Does Anyone Have Shortness of Breath?
 

I've noticed over the past couple of weeks that I have been very short of breath. I notice it especially when I go to bed at night. Seems like I have to take lots of deep breaths - and I don't always feel like I've taken a "good" one each time.

Could be the extra 15 or so pounds I'm carrying around.....some days it just seems worse. And I've been having alot of pain around my midsection - sort of like spasticity but sometimes just a tight feeling. MS Hug?

Just wondering if anyone else has this problem.

That stinks, Kelly! I haven't had that but I think you should call your doctor. I know you don't want to :):), but you should!

Hi Kelly,

I have had shortness of breath, for the past few months as well.

I have found that it tends to come when I'm really anxious about an up and comming attack (the phsyscial changes in my body that happen during an attack (exacerbation) tend to triggor an mild anxiety attack (not saying that is what yours is but that is what i have discovered triggors mine).

For me this takes the form of shallow breathing instead of the classic hyperventalation (i don't have the physical strength to hyperventilate).

I would suggest keeping a log of how you have been feeling other wise and then if it continues (which it can do if it is anxiety related to physiological changes from a attack predrone) then call your doctor with all of the information that you have been writing down.

It is scary and there is no two ways about it! I hope u feel better soon and keep me/us posted on how u r doing. You will be in my thoughts!

Rachael

When I feel this it is a
 

:hug:

When it first began I would think, "I can't breathe," but DH is a firefighter/emt and when he would check he'd say "you are getting air in."

I have since learned that this is the hug. I feel like I can't breathe because it feels so tight around my chest.

However, as we have seen with others, don't assume it is the hug. Check with your doc to make sure there is not something serious going on.

HOpe this :hug: feels better :0

My old MS Specialist called this "air hunger" and said it was a sx of MS. I had this problem constantly for a long time and still do from time to time now.

It can be part of the hug, and I've had it too. I went for a COPD test, and my breathing was fine according to that measure. It didn't feel that way to me though. :(

I took up deep breathing exercises I learned with a Yoga book. It helped me feel as though I had some control over the amount of air I was getting, which helped with the anxiousness that I felt when I couldn't get a decent breath.

I agree it is a VERY good plan to get your lungs checked, but it is likely an MS thing.

Cherie

Great - something ELSE to do with hunger. . . . :D

It's better this morning - or not as noticeable. I think I notice it more at night when I'm trying to go to sleep because I have no other distractions.

I have to make a follow-up appointment with the Neuro so I will discuss it with him when I go.

Thanks everyone for your responses!

Try testing to see if laying in another position might help, like switching from your back to your side (or vice-versa). I get positional vertigo and can only lay in one position without getting woozy . . . which causes distress . . . then difficulty breathing too.

Cherie

I've noticed it's worse when I lay on my side. I have gotten to where I use two pillows and elevate my head a little and that seems to make it better. I generally sleep on my back or my side - an abundance of chest related physical anatomy makes it impossible to sleep on my stomach :D !! :eek:

Well this is odd, my 1st trip to the ER when this all starting the end of Dec. was something just like this, I had shortness of breath had an odd tight feel of my chest and extreme fatigue. This wasn't anything like a panic attack. ER didn't see anything wrong with my heart or lungs and send me home the next day my legs when numb (still partly numb 11 weeks later).

Is it one side more then another . . . although vertigo problems can be both sides too? For me, I have to sleep on my right side with my face pointing down (with back of my head propped up). If I don't, I will often choke, my heart beats hard, I feel nauseous, and I can't seem to get any air into my lungs.

I imagine there is some "emotional" response included in that, because who wouldn't be a little freaked out when they feel that way? :p

Try various methods of propping up pillows, taking away pillows, etc. to see if it helps at all. It may just be a hug thing, but the fact that it bothers you most when you are laying made me think of the vertigo angle.

Cherie

I second what everyone else is saying--do see your doctor!!!

I had attacks of this over a period of several months, and my doctor put me on a heart monitor--about the size of a very tiny camera--which I wore around my neck for a week. This records your heartbeats and tells if you have any irregular heart rhythms. It might be a valuable tool to help identify the problem.

Warm wishes and hugs--hope you get some answers! :hug:

Hi Kell~~~ Does this shortness of breath feeling only happen at bedtime? Do you notice when climbing stairs or exerting yourself??

While Cheri is right that it is prob the "hug", it wouldn't hurt to have it checked out. I'm thinking of ya!! :hug:

(((Kelly))). I agree with the others that you should get it checked out and find the root of the problem. Although the hug has become my constant, unwanted, companion, I don't discount other reasons for this.

If it is the MS hug, I often put my arms above my head to help relieve that hug feeling and I am able to take deeper breaths.

BTW- Why do they call it the hug? Hugs are supposed to be nice and make you feel good, warm, and fuzzy like this: :hug: or :grouphug:. I don't quite get that feeling with this.:rolleyes:

I get it when I'm just sitting still or lying down OR exerting myself. I don't have stairs but if I do something strenuous I find myself getting winded. Like I said, it probably has something to do with the extra weight I'm carrying around. Stupid Neurontin. . . . . . .

Interferons can cause shortness of breath. In rare cases interferons can result in Sarcoidosis which is the body attacking organs, usually lungs, skin and heart. That be me.

There are LOTS of reasons for shortness of breath...

