SOB

[Jacquie802]

I know that at some point or another ppl here have suffered from Shortness of Breath. I have had it for the past couple of days, usually when I have it, it is only for a day or 2 at a time. Is there anything I can do for it at home? I really don't want to go to the doctors, because I know they are going to just send me home, and since I dont have ins. I really don't need another bill right now. I have been drinking alot of water because I get an urge to drink lots of water at times while I am out of breath, but that doesnt seem to help. Any advice is welcome!

Thanks, Jacquie

[michiganjan]

Dear Jacquie,

I certainly do understand not wanting to run to the doctor, but in this case, I would go. There are many different causes of shortness of breath, some beneign, some serious. A doctor will have the most educated opinion, based on examination and maybe tests. I don't think there is any way around this as a starting point. Once you have a diagnosis, there may be things you can do to help yourself at home.

I have shortness of breath at various times due to asthma, and at other times due to fibromyalgia--the soft tissue in my chest is sore and it hurts to breathe deeply and so I get short of breath. The self-help I do at home when this happens is different for each cause. I can recognize my causes and know what to do only because I have had all the possiblities checked out by my doc.

Go to a doctor. Get the serious stuff ruled out. Find out the cause and then you can self-treat and do yourself some good.

[ariella]

here to second the advice. it's tough to be without insurance but being short of breath can be from lots of things, some of which needs aggressive treatment. You mentioned that it has only been for a couple of days, have you had a cold or anything recently that may have gone into your lungs? Can the shortness of breath be correlated with POTS episodes?

If you do go check it out, make sure your health care provider knows that you can't keep returning because you are without insurance, and should therefore order the first round of tests in one shot, so you don't get the runaround.

feel better! shortness of breath is very miserable. I have it nearly constantly from another condition, and I always say it's the one thing that will eventually make me a bonifide crazy

ariella

[Guest Belinda]

I just went to p ulmonologist yesterday..and I have been seeing him for over a month. He finally really listened after I told him of the POTS thing.

At any rate I have felt short of breath and like my O2 isn't processing right for a couple of months now..

He said it could be tht at some point the oxyegenation of my blood drops..and odered me too take home

next week a device to monitor it for 24 hrs.

I have been told by many docs' that this is definitley something that goes along with Dysautonomia.

Okay only the two that know really anything about POTS..LOL.

Anyways, I would reccomend you go directly to pulmonoligist if you can so you don't waste money at regular doc. And if that isn't possible for right now at the moment, a lot of times humidifers or going into the bathroom with shower on and just laying in there has helped me..

I hope you get some relief.

[Jacquie802]

Hi, I have tried doing the "steam treatment w/ the shower" and I actually feel dizzy when I do it.

[Guest Belinda]

okay sorry...have you leaned over pot of water with steam-or vaporizer? The other thing is the deep-breathing thing when you place your hand on your stomach and push it up and down and count slowly while breathing in through your nose out through your mouth?

I have to behonest even with humidifer I still fell poopy and s.o.b. but this definitley is a bothersome symptom isn't it...I hate it,makes me feel like I am going to stop breathing anytime.

I hope you feel better and I am sorry I didn't have any better advice..I am switching cardiac meds.

thinking the Toprol Xl I am on may be making things worse..I didn't look to see if your on beta-blocker but I have been told those can make you short of breath..but becaue of my hearrt rate issues I couldn't withdrawal from them til I got a doc. that knew about Pots.

[Jacquie802]

Hi, I am also on Toprol XL, but they are prob gonna increase it because that is what they wanted to do last time. It almost feels like I have to remember to breath. Sure does stink.

[Guest Belinda]

Jacquie-think about what i said about the Toprol I have had may docs. tellme I should be off of it because I feel short of breathe...I don't feel like I am gasping for air..I feel it differently like my air is being robbed of me constantly and I am just going to stop breathing..anyways, talk to your doc. see if there isn't something else you could maybe try that isn't going to cause s.o.b., I am being now put on Atenolol after justspeaking wiht electrophysiologist about the s.o.b. feeling. Not that that would solve it but it might be worth a try to at least ask. I am with you on this it really *****!!!!

