Can't Get Full Breath Often Recently, Constantly Yawning

[cctalk]

Okay, I hate whatever this new feeling like I'm not actually getting a full breath thing is. It happened maybe a couple of other times over the last few months but it was usually only when I was lying down or walking around for a long period of time and felt very fatigued. And it would go away after a day or two.

It's been two weeks this time and it actually took me a few episodes to notice it was my breathing. I just thought I was having some weird stomach issues because it felt sort of like my chest/diaphragm was full of air, that achy kind of feeling you get when you're hungry. Then I began yawning uncontrollably, almost like a reflex, every time I took a breath. I yawn so much when I get this feeling that I can't even get a word out and my eyes water to where it looks like I am crying! And I can't stop yawning until I get a full deep breath! And then it repeats itself.

That's when I realized I wasn't actually getting a full breath a lot, or it at least felt that way. It's been happening every day now. Sitting, laying down, standing, walking around, any activity and it will just hit me really randomly. Sometimes it starts as soon as I wake up and I deal with it all day. Other times it happens mid afternoon and continues on into the night. I haven't really had dizziness issues since starting midodrine and mestinon so I'm bummed because not only is it uncomfortable to feel like my breaths aren't satisfying, if I can't yawn big enough or get a full breath fast enough I get super dizzy like I'm not getting enough oxygen and I feel like I am going to faint.

In general I don't breath fast. I actually feel like my breaths are really slow. And I haven't been noticing tachycardia as long as I take all my meds as scheduled. Does anyone have any advice/thoughts or similar experiences? I don't have chest pain. It literally feels like I can't get enough oxygen. At first it was just annoying and now it's really making me feel groggy and dizzy.

[SarahA33]

Hi there,

I wish I had something to personally reassure you, I'm just sorry your feeling like this. I remembered reading something similar a while back, I hope this helps a little. Do you have a cardiologist or doc you can call? Hope this subsibes soon for you

Sarah

http://forums.dinet.org/index.php?/topic/25579-what-is-air-hunger/?hl=%2Bconstantly+%2Byawning#entry240796

[ophelialit]

Hi cctalk,

I know EXACTLY how you feel with this one--I've had this particular symptom for as long as I can remember. When I was in elementary school, in fact, I used to get reprimanded all the time for yawning CONSTANTLY in class. The teachers thought I was being rude, but I was just trying to live, apparently!

It still affects me on a nearly daily basis...I especially notice it if I'm on the phone and walking around while I'm talking. For some reason, the combination of walking and talking absolutely saps my ability to breathe normally, and I end up panting into the phone while the person I'm talking to is wondering why I've gone all obscene phone call on them. However, I can do cardio at the gym and breathe just fine--heavily, but appropriately. The ONLY thing I've found that helps is literally breathing into a paper bag...I'm not technically hyperventilating, but all of the yawning and forcing deep breaths must throw off my oxygen saturation, and the old paper bag trick usually works for at least a little while.

Hope you breathe easier soon...

Erin

[cctalk]

Thanks to you both!

I do. I don't have a cardiologist currently though because I didn't think I needed one nor has my main doctor who is a neurologist suggested one. It almost feels muscular so I'm going to talk to him about it first. I'm wondering if it has to do with any more nerve damage or something. It was preceeded by about 2 months of progressive intense muscle spasms/rippling movement all over my chest, the sides of my ribs, and all over my abdomen. So I'm sort of wondering if it could be like an internal muscle weakness in my breathing muscles or something.

I'll have to try the paper bag trick! The first time I googled it I basically saw everyone saying it was anxiety so you hyperventilate but google doesn't do you much good when it doesn't know that you have actual real medical problems going on. And I know what anxiety-not-breathing feels like! Completely different. This doesn't make me panic or even get nervous I actually get really really tired haha. It's mostly just uncomfortable.