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rapid & Shallow breathing


Wufflebear

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I have seen that rapid & shallow breathing is a symptom of dysautonomia. My breaths per minute since at least high school is like 25-27 breaths per minute (sitting and being restful). Anyone else have this?? No doc ever says anything about it. It is all the time. It probably slows down some when I am laying down. But I have not counted.

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I don't know if I have noticed this on a day to day basis, but I recently had a TTT where it was a problem. I was up for like 20 minutes, and I started feeling my breating become more rapid, and then I passed out. When I came to, I was breating really fast and the nurse and doctor kept telling me to try to slow down. Even when they brought my mom in after I had stabilized she said I sounded like I was panting. I have noticed it a little bit before during pre-syncope episodes as well, but I have never counted my resps or had it all the time.

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Before being correctly diagnosed with dysautonomia I was "diagnosed "with hyperventilation syndrome and treated with IV Mag sulphate to try and re set my chemo receptors. Didnt help and I found if I tried to alter my rate of breathing I just got very much worse... had my one and only panic attack trying to slow down my breathing.....mine tends to be faster when I lie down but is probably because my chest gets tight and painful lying .I do believe its all part of the dysautonomia package and mine is best treated by picking up a good book or turning on the TV and distracting myself.

Margaret

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Hello,

I definitely experience shortness of breath. For me it comes and goes - weeks with it and weeks/months without. I'm not sure if my breating is rapid or if I just feel short of breath.

It's a horrible feeling! I also have to distract myself because if I focus on it it feels frightening.

Hope you find something that helps,

Lisa

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Hi, I'm pretty sure 12-24 resperations per minute for an adult are normal. Seems like yours are just a tad high. I notice there are times when my breathing is rapid and then there are other times where I feel like I have to remember to breath.

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Hi, Your post really struck a cord with me. I have been complaining of feeling like I'm hyperventilating and my doc feels it's part of my anxiety and panic. I feel IT makes me feel anxious and panic. What a unending oddessy this all is. I never counted My breaths, I'll try and see what it is. Ok I counted 19/min, I'll try counting them next time I feel like I'm hyperventilating and see what it is then. I was never told this could be a symptom of POTS. I WONDER WHAT ELSE THEY DIDN'T TELL ME. I'm going to ask to have my potassium and other levels checked. I was told to eat 2-3 bannana's a day and not to worry. I still am worryng though.

Take Care

Kim

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I breath like this all the time and have for years. When I really feel bad though It either increases or I will actually hold my breath..where I have to remind myself to breath. I also find the only thing that helps when It starts kicking up more is to watch tv or something...distraction is a good tool.

It is no wonder I cant excersize sometimes...how much faster can you possibly breath. lol And i find too that if I try to slow it down I just get super spacy and air heady. It definately does not work to do that.

Thanks for the feedback! ;)

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hmichael,

I know exactly what you mean, when I try to do the breathing techniques my counselor taught me sometimes it actually makes things worse. Last week she told me a new one. Try and only breath 4X/min, once every 15 seconds. This is supposed to do something with your oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange that after a few minutes stops hyperventalation. I've tried it, it feels like I'll suffocate, and I get dizzy.

Kim

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I bet!

When i was in labor with our daughter my husband tried to get me to attempt to match his breathing...No way Jose! I though I was going to panic from no air! I felt dizzy and lightheaded. It made it way worse. We may breath fast but it is shallow, so I think it is different then hyperventilation. It is something else...like potsy. lol

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i find that anytime i focus on my breathing, then it only makes it worse, thats why i cant meditate because you are suppposed to focus on your breath, and i find trying to distract myself helps me more than counting or holding my breath for a number of seconds, but when i get hyper from an adrenaline surge, or am having palpitations, i am definately breathing faster, like i am running, and i wish i could slow it down, but it eventually does in its own time,

radha

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Ideal respiration rates are 8-10 breaths a minute. I spoke to a specialist about this and biofeedback.

Have you tried this?

Whenever I feel myself breathing too fast, I use my biofeedback machine and it slows me down from 18+ to 9 in 15 minutes, every time.

