lschwartz408

All I can say is THANK YOU to all who have replied and supported my experience. I have gone to the hospital multiple times, and have seen so many doctors, had every test I can imagine, and even begged to stay inpatient to be observed. The tests have come back clean- and I have had holter monitors and even an overnight sleep study performed. I do have “mild sleep apnea” but this isn’t the gasping for air type of thing (although I do have that too). This feeling is best described as my brain is not getting the message that I am breathing. So it therefore makes me breathe “manually”. It is a terrifying feeling but I have measured my oxygen with the pulse ox on when it has happened and it doesn’t drop. I am scared that I have brainstem damage as this has all occurred from covid. If anyone has experienced this before, please feel free to send me a direct message. I would love to talk to someone about it. And yes, I do see a therapist on a weekly basis, and they think what I am experiencing is horrible and they don’t know what it could be caused by. But he does listen to me and even records my breathing for me while sitting there with him, to see and show me if I am breathing. Thank you again for the help and friendship! ❤️

I am absolutely terrified. If there is anyone on here that can help me, it would mean so much. I have no support & I am all alone. The hospital even told me that I have mental illness & I should find a psychiatric facility ASAP. I have a new symptom that I have not experienced before and it is the scariest thing I have ever seen. I feel like I lose my ability to breathe automatically. The natural rhythmic breathing stops- like there is a disconnection between the brain & the body. This is NOT the “forgetting to breathe” or “gasping for air”. It is a feeling that my brain gives me telling me to manually breathe for myself. It is like the breathing goes off autopilot. When I get these attacks, I start to panic and I can’t get my breathing back to automatic. Some days, I have it constant 24/7. I have tried everything such as breathing exercises, and I have had multiple scans & tests done on my heart & lungs. Every cardiologist & neurologist says that they are OK. What IS this? What is causing me to feel like I am not breathing but yet my oxygen levels are fine on the finger machine. Thank you to anyone who can provide me with some information on this as I am completely terrified & I don’t know what else to do. I have gone to the ER so many times & they send me home. I am afraid that I need a ventilator to breathe for me since I don’t feel like I am doing it automatically. It is all that I can think about, and I can’t get a break from it, I am so exhausted.

So you DO get the menthol feeling in your lungs? I don’t know what is causing it but I just figured it was nerve damage. I have it when I breathe in and out. It hasn’t gone away for 2 months. Also, I sometimes can’t feel even the icy cold feeling - I just feel NOTHING. The sensory nerves aren’t working at all. I don’t know how to fix this. Thank you for your help and reply.

Thanks for the reply? So that is why you feel the cold menthol feeling in your lungs? Due to blood pooling?

Thank you so much for your help! Did you also have the icy cold sensation in your lungs? Do you know what that might be related to? Did the pain and pressure in that area inhave circled finally go away? I have been taking famotidine and omezaprole. Thank you for your reply.

Does anyone ever get an icy cold menthol feeling/sensation in their lungs when they breathe? I can’t figure out WHAT is causing this…and I don’t have covid or any other illness. Thanks for the help!

So this is a “normal” part of the AD? Thanks for your reply.

Hi Doug, what is the name of your doctor in NYC? What hospital is he/she affiliated with? thanks for the referral!

Hi, I have been suffering with an issue with the sensory nerves. They aren’t working, specifically, my lungs aren’t telling my brain to increase my respiratory rate when doing any physical exertion, or changes within the lungs. My pulse oxygen is always within normal range. I also feel like there is a blockage in my chest (and there isn’t through extensive testing). I think the sensory nerves are not working and that is what makes me “feel” like there is a blockage. In turn, this makes me feel like I am suffocating and I can’t breathe. The pressure makes me feel like someone is sitting on my chest. I have read online that this sensory nerve issue can be related to the vagus nerve damage. I can take a deep breath in, but I don’t have any “feeling” when I breathe out. It feels numb, and there is a cold sensation in my lungs. I would say it can be a cold, burning sensation, like I have inhaled menthol. It is a very disturbing and terrifying sensation. I do also have severe acid reflux (GERD) so I don’t know what is causing this feeling. please find a picture of where this unbearable pressure is located and provide me with your thoughts on what is located here and what this could possibly be. I don’t know why I have a cold, menthol type of feeling in this area. It won’t go away. I need my sensory nerves to function again! Thank you for the help!

Thank you for your reply! So it just got better Hr itself? You didn’t do anything to change it back over to automatic?

What did they do for you? How did you get it better for yourself? A problem with the brain stem- as in brain damage? I am able to go to sleep though so if it was a problem with the brain stem I don’t know how I would ever wake up. Have you ever gone to sleep? Do you know what this is related to? Thank you for your help.

Hi Everyone - I have a very serious issue and I am looking for help from anyone who has experienced this strange symptom before. I have tried to reach out to members @Agreeky and @Foggy01 because I saw that they had previously discussed this symptom, Every doctor I go to looks at me like I am crazy. I am currently in a psych unit here in the US because the doctors and my husband think I have a mental illness. I would really appreciate your help and even if you haven’t experienced it directly yourself, maybe you can put me in touch with someone who has gone through this before. Doctors are just of no help whatsoever. I keep getting this feeling /sensation that I have stopped breathing automatically. It is the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced. I have been to so many doctors and ER’s. It’s crazy. They do nothing for me. I have been completely fine with this autonomic dysfunction for over 2 years and then a month ago, I encountered that symptom and my life has been turned upside down. I have 3 small children and I am sitting in a psych hospital, unable to care for them. I feel like the signaling to my brain got shut off and I am not able to breathe unconsciously anymore when this happens. I live in panic and fear every single minute of my life due to it. I am afraid to go to sleep because of it and I am constantly monitoring my breathing to the point it has severely impacted my mental health. PLEASE get back to me as soon as you can about any experiences you have had with this symptom. Have I lost the ability to breathe on my own (normally/ unconsciously)? Is there a problem with my brainstem now? It is a feeling like I have to manually breathe for myself and I am afraid to even move. I haven’t slept in weeks because I am terrified of not breathing and dying. Thank you for your help. I am desperate.