[cmtaylor5]

Hi, I am also on Toprol XL, but they are prob gonna increase it because that is what they wanted to do last time. It almost feels like I have to remember to breath. Sure does stink.

Sorry,

I'm still new at this, and I think I messed up my post.

I get what I think is the same SOB thing. It comes and goes. I feel like I can't breathe and that I have to remember to breathe. I've had it with and without a beta blocker. (I also take Toprol XL, it works very well for me). I thought it was my asthma acting up, especially because of the beta blocker. My doctor encouraged me to use my peak flow meter to check my lung capacity whenever I felt this way. I don't know if you've ever used one or not, but you have to take huge breaths in and then as hard and fast as you can, expel all the air that's in your lungs. You usually do it three times. What I found was that my lung capacity wasn't curtailed (so it wasn't my asthma) and oddly enough, after using the peak flow meter, almost every time, my SOB would resolve right away.

About a month after I had this happen the first time, I was on an MS website and found that some MS patients experience the same thing. Several of them talked about coughing really hard, or breathing out really hard to resolve it.

I'm not sure if we are describing the same thing, and it's always safer to get checked out by a doctor, but, I just thought I'd share what works for me (even if it sounds loopy).

Take Care,

Carolyn

[Jacquie802]

Thanks for all the replies. Toprol XL is the only bb that has worked for me. All the others don't seem to help as much. I have been on Digoxin, Atenolol, Metoprolol, Toprol XL, Verapamil...also Florinef, which isnt a bb.

Welcome to the forum Carolyn!

[vemee]

The shortness of breath was the first symptom I had that let me know I had something wrong. I use to get it only when doing extreme physical activity like firefighting ( I was a firefighter until this past year when I got too bad to work). If I tried to push through I got worse and it felt like a band was around my chest. Now I can get the same feeling of shortness of breath, not getting enough air and faintness just walking up the steps. I think it is pots related. The problem that I had was that all of the other pots symptoms (brain fog, fatigue) seemed normal to me since I was so use to them that I only complained to the doctors about the breathing. When nothing was found wrong with my lungs it was passed off as panic attacks. I know how you feel about seeing Doctors without insurance but when you can you need to have them check you out to make sure it is not another problem. In the meantime I find it helpful when short of breath to drop to my knees or even lie on my face until the breathing returns to normal. If you have an automated blood pressure cuff that you can use when you are having one of these attacks you will probably find your bp is dropping.

[Dizzy Dame]

Jacquie,

After you rule out any life-threatening causes, you may want to talk to your doctor about o2 therapy. I've been meaning to mention this to my doctor because I've learned (from multiple trips in an ambulance) that when I feel really short of breath, laying down and o2 seem to help. I know my SOB is caused from low bp, I'll actually begin to pant if I'm standing for more than 1 minute. I suppose my brain isn't getting enough blood and it sends a signal to my body that says "no air". Have you tried laying down with your legs elevated when you feel this way?

Okay. In a nutshell: Go to the doctor first. If nothings "wrong", try laying down with your legs elevated.

Let us know how it goes.

Cheers,

Lauren

[calypso]

I have nonstop shortness of breath with no identifiable cause. But it began as soon as my POTS began, so it's somehow cardiac-related. The only thing that helps me is trying not to pay too much attention to it, lying flat, and doing yoga. Beta blockers make it worse, but I have to take them to keep my heart rate down, so I take a very small dose of Toprol XL. Please be sure to get a complete cardiology and pulmonology evaluation in case it is due to something acute or treatable. But several people here do have inexplicable shortness of breath in conjunction with POTS.

Amy

[Jacquie802]

Hi, I wonder if the SOB is due to the nasty sore throat, ear ache, and headache I have right now. Who knows.