I personally begin to feel uncomfortable if I'm going over 17 breaths a minute- I begin to get dizzy through lack of oxygen then.

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Hmmm...in my EMT class we learned that anyone with resperations under 8/min needs to be ventilated.

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I did not know that breathing abnormalities were a symptom. Logically it makes sense since brathhhing is a automatic (autonomic) function. Since we have a (or several) types of dysautonomia hyperventalating, breathing to slow, and feeling breathless would be a symptom. I am very awaare of my breathing when I lie flat or if I am tryying to relax. I thought I was just odd. I had a horrible time with breathiing to shallow and to slow since my late 20's and seem to over breathe when I am nervous. Durring a asthma attack I try to regulate my breathing; then as I am coming out of it I hyperventilate every time. Distraction works and in a medical situation I try to use a focul point. The worse thing is that during sedattion for bronchoscopy, endoscopy, and colosccopy, I had trouble breathing and all three times I ended up being put under general anesthesia. Then I have to stay longer on 02 through recovery and for 24hours because my body forgets to breathe. I am typing so many mistakes that I am going to apologize and quit. Hang in there everyone and remember to relax and breathe deep.

Oh, I also had trouble during my tilt since the lady was telling me when to breathe I felt as if I was being smothered, my mom said that I woke upp fome fainting saying that I could nit breathe and that my oxegyn level did drop to 89%, while my bp was 58/30 and my pulse was 145.

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Guest Belinda

i have more problems with feeling like i cannot breathe more than anything..feels like I breathe heat out of nose and mouth..and occasionally feels like I have some apnea.

I was just at ER on Sat. and the neuro. who treats POTS told me this is a defionite symptom of Autonomic dysfunction..s.o.b.

It is so bothersome for me. I asked hiom will I just stop breathing he said no, so I guess i have to go on that.

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I go down to 4 breaths a minute when I am really calm- remember that you have to be sitting still and relaxed to use biofeedback! So you're not physically exerting yourself in any way. I can feel the oxygen doing me good when I breathe in slowly and deeply like that. It really does work- try www.respirate.com

Apparently it's on prescription in the US, though I had to buy mine here in the UK- you know what the Brits are like- years behind everyone else!!!

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Oh my goodness Persephone, how do you not pass out?!?! :rolleyes: Just thinking about my resp. going down to 4/ min. makes me nervous, LOL. Glad you found something that works for you though!

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I got the rapid shallow breathing symptom from this link. The first is on hypotension and the symptoms that can signal an underlaying problem...

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/low-blood...0590/DSECTION=2

"Some people with low blood pressure are in peak physical condition with strong cardiovascular systems and a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke. For these people, low blood pressure, rather than being a cause for concern, is a cause for celebration.

But low blood pressure can also signal an underlying problem, especially when it drops suddenly or is accompanied by signs and symptoms such as:

Dizziness or lightheadedness

Fainting (syncope)

Lack of concentration

Blurred vision

Nausea

Cold, clammy, pale skin

Rapid, shallow breathing

Fatigue

Depression

Thirst "

There is also this: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/low-blood...0590/DSECTION=6

"Even moderate postural, postprandial or neurally mediated hypotension can seriously affect quality of life, leading not only to dizziness and weakness but also to fainting and a risk of injury from falls. And severely low blood pressure from any cause can deprive your body of enough oxygen to carry out its normal functions, leading to damage to your heart and brain.

In addition, chronic low blood pressure may increase the risk of Alzheimer's-type dementia in some older adults. A diastolic pressure lower than 70 over a long period of time is most closely associated with dementia, and for every 10-point drop in pressure, the likelihood of dementia may increase by as much as 20 percent....."

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I just want to clarify that breathing is not fully autonomic--there is some level of "conscious control". Anyone who'd been weaned off a respirator can tell you that if they become too relaxed they can actually "forget" to breath and set off the alarm, which serves to rouse them and reminds them to pull in breath. Additionally, those with apnea may actually set off their own internal alarm, which tells the body to wake up because we're out of oxygen, hence interrupting the sleep cycle.

Nina

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