

Ah, it feels so good.

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LOL, it sure does..