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Originally Posted by LiveLoveandTrust
Ended up getting in with the doctor yesterday. Found some weird findings... my pulse ox was down at 92 though I was feeling better than I was the day before and my pulse ox is usually 100 as I live at sea level. When it was bad, it was around 87.
After doing an x-ray to rule out pneumonia, listening to my lungs to rule out a collapsed lung, and a CT scan to rule out pulmonary embolism I was diagnosed with anxiety and given a script for Ativan. I challenged the doctor on this because A. I do have an anxiety disorder so it's not like I don't know the feeling and I wasn't anxious- just couldn't breath! Also, being anxious can cause you to hyperventilate or feel like you can't breath... but it doesn't actually cause your pulse ox to go down. He then said that what's probably going on is that everything is tight and swollen so the phrenic nerve is probably being irritated causing difficulty breathing but he still wants me to talk the Ativan since it works as a muscle relaxant too. Whatever. What's a few more damn pills?
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LiveLoveandTrust
I had shortness of breath after my surgeries (3 total) and was told that the phrenic nerve can definitely be irritated with even 1 surgery. Mine was complicated with the 2 extra surgeries and lasted a long time post surgery.In my case on an xray that was done, the diaphragm was still elevated into my lung at 18 months post op. The phrenic nerve is "the motor" that works the diaphragm so when it stays elevated you do not have the lung capacity that you would normally have. I started using a wedge type pillow as laying flat was totally out of the question.
Even now I will experience it at times when I over do things and I have never had any anxiety problems ever.....I find doing diaphragmatic breathing helps to calm me down and lessens obviously "the anxiety that the shortness of breath does causes". There are sites that you can find online that will teach how to do the breathing.....would be better than taking more pills.
chloecasey