Bronchiectasis coughing and unable to breath.

Hi, yes I've experienced it a couple of times, I've only been diagnosed for about 2-3 years now, not as severe as yourself though. It's happened to me at work, I find mine is caused by my Airways being blocked by mucus building up, as its hard to control when your sitting at your desk in the middle of an office.!

I would certainly tell your GP though.

Glenda, it's very easy to get in that situation. Get checked by your lung doc. If they say no problem, you may want to practice some calming breaths. This is simple, just means that in coughing/laughing fits you train yourself to inhale through your nose & exhale through the mouth. We all tend to try to gasp in air through our mouths during coughing fits but that doesn't work because you're trying to inhale and exhale through your mouth at the same time. This can cause hyperventilation, panic attacks and, yes, possibly passing out. If you do pass out, have no fear as while "out" your body should go into normal nose breathing.

I wonder if it starts being a coughing fit and then goes into a case of hyperventilation. At least that's what it sounds like to me. I know because I've done it before. I went to the emergency room because I thought I was having an asthma attack when it really turned out to be hyperventilation. I've also gone to the doctor's office but it was the same thing... hyperventilation. You could carry around a paper bag and take yourself into the bathroom and try breathing into the paper bag. But you don't really need the paper bag if you can talk yourself down from it. One of the first things you should try doing is listen to a guided meditation or guided relaxation depending on what you want to call it. Listen to it everyday at least once a day. But twice is better. You can do one time at bedtime which is not a bad time per se but you should at least do it once while you'll be awake for the entire tape. Then when you have one of these fits you use some of those keywords that you've learned in the tape and you say them to yourself. For example let's say that the tape uses the words limp and relaxed. When you are having one of these fits and you say those words to yourself and your body instinctively starts to relax just like it would do during the tape. This really can happen because I've done it. And I did it with the help of a psychiatrist who did biofeedback. And that is what this is essentially. Of course you can go to a person who does biofeedback and pay them lots and lots of money and they will hook you up to a machine so that you can see just how relaxed you really are while you're listening to the tape. Or you can do it my way and do it for free or at least maybe the cost of the relaxation tape. Although you can find them for free online. If you don't know if you're hyperventilating or really having problems breathing use an oxygen saturation meter. If your oxygen is low then you really should go to the emergency room but if it is high you know what is hyperventilation.