Roy Posted December 19, 2003 Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 I get this symptom when standing and walking. As I'm standing up I get a tightening and heavy sensation in my diaphragm. It impairs my breathing some what. I can't really take in a full deep breath becuase of the tightness and there is no weezing with this problem. As long as I walk and stand I have it, but soon as I sit it goes away totally. Some days the tightness isn't noticable others it bothers me the entire time I'm on my feet. And other days the sensation fades away after being up for a few minutes.I have told various doctors about this over the last 2 yrs that I have had POTS. With not much more reaching then a raised eyebrow and a hmmm. My neurologist finally said that I could be having some type of spasms causing my diapragm to tighten. Thats pretty much what I told her! She dismissed it as being unimportant and told me to do yoga and meditation to calm my nerves and strengthen my diapragm. I told this to another doctor a couple of years ago when my POTS started and he said it could be blood pooling in that area.This problem isn't getting worse and it isn't going away. Just real bothersome on top of all the stuff. I was just curious if anybody else has to deal with this.Does anbody else have this particular problem, any insights or ideas???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ling Posted December 19, 2003 Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 I experience something similar to what I understand you are getting. It is a sudden sensation that something is holding you very tight around your chest. It hurts with every breath you take in and out. It feels like you need to take shallow breaths so that you don’t feel the pain. I have had this a few times only and it normally last a day or two and then moves over for another symptom to make my life ****. I recently experienced a very bad chest pain on the right side that made me think I was dying. Luckily I remember reading on our discussion forum that when you lie down and it feels better then it is not a heart attack. The pain endured for at least a hour and was very painful afterwards as well. I went for a local anaesthetic into the painful area (chest) and experienced instant relief. Maybe when you have such bad pains you can try this injection. I wont lie to you it hurts, but probably as much as the aterax injections. Good luck, I know there is another name for this we are getting. It is another sort of syndrome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurehope Posted December 19, 2003 Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 I've had something similar when my gastrointestinal tract is in an uproar. By that I mean, that either my diaphragm/esophagus are going into spasms (which is more noticeable upon standing or walking), and/or my entire large colon is in spasms. Episodes similar to the above will last about 2 - 3 months until things "simmer down" either because the stressful triggering event has passed or I asked for a tranquilizing medication or I stopped taking a supplement which was no good for me. By episode I mean that the bad sensations would occur at any time upon standing.Are you being seen by a gastroenterologist? They can check that your liver and pancreas are not inflamed. They can check your esophagus. They can do a CAT scan of your abdomen to make sure everything is all right. Are you on any medications or supplements that could be major irritants for the GI tract? Are you on any medications to help with reflux?I'll being seeing my gastro doctor soon because I'm having similar problems. In my case, my heaviness in the chest, or feeling discomfort in the chest upon standing up will eventually diminish. It has in the past. It's seems for me there's a stressful triggering event or a supplement my body reacts poorly to, then my GI tract will become inflamed and go into spasms for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted December 19, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 I don't think that I am having GI track problems. When I first started developing POTS after a viral infection this symptom that I am having was one of my chief complaints besides the tachycardia. I get this sensation if I eat or don't. It doesn't seem to get worse after eating and it doesn't get better if I go all day without eating. I haven't had any IBS problems in nearly 4 months and when I did this symptom wasn't any worse. Over the last year I must have had 3 cat scans and everything was normal. No swelling anywhere. Oh well, just one of those things you have to learn to live with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoGiuliana Posted December 19, 2003 Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 I've had strange sensations/feelings of pressure/weakness--hard to describe--in my chest area that only occur when I am standing/walking. It must have something to do with blood pooling inappropriately. It tends to be worse in the morning and by evening I generally don't notice it at all. It comes and goes but was definitely worse when my POTS was full-blown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacobyD Posted December 19, 2003 Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 Roy-I have had problems with Dysautonomia for almost 3 years now. Like you, my 'throat spasms' have been my number one complaint other than tachycardia. My throat used to 'close up' every couple of weeks for a few seconds. Now that I am on meds (though they aren't working much any more), I have more episodes of impending throat spasms. I have also had many throat and neck muscle cramps over the last few months.My 'day of sudden onset' was also preceded by a flu-like episode. Some of my doctors have suggested that this symptom might be caused by damage to a cranial nerve from a virus, or damage caused by trauma to the neck. I had a pretty bad snow skiing accident a few years ago.I have also had GI problems within the past 3 years, and my ENT thinks that my throat spasms are GERD related, and says it is common to have my kind of symptom without having the traditional heartburn that can accompany GERD.I am currently pursuing all avenues to determine the cause of this annoying and life-altering symptom, and will post here if I get any answers any time soon. If you find any remedies (or even a cause), I would be very interested in hearing about it. Best of luck,-Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted December 19, 2003 Report Share Posted December 19, 2003 I used to get that all the time--I used to race 5k's. At the beginning of the race I would feel like I couldn't breathe--not my lungs, but my diaphragm felt...weird. It was particularly bad if it was warm outside (over about 78 degrees F). I only get this feeling now when I'm under heavy exertion.Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ling Posted December 23, 2003 Report Share Posted December 23, 2003 Dear JacobyDI am going to go home tonight and bring my bottle of medication for you. I will e-mail you the active ingredients. I use to suffer from the throat problem and the tablets use to work great. Who knows maybe it can help you to. I remember how scary it was! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacobyD Posted December 23, 2003 Report Share Posted December 23, 2003 Thank you Ling! That is very kind of you .-Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany08xu Posted December 24, 2003 Report Share Posted December 24, 2003 Dan,I have been having throat or neck cramps,I haven't known how to explain them but cramp is the perfect word. I worried about Shy Drager at first but after reading this post I do feel better. I am hoping that this is a passing thing,but it helps to know there is something out there to help,some times after I yawn my neck cramps for awhile. Does that ever happen to you?Bethany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacobyD Posted December 24, 2003 Report Share Posted December 24, 2003 Hi Bethany.Yes, I also get cramps now and then. I tried a new medication a few weeks ago (Gabitril) to actually try and help with the throat spasms but after a week or two I started getting extreme cramping on the right and left side of my neck. I also had with what felt like a cramp right in the middle of my throat. I couldn't even talk for a day or two after that one.I can relate to the yawning as well! That will do it every time! Hope you are feeling better and have a great holiday.-Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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