I have had trouble breathing for the last year. Sometimes I just can't seem to get air, or can't take a deep breath. Sometimes it starts if I look down. Sometimes I feel like I'm being choked. I can be breathing fine and then all of a sudden have to gasp for air.
I am 46, not overweight, have a thyroid disorder, am hypoglycemic. Not real active.
4 years ago I saw a cardiologist because my heart was skipping a lot. They ran many tests and said I had extra beats int he upper and lower chambers but otherwise my heart looked very good. My GP suspected a very mild case of MVP. The cardio dr said the skips were most likely caused by my thyroid levels being off. (and they were severly at the time).
I do still get skips now, sometimes I find it more difficult to breathe when my heart skips, but not always. What worries me is that I will suddenly feel like I can't get air and then anxiety sets in. I feel like I have to think about breathing to breathe. I;ve had trouble breathing off and on since diagnosed with a thyroid disorder, but it has never lasted daily for a year as it is now.
I do not have any allergies and am currently trying to rid my body of candida. I had a thyroid ultrasound done to rule out swelling in my thyroid since often I feel like I'm being choked. It came back normal.
What kind of breathing difficulty is associated with heart problems? Could this be heart related? Most the time when I have a lot of trouble breathing I don't have any skips, at least none that are noticeable, sometimes I do have skipping. I just feel like I can't get air or my lungs arn't working.
Any help or advice would be appreciated. I don't have insurance and I can't afford a lot of expensive tests.
I've got Heart Failure, Insulin Resistance and Asthma, all of which can cause Breathing difficulty, so, for me, it can be somewhat difficult to determine the cause(s) of my breathing difficulties.
One of my main causes of Breathing Difficult was Insulin Resistance, (ref: Metabolic Syndrome). If I consume too many carbs in a meal, or for the day, it can cause breathing problems, among other things. After a couple of years of strict diet, this condition has improved dramatically.
Do you know approximately how many carbs and calories you consume regularly in any one meal, or during the day? Do you have breathing difficulties all the time, or infrequently.
What medication do you take. Sometimes medications can cause breathing difficulties, especially when they interact with other medications, foods or drinks.
In my case, with Heart Failure, when my heart is misbehaving, my exercise capacity is limited. Too strenuous of an exercise can cause breathing difficulties for hours. How is your exercise tolerance?
My breathing difficulty doesn't seem to be related to anything in particular. I can get an "attack" at any time. Doesn't seem to matter what I do or not do. This weekend I looked down and had a catch in my breath and then had trouble breathing for about 5 or 10 minutes, then it subsided. Last evening I had a tightness in my throat and trouble breathing. The strange thing is that it isn't always the same. Today it has been just a vague trouble breathing all day.
I am on a low carb diet right now to fight off candida, so I don't think carbs is the problem. The only prescription meds I take are thyroid hormones which I have taken for about 8 years. Vitamins and suppliments I either have been taking for a long time or any that I just started taking arn't related since the breathing difficulty has been going on for more than a year.
I have heart failure, which frequently causes hormonal imbalances within my body, which results in breathing problems, heartbeat irregularities, high blood pressure and other nasty symptoms.
Thyroid disease can also cause hormonal imbalances. I am sure that you have researched Hashimoto's and Thyroid disease much more than I have. Do you feel that your breathing problems could be related to your Thyroid problems?
I started having breathing problems off and on years ago and that was one of my main symptoms that sent me to the dr before I was diagnosed with a thyroid issue. And, every time I had difficulty breathing my thyroid levels were off quite a bit. This time however the breathing difficulty spells have lasted much longer and seem different and my thyroid levels are not off that bad, my FT3 is just low. So, unless I'm becomming more sensitive to the levels being off then it probably isn't caused by that. At first I was sure that it was my thyroid but now I'm not so sure.
... So, unless I'm becoming more sensitive to the levels being off then it probably isn't caused by that. At first I was sure that it was my thyroid but now I'm not so sure.
An unbalanced or faulty metabolism is to blame for many ailments. We all have about 300 +/- hormones circulating through our bodies at all times, and many other Immune System chemicals such as Cytokines.
The level, of each of the 300+ hormones, is dictated by one's individual Circadian Rhythm and other influences, and the level of each Cytokine is dictated by Immune System influences, IMHO. This makes the job of evaluation and diagnosis by doctors that much more difficult, if not impossible. I have no medical education or training, so my understanding might not be totally up to par, but I think that I am fairly correct about this. I have had to learn about this to survive and get progressively better from Heart Failure and Persistent Atrial Fibrillation, with a relatively good quality of life.
That said......... when our metabolism is out of balance the result is an extremely complex soup-mix of chemicals in our bodies that can result in headaches, muscle aches, chest pains, breathing problems, heart rhythm problems, joint aches, confusion, dizziness, depression, anxiety, organ failure, gland failure, and on and on and on.
So..... if we, or our doctors, can't pinpoint, or evaluate why we are having a particular reaction, I feel strongly that the answer(s) lie within our dysfunctional metabolisms.
I'm sure you are quite right. I wish the dr I had several years ago hadn't moved away. She was really good at figuring out things. It is just so frustrating to gasp for air and not know what is going on.
Thanks for all your advice and help, I do appreciate it.
