shortness of breath

[hannah0117]

I mostly feel this way, its like my throat is going to lock anytime... then dizziness follows, then i would feel chest pains or back pains... i just tell myself(sometimes out loud), "stop it!"... sometimes the feeling of shortness of breath would last for 3 to 4 hours...

[PanicCured]

I mostly feel this way, its like my throat is going to lock anytime... then dizziness follows, then i would feel chest pains or back pains... i just tell myself(sometimes out loud), "stop it!"... sometimes the feeling of shortness of breath would last for 3 to 4 hours...


You mean it is a "feeling" of shortness of breath rather than actually not being able to breathe?
Your problem is most likely the CO2/O2 balance offset by your overbreathing.

Please read this: http://www.patrickmckeown.net/panic-attacks.php

[Jess Watkins]

I'm not a professional doc but here are my two cents.

Are you breathing too fast or improperly? Do you focus too much on it (feeling like you have to force yourself)? I went thru that for weeks and I always felt like my throat was being clutched, like someone had their hands around it.

I overbreathe sometimes...actually I hyperventilate (breathe too rapidly and shallow-y) and this makes me feel weird. I actually had a very weird thing happen to me two months ago where I was hyperventilating so much I had a vasovagel attack. My blood pressure dropped and I had heart palps. My skin was cold and clammy and I felt like I couldn't move...do you think you could be hyperventilating? My doctor says it can happen even without us realizing it (subconsciously). I am guilty of this. Thankfully I have gotten better at catching myself do it. Lie on your back on your bed and watch you stomach as you breathe. Which part is moving up as you inhale? Your stomach or your chest? If your chest comes up higher then you are hyperventilating, but if your stomach comes up higher, then your breathing is relaxed.

I found great calm by listening to a metronome at 85 bpm on Youtube and practicing deep belly breathing. Inhale for 7 seconds and exhale for 11. (Also known as 7/11 breathing). Look it up if you think it will help you.

I think your chest and back could be hurting because you're tense? Can you describe the pain? Is it dull or sharp? My chest actually hurt a little the other day...right in the middle. It felt like a twinge of some sort. Does it feel like that?

[hannah0117]

PanicCured, i'll check site... yes, it was a "feeling"... so my doctor dont want me to use oxygen because i might rely on it too much.

[hannah0117]

Thanks Jess.. i realize that my chest is rising when i breath... thanks, i will practice the breathing method you said...
I think i experienced the attack you mentioned?
It was my first time that we thought i was experiencing heart attack... i was having an afternoon nap with my baby, i was sleeping beside her, when i felt my heart beating so fast and so strong. It was like it would just come out of my chest... then i felt my left arm was numb... i couldnt breath..

[Jess Watkins]

Yes that is what happens! I think when we get numb like that our brains are sending signals to the rest of our body to "calm down" so it lowers our blood pressure. Look up vasovagal attacks.

Sometimes I feel numb in certain areas like arms,face, etc.

I woke up this morning with a fast and strong heart beat like you had...it was weird and scary. I tried to calm down and went back to sleep. Do you drink any caffeine beverages like soda or coffee? Dark teas? Caffeine really messes with my heart sometimes...it can make mine beat harder. High sugar and salt also does that too i believe.

[hannah0117]

Nah... since my first palpitation i stopped drinking anything that has something to do with caffeine... i was so afraid...
Do you anticipate your anxiety attack? Like you kept thinking when it will happen again... it really bothers me..

[PanicCured]

Nah... since my first palpitation i stopped drinking anything that has something to do with caffeine... i was so afraid...
Do you anticipate your anxiety attack? Like you kept thinking when it will happen again... it really bothers me..

If you have nothing wrong with you with no diagnosis other than anxiety, why do you think you need oxygen? Please please please read that page I linked you. That knowledge and practicing those Buteyko breathing techniques totally helped me greatly! This idea you need to keep breathing more to get more oxygen is not the right advice. Your breathe should match your metabolism. So you breathe more when exercising, but even then, it is keeping the proper balance of CO2/O2. That page I linked you is a great intro to what I am talking about, but I read the whole book and practiced the excercises.

[hannah0117]

I read it already PanicThanks... i'll keep that in mind.. the more you breathe in, the more you breathe out.. it makes sense... just have a little problem today, ihave cough and colds...
Wait... so how should i breath properly? Slowly but not too deep... not shallow.. since i have my panic attacks i seem to be concious in breathing

[PanicCured]

Breathe lightly! You shouldn't actually think about breathing but let your body do it naturally. But if you are used to overbeathing you may have offset the breathing centers in your brain to breathe too much. That is why the Buteyko breathing practices are used to reset those breathing centers by breathing less. But you will have to read the book or have someone teach you this and learn about how to do that properly.

But the point is oxygen goes to red blood cells, which then in turn go to yoru brain, organ and everywhere. For the oxygen to be able to leave the blood cells, CO2 partial pressure is what pushes it out. If you do not have enough CO2, the oxygen can't leave the red blood cells. If too much CO2 was released by over breathing, than you will get symptoms like tingly hands, numbness, other hyperventilation symptoms, and your body will try to counter this by trying to get you to breathe less, which feels like you can't breathe.