Chronic hyperventilation syndrome..here we go again
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Jesus. I can't take this. The dizziness inability to concentrate, weakness. The fact that's it's all in my head and other people have suffered years with it, I can't do that. I can't imagine a prolonged life this way, it's making me severely depressed to the point of tears. Does anyone else suffer from this? I've had it before and beat it for years, got it again beat it again..this time however seems like forever. The hopefulness of wanting to beat it isn't there. I go to the gym, I'm physically active, I run my own business and now I am reduced to this again. It all started when I got home from vacation, I got sick had to go on a Zpak and was bed ridden for 5 days.. The anxiety and panic started and it's morphed into several things, full blown panic that's subsided (for now) depersonalization (faded somewhat) and now the hyperventilation a day everyday. I see a CBT therapist once and awhile, I started 3 years ago when I had my last big break down...she helped but I feel like also what can be done NOW? Like is there a distraction out there I haven't tried? I have not taken meds as I'm pretty stubborn I feel like if they don't work I'll just go off the deep end. I don't know, it's summer and I just want my life back. I've beaten this before for years but this time it feels like my life is over. The only peace I get is the wee minutes before going to sleep because I know it's all going to stop until I wake up again. Man this sucks.
6 likes, 72 replies
kayla1865 Badluckj
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Guest kayla1865
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kayla1865 Guest
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Badluckj kayla1865
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kayla1865 Badluckj
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Badluckj kayla1865
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kayla1865 Badluckj
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Guest kayla1865
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Gulfdigs Badluckj
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Hi, can you update on if anything has worked for you? I believe I have had this for 4 months now, and it is the worst thing ever. I have had every work up imaginable and they found nothing. ER 3 times. All kinds of specialist. I take xanax 0.5mg twice daily. Doesn't really help but if I don't take, gets way worse. Started Lexapro recently out of desperation, so far only made worse. My
main symptoms are chest tightness, stomach tightness, extremely short of breath, brsin fog, dizziness, panic attacks.very very active before this, now I can hardly work or do anything. I do believe to break this self perpetuating cycle of over breathing, we have to retrain our breathing with a respiratory therapist, buteyko breathing, and or Frolovs device. I purchased that device, and will share if it works. Supposed to be easier and quicker than buteyko, but they go hand in hand. Personally I think that I was under a lot of stress and had anxiety increasing for years, then started training core/abs every day for like a month. I think the tightness in my stomach along with anxiety changed my breathing pattern from more in the diaphram to more in the chest. Plus during my workups, endoscopy found EOE. Esophagus disease causes very difficult swallowing usually caused by food allergy.
Jajzmama571 Badluckj
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markdontknow Badluckj
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I have similar issues I don't hyperventilate but I constantly feel like I need to take a deep breath and I can't stop thinking about it. It feels like my breath doesn't catch if that makes sense. Then every few minutes I get a deep breath and its so relieving and immediately it starts again. I'm asthmatic and a pot smoker so I thought it was asthma related but it doesn't feel like an attack I've done all the breathing test lung xrays and nothing. There is no rhyme or reason I can think of that induces it sometimes I'm fine for a week a month then boom its back sometimes a few days the worse time was 2 months. It started 2 years ago. I've never been depressed or stressed out really. Damn I'm frustrated. I know I can breath because the test say so and having a few asthma attacks when I was younger I know what not being able to breath really feels like, but I know I can't at the same time.
kimjen markdontknow
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You are the first person in my whole 52 years on this planet that has described what I experience! I have felt so alone with this. Constant visits to doctors, psychiatrists, hypnotherapist you name it and never has anyone made me feel like I'm not the only one.
my first episode was when I was 10 years old and pretty much lived with it ever since.
I live my life, have a wonderful husband, 3 amazing children and even run my own business but this just plagues me and I don't understand why.
michelle6590 kimjen
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Hi Kimjen
I came across this forum today and this is the first time in my life I've seen that other people go thru this too ! Mine started at 16 yrs old and I can go for years without symptoms .It's so awful when in this hyperventilation period . It could drive a person crazy !
Praying for peace ! One thing that brought me out of it 3 years ago was Buspar . Now I'm taking Niacin and it has helped . Not completely gone but it's taken the edge off
anxietygirl90 Badluckj
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I've had this for 4 years and start breathing therapy with a special physio next week. It's ruined my life too along with the anxiety. Fun stuff
markdontknow anxietygirl90
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Did the physiological effects get worse with time? In the beginning I chalked it up to asthma. Then my Dr. said it was probably allergies causing Bronchospasms. Ran all the tests and nothing came up but got 3 new meds anyway.after about a year of good and bad periods I began to realize the meds didn't help the issue at all. That's around the time I began to obsess over it. I'm 2 yrs in now and I don't exactly know what depression is but during my last episode around the 5th day I was really frustrated and next thing I know I got angry at my wife and kids for no reason I sat on the floor in the corner of a room and I had a feeling of helplessness I've never experienced before. My wife finally came in and told me to stop acting like a Lil bitch and I kind of snapped out of it. That's when I did some more research and found a whole group of people experience the same thing that gave me hope. but the more I read I realize this issue has really messed with people's minds. I've always been easy going and am wondering should I be prepared for the struggle to get worse. For the first time in my life the glass is half empty and I don't like it.
anxietygirl90 markdontknow
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I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this!
The frustration is common! When I was 1 year into my breathing problem, it started getting worse and I didn't have days in between episodes where it let up. I went to the hospital numerous times but they would only give me a chest X-ray and tell me I'm fine. One day it got so bad I tried to commit suicide by taking a lot of pills but luckily my boyfriend at the time found me and rushed me to hospital where I had my stomach pumped.
I know it's from the anxiety because if I take enough Xanax it will settle down a little. I finally got the hyperventilation syndrome diagnosis only 2 weeks ago when a physician tested my arterial blood gas levels and they were all out of whack. I get out of breath just talking sometimes. I'm due to see a breathing physio in a few weeks to retrain the brain/breathing connection and also due to start ssri's as my anxiety has gotten a lot worse and I'm incredibly nauseous everyday/not eating.
It can be real hard work some days. The breathing doesn't get worse id say.. in the beginning I freaked out over it more so probably made it worse by doing so.. either that or I'm getting used to it now. When I can take a deep breath I don't quite recognise who I am.
Take care and I'm here to talk if you need, I know how hard it can be
markdontknow anxietygirl90
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kimjen markdontknow
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Yes please let us know!
I found a respiratory physiotherapist about 8 years ago and she really helped me but I found as soon as she finished the sessions I was back to square one again. I wish my gp would take it more seriously and refer me to someone. I am currently having CBT on the NHS which is via telephone and hopeless. I have had 2 sessions and repeated the same questions over and over. She doesn't know what to do for me because I can't tell her what is making me anxious. To me it is a chicken and egg situation, I can't breathe so I get anxious and then I can't breathe 😩 How do you explain it to someone who hasn't experienced it?
so good to hear people discussing it it's what I have wanted for years!