Ideas why I might be breathless ?
 

I don't think it's an MS thing but maybe someone can help me out here.
The last few days I've been very breathless. No anxiety, just a bit puffed after the smallest exertion (e.g. getting dressed). I can liken it to how puffed I'd get when my thyroid was playing up (overactive) but without the palpatations, fast pulse or goitre.
It has been very dusty here over the last week, low pollen, no allergies.
Been on Beta for a year (!!!).
Stopped smoking one month (yeeeeaaahhhh). No cough or yucky stuff coming up.
Exercising as normal, alternate daily swim and lots of stinky, sweaty horses.

I'm thinking it's my lungs finding their feet again. Any ideas from some ex smokers?

Thanks, as always.

as a smoker when you light up a cigarette you take a DEEP breath to pull the smoke into your lungs. When you stop smoking, you stop doing that large inhale, and you no longer exercise your lungs in the same way. the diaphram which is used to expanding several times an hour now lays around.

Some folks fall into a pattern of sighs some deeply after they quit, some cough. It sounds like your lungs are finding a way to adjust to their new life.

Practice deep breathing! yoga breathing. stand tall, draw in air. Expand those lungs. move that diaphram. dont let it get lazy. This time, you are drawing in good O2 and fresh air. I think you will find in the next few weeks that passes.

Just keep breathing! as those little hairs (cilia) grows back on the lining of your nose, lungs, and airway it will start to retrain them selves for what they do naturally.

Im so proud of you! :hug:

Yes, excercise those lungs. Breath in deeply, through your nose an blow it out, forcefully, through your mouth. This also helps to loosen any phlegm and cough it out.

On the other hand, I have noticed occasional shortness of breath, that I blame entirely on MS lesions.

Breath in deeply.....breath out forcefully..:hug:

It could be an MS thing or it could be what Dejibo said. I have no experience with the smoking, but one of my first sx was breathlessness. My first MS Specialist said it was a sx called air hunger and it is an actual MS thing. It can also be the MS hug squeezing your diaphragm.

Do the breathing exercises and see if it gets better. If not, have it checked out. It could be something else entirely that has nothing to do with MS or smoking. We tend to chalk everything up to being a neurological sx when sometimes it is something else medically wrong.

Pud, go see a doctor. Shortness of breath is not something to ignore.

Also, in rare cases, sarcoidosis of the lungs can be caused by interferon. It happened to me several years ago. It causes shortness of breath ... not fun.

Low B12 can cause shortness of breath too.

I've had this sx. My Neuro called it "air hunger", too. If I'm laying down it has to be on my back. Sitting up I have to sometimes raise my arms over my head in order to get a good, deep breath. It seems to be worse at night but that might be because I'm trying to go to sleep and just notice it more.

PF, I just read in a MS magazine, that came in today's mail a good explanation to your question.

The MSQR from CMCS and NARCOMS magazine. It was trying to explain the criteria for getting disability. I was surprised to see that under the whole listing of Fatigue issues, it said, "Fatigue that causes breathlessness" this is one of the criteria for getting MS disability, among other symptoms of course.

So do you think with the hot weather, dust bowl dryness, working hard with the animals and horses..and getting fatigued, could be your problem?:hug:

I agree with Dej that it might be the fact you stopped smoking. Your system is trying to reset itself and does some strange things. If really troublesome, call your doc and have him check you out to make sure your lungs are ok.

Hope things get better! :hug::hug:

Do you know what quarterly magazine this was from.....what the date is, and where can I find a copy?

I like that explaination, Lady and I have had that type breathlessness with fatigue.:)

Thank you all for your ideas.

I'm leaning towards a smoking cessation theory since Himself has also noticed some breathlessness (and has also stopped (again)).

But fatigue induced makes sense, as does environment factors.

I've been deep breathing lots and things are improving :)

Congrats on quitting smoking! What a great feeling eh? :)

I get breathless sometimes, but I think it could be the pain medications I'm on adding to it.

Relyonhim,
If you join the registry and become a member of NARCOMS, they send you a questionnaire to fill out every 6 months, on how you are feeling, any relapses, any hospitals stays, etc.

All sorts of MS questions that goes into their MS database for research. You can do it paperless on line, or get it mailed to you free. I have been doing this for years.

If you do this, they give you an expensive magazine, that doctors pay a lot for. It comes in the mail, it's called the MSQR, which talks about all medications coming out, trials, and data from the last questionnaire, and lots more. You can join here.
http://www.narcoms.org/about or http://www.narcoms.org/enroll

I hope this helps.

Yes I am familiar with that from personal experience. Also iron deficiency can cause that too which I am also experienced with.

There are many other symptoms associated with that though so one wouldn't just get shortness of breath. The other symptoms mimic many MS symptoms so if one has MS they may have a B12 deficiency and not notice symptoms until shortness of breath happens.

A blood panel for that would clear up any issues of that.

I have Pernicious Anemia by the way and have had several MS type symptoms for a couple of years now. I am healing and getting my nerves back but as the doctor said nerves heal at about a millimeter a day or less and some are 2 feet long.

I still have some tingling in my left wrist and heat sensations on my left side like the leg, thigh and chest and back. The tingling in the face is gone as are the numbness and tingling in my feet. I actually have my tickle sensations back now. I still have muscle fatigue in my left arm sometimes, spasms on the arms, neck and calves under the skin but they are not occuring as often now except for the calves virtually all the time. I can balance on one leg now finally as the muscles are getting their mojo back little by little.

I know I have some permanent damage but caught this in time at least.

But enough about me I just mentioned it because I know about the B12 and what it can do to your body if you do not get any.

Then with Iron deficiency you get everything from fatigue to chest pain because your heart doesn't have enough oxygen as well as organ damage.

I mean this is serious stuff so if one has shortness of breath get checked right away. Go to an emergency room and they can at least do some blood work and check some other stuff out.

Many things cause a shortness of breath.

I've been exercising and deep breathing and stuff and things have got a lot better. I'm on multi vits and 6 monthly blood work ups, all good.

I think it's just the heat and dust. Thanks to all.

thanks Lady for the narcoms info....I just registered yesterday.

and megatrends....I too have pernicious anemia and when someone mentions shortness of breath, off course, that is the first thing I think of.

Blessings to all!