Extreme Chronic Fatigue and (undiagnosed) lung disