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difficulty breathing at night-:(

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JGoodman
JGoodman

For about 3 weeks now I have been experiencing difficulty sufficiently breathing, especially at night. It's a sensation that I can only describe as a feeling of not being able to get enough air in my lungs' or 'a tightness in my chest/airways. It's still apparent during the day but worsens by night. I also have a dry cough accompanied by wheeziness when I inhale and I feel like I might need to phlegm but it hardly ever comes out. On the rare occasions that I do actually phlegm; it's mostly clear and rather sticky.

Moreover, last week I went to see my GP, he examined my chest with a stethoscope and failed to detect any signs of infection in fact; to my surprise he even said that my lungs sounded rather 'healthy'. He did however notice that my pulse was rapid and saw that I had previously come to the doctors with issues regarding anxiety and was very keen on pinning everything down to anxiety. I was quite skeptical of this but went home and tried to ignore the symptoms. A couple of days passed and the symptoms were still there and so I booked an appointment to see a specialist nurse.I explained my symptoms to the nurse and she then examined me with a stethoscope. She said that my chest sounded fine and there was no sign of infection. She then came to a conclusion that I might be suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as I told her that I occasionally get heartburn. She prescribed me some omeprazole (a medication that controls the amount of acid produced in the stomach.)

I've been taking these every day for the past week but I'm just extremely dazzled and confused. How on earth could a stomach related issue effect my breathing? How was she so keen on pinning it down to acid reflux, even though I wasn't experiencing the main symptoms of it?? I'm just utterly confused! In my opinion I was experiencing asthma like symptoms but neither the doctor or nurse tested me for asthma. I just want some advice and closure on the subject as it's keeping me up at night and getting me worried.

additional information:

-I'm a 17 year old male.

-I used to smoke on occasions but I've completely stopped for about a month. (could the difficulty breathing be connected to quitting smoking?)

-I've had many lifestyle changes recently, for example I've had a change in diet, stopped consuming caffeine and have been doing a lot of exercise (but however have stopped since my symptoms arose)

Thanks you for reading, advice + your opinion would be much appreciated

0 likes, 27 replies

27 Replies

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  • bibhuti171995
    bibhuti171995 JGoodman

    Posted

     i'm a 20yr old boy i'm very thin & short . i have a problem at night time every rainy & winter season difficult to my breathing time doctor could not find what's problem.

  • mike18552
    mike18552 JGoodman

    Posted

    I have only had the feeling of not getting enough air into my lungs on a few occasions but when it happened at night it was a scary feeling .. my sister has similar symptoms so maybe its hereditary. . I have begun lung expansion exercises by deep breathing holding and release, this really helps both in expanding your lungs and a really deep sleep . I have used an antiseptic called Friars Balsam most of my life , for cuts and abrasions, but most importantly its a wonderful inhalent.... it cures lung and throat infections ..when you inhale it you wont believe how much air your lungs can hold. Follow this procedure . Place a small steel tin or saucepan on a stove at low heat , pour two cups of water add a teaspoon of friars Balsam and stir. If you have a small funnel place that over the pot until you see the funes rising . Move your mouth a few inches over the funnel - inhale - hold then swallow, then exhale through your nose .Repeat as many time as you can ... do this procedure twice daily and you will get great relief. Every time you re boil the solution add a fresh teaspoon of friars ..this solution will stain your pot .

    happy breathing ...Mike

    • mariav1011
      mariav1011 mike18552

      Posted

       I am going to try that because I have the same problem... not all the time though. First time experienced it is when I was under a lot of stress and hated my job, after suffering with this for two months I quit my job and just like that overnight I was much better and the problem went away.  So it could've been anxiety, But when it first started I thought it was when I was so tired that I would go into a deep sleep but my brain was still alert and my breathing would go into the shallow breathing when you're sleeping yet I was still awake and that would make me gasp for air ...so I thought who knows. The other thing I noticed is if I eat late at night and I have a full stomach the second happened.

  • mariav1011
    mariav1011 JGoodman

    Posted

     Hello Mr. Goodman, I have the same problem that you were describing doesn't happen all the time but I noticed that if I eat late at night and have a very full stomach this occurs to me. But on the other hand I remember about a year ago when I was under a lot of stress at my job ... as soon as I woods about to fall asleep I would be gasping for air so very strange sensation and scary at the same time. So I don't know if it's stress related or if it has to do with having a full stomach so I'm going to try and not to eat late at night and see how I do. 

    • letme10548
      letme10548 mariav1011

      Posted

      Hey mariav,

      Please, I share very similar symptoms as you do/did. If you ever found out what the issue was, please let me know. I'm currently suffering to the point where it's hard to continue with my day.

    • mcn
      mcn letme10548

      Posted

      Hello,

      I recently was on Flagyl treatment, and I devolved severe gassing from the gut. Unfortunately, I think I also picked an upper respiratory infection (if as a side effect from the Flagyl, I don't know). The combination of the two has been dreaded as it was a whole new feeling to me. Onlce the night starts setting in, even when I so awake, I would get "attack" that make my throat feel like I am choking and very difficult to phlegm. I would then rush for water for very temporal relief considering that my nose is congested and my mouth is so dry - like I can't generate saliva and mucus. I would have to gargle salt water to get a little relief of moisture in my mouth. Then the failure to sleep due to the mental confusion arising from the daily PPI - Esomeprazole and Metoclopramide (that I have been taking for five days now), has been like crazy for me. I don't know if I should continue with the drugs or not. I also discovered a have now a big toe pain that comes and goes in the night, if all related, I truly do not know. Today I got some referee from the phlegm, when I took some warm fresh guava leaf tea I made today. I really pray that God may heal of this condition. Please do share if you did manage to get round it. God bless you and please great well soon. I hope JGoodman and the others with similar affliction got well in Jesus's name.

  • jenniferchip
    jenniferchip JGoodman

    Posted

    I hate to say it (because it means I have to make adjustments too), but I'm pretty sure it's due to diet. I recently went off a diet that eliminated sugars, flours and sweeteners, called Bright Line Eating. I followed it off and on for 15 months because I lost weight and I absolutely loved how I felt physically (except for being cold). One week ago, I finally decided I couldn't handle the deprivation anymore, and I started practicing intuitive eating. Ever since, I've had trouble taking breaths that are deep enough, and I've been yawning over and over during the day. At night, my chest seems to tighten even further, whether I eat or not. I did some research and learned that an excess of CO2 can cause the complain to breathe deep or yawn incessantly, and the more carbohydrates we consume, the more CO2 our bodies produce as a byproduct when they're broken down. Great, right? Just peachy. I really didn't want to be on a diet anymore, but I'm so uncomfortable, so I'm going to try eating mostly non-sugar, non-flour foods, and indulging in a treat if/when I feel the need. For those of you who are desperate, it's worth a shot.

  • joshuapryce1987
    joshuapryce1987 JGoodman

    Posted

    Open the windows, it could be because of bad air in the surroundings. It also could be because of unseen dust particles.

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