HOWEVER, if it can be SERIOUS....

Go see the doctor....your PCP....he/she will be able to put a finger on the problem....

Hope it is nonserious....

This problem once sent me to the ER too! I was driving my kids to Kid's Day Out and got so short of breath I started to have tunnel vision. I went to the nurse's office at the big church where my kids went to KDO, and she had to call my husband. When I got to the ER, they couldn't find anything wrong with my lungs, heart, or oxygen saturation, so they decided it was an anxiety attack. Patted me on the head and sent me home with tranqs. I looked at my husband and said, "Did I seem anxious to you?" He said no, I seemed very calm. I've been afraid to mention it to docs ever since for fear of getting the same reaction.

I too have had this and am experiencing it right now. :( I actually press my back against the wall to get a deep breath. Have been to the ER twice in the past thinking the worst and they ran all the tests mentioned above and found nothing. I am going to make an appointment tomorrow morning for this. Glad you brought it up Kelly as I was wondering if others experienced it as well. Funny thing is this time around when I lie down in bed I feel relief. In the past I had to prop myself up. Such a strange disease!

Joyce

Yup, I'm having problems with breathing, also.

My neuro has referred me to a pulmonologist.

I'm having problems breathing. Kind of asthma like problems, although asmtha for me has always been limited to the "cold induced" or "heat induced" variety.

I'm having a lot of gasping and coughing. Almost like sometimes I forget to breath. And waking up a lot at night.

DH swears it's not a snoring problem, and anyway, snoring wouldn't account for the problems I have during the day. Hopefully the pulmonologist will get to the bottom of it.

I hope it's not the hug. I would hate to hear that I just have to live with it.

I'm so sorry to here this has hit you. I agree you should get it checked out, but my bet is on panic. This is only based on me. In Nov 07 I was DX copd and could breath fine till then. Then I suddenly couldn't. It was panic. I went on celexa 60 and it became better. The in 2-08 I was DX MS. That was it. Panic, Panic....anytime of day I could not breath. It just popped up out of no where land. No other sx then could not breath. I know mine is panic and I know why - the heck with copd - this is MS! This is terrible! I'm scared, alone and with several battles to fight alone -hence panic. Ex: I was fine till I read your post tonight - not you but knowing you can get this from MS scared me - hence panic and breathing prob. now. I don't know how you feel, but panic can be controlled. I take celexa and zanex, I know that's a lot but - whatever it take IMHO. If you do have panic then 1 celexa or lexapro (sp)... would most likely do fine. Your nuero will give it to you. I go to a psy. for mine due to dosage. I wish you all the luck in the world ~Sheena~:hug:

Sheena, thanks for your response. For me, it's not panic. I'm pretty calm most of the time. Well, all of the time really. I haven't been prescribed anything for anxiety (xanax, etc.) because I haven't felt I needed it and have not asked for it. I'm sure my Neuro would write me a prescription for it if I asked him. I'm convinced it's MS related - and like most symptoms it will eventually go away. I'm sorry my post scared you - I feel bad about that.:( I hope things get better for you. Sometimes it seems like it all hits at once and I won't pretend to know what you're going through. Just know that you have friends here that truly care about you. :hug:

Oh Kitty, don't worry about me. I'm fine. I just have a lot to learn about all the nice, sweet things that MS brings to us. If I get a hug from MS, I'll prob still pass it off as panic and just pop a few extra pills. LOL I hope you feel better soon - very. Take Care no :hug: today!

Just to add to the chorus...

I've also had shortness of breath that I initially wrote off to anxiety - except that I wasn't anxious. Sometimes it just feels like I need more air, so I breathe in through my nose, and out through my mouth. Sometimes I'm so short of breath that I pant - this hasn't happened in a while.

I exercise regularly, and this doesn't happen when I exercise - it's always been when I'm fatigued, on the couch, and either just waking up or about to nod off.

When I called the neuro about it, I wasn't able to get through, but the nurse on station told me to call my PCP, as a virus was going around. Turns out it wasn't the virus - I just got that last month! So I know what that's like. Horrible!

It's taking me a long time to recover from it, and I believe it's because of my restricted breathing. I've always had a low lung capacity, going back to high school, but until I got MS I never thought it might be neurological.

Air hunger was one of the first symptoms I noticed, even before the pain. It's worse when I'm lying down at night.

I've had every possible breathing test and my lungs are fine.

I have not been diagnosed with MS, but I believe there is a strong chance I have it.

I hope you don't have MS. And I hope you're not diagnosing yourself. It's a difficult disorder to diagnose and best left to the doctors. Even the doctors get it wrong all too often.

MS is often a game-changer, not just for the person diagnosed with it, but for that person's family.

You don't want to have to travel this road.

I hope you'll get some help with your symptoms and hope you'll keep us posted about how you're doing.:)

Please be aware of my father's situation
 

He had MS for 30 years. Although he usually sounded as if he's taking bigger breaths and just simply releasing air. He also had a mild heart atta in his 50s and another in his early 60s that created a horrible slow end to his life. Please be self aware and safe you guys! Much love for the ms community

Welcome, Mkiley23!

It sounds as if you have lost your father. I'm so sorry for your loss and sorry that he had so much suffering.

MS hits some people much harder than others but even when it's looking mild, it can turn into a much more serious problem.