new horrible symptom at 6 months - breathing!

[[da...]]

So on top of the new symptom of rapid heart rate which is scary enough, I have now been getting episodes of breathing difficulty.  It usually occurs at rest (say goodbye to more sleep).  It feels like my automatic breathing stops and I have to do it manually.  If I exhale, it just keeps going and I sink down and it takes a very long time before another breath is initiated unless I do it myself.  I laid on the floor in a ball all night last night because of this.  The only thing that relieves it is to pace or distract. 

 

I cannot take this nightmare anymore.  It has been 6 months tomorrow.  I have lost 40-50 pounds.  I hardly sleep.  My heart races.  I pee constantly or don't pee at all.  My bowels are not working well anymore either.  Everything is so fucked up.  I haven't worked in 2 weeks and will likely lose my job.  My wife is wearing out.  She is trying so hard to help me.  I don't know what to do....I am really scared.

[[BG...]]

This very same symptom hit me, too, but at 5 months out. It was as if my lungs wouldn't take in air without me consciously doing it. It's a symptom of anxiety. As I recall, after about a week of this I crashed, sort of (after 2 weeks or so of getting less than an hour of sleep I FINALLY managed 4 hours of sleep on consecutive nights). I began doing breathing exercises during the day as well as before bedtime, and after a week or so things settled down, a little. But the breathing issues, although diminishing, were worrisome until I hit 6 months out, at which point my body started to normalize a bit. Hopefully, you're not in for a month of breathing issues as I was.

 

Regardless, I know it's frustrating as hell right now, but you'll get better. I'm at 21 months out now and am mostly back to my old self, for better or worse. Good luck to you.

[[Ch...]]

I get that sometimes, it feels like I have to switch my breathing over to "manual" or I'll just stop breathing (although I know that won't happen).

 

Have you tried lying on your stomach? Give it a try. It forces you to breathe from your diaphragm.

 

Hope this settles down for you soon, I know it's upsetting. 

[[Ni...]]

I had this exact thing in acute and anytime I had a big wave.  It made my regular insomnia so much worse. This has to do with anxiety. It does go away so hang in there.  Is there something you can take for sleep to help you get through it?  Maybe trazodone, Remeron or seroquel all at lower doses supposedly help with sleep.  I know most of us don't want to trade one drug for another but we all have a breaking point.

[[tw...]]

This is the very thing that caused me to reinstate after 7 weeks off my jump. It was awful. I felt like I was wearing a lead vest, couldn't get a good breath and felt like I wasn't getting enough oxygen. The feeling that my hands and feet and lips were turning blue wasn't helping either. (note - this is what landed me in the ER for the last time last week and my 02 levels were FINE...) I was in a client meeting just before, and from out of nowhere, my breathing seemed to become VOLUNTARY. It was VERY scary. I made it through the meeting by trying to stay calm, but on the ride back to the office, I started seeing stars, feeling faint, the whole enchilada. (which I'm guessing was a panic attack, although I don't recall EVER having one that severe.

 

Oh, and I'm not hyperventilating. I'm actually almost HOLDING MY BREATH, without realizing it. I noticed this when I was hooked up to everything in the ER. Just when I got used to the heart PVC's and was ready to move on, I got hit with the breathing difficulty. It was just too much.

 

At any rate - it was the last straw. Just too debilitating and frightening. So i reinstated (sadly) and am now going to go down VERY slowly.

 

I do find that when I'm distracted, it tends to be better. I hope this improves for you soon. Like I said, sadly, it did me in (I reinstated) and now I have to start ALL over.

[[Fi...]]

Me too.

 

"Forgetting" to breathe and holding it without realising it.

 

It lasted about two weeks, max.

 

If you focus on it (IN FEAR) then that will prolong it. Let go. If it crosses your mind, then take a few deliberately slow, deep breaths (in for slow 4, hold for 4, out for eight) (x3) and then forget about it.

 

Your body and not "you" is in charge of your breathing as an involuntary function. Trust your body and let it put you out of a job you shouldn't be in! - It will pass.

 

 

[[er...]]

I had this and it is always scary.  One night 13 months ago, I was laying in bed around 1:30 am, it was snowing outside and I couldn't seem to breath, so I went out and drove around town to find a Walgreens and bought some "primatine mist" tablets.  These pills have always worked for me when breathing has become an issue.  Maybe the would work for you?

[[sm...]]

Oh my goodness... I started having this SAME thing about a month ago and got so worried I posted here about it too and a couple people wrote back which helped me a lot. I had convinced myself I had some strange breathing disorder. Mine has improved somewhat when I have distracted myself. I totally understand how uncomfortable this can be! Take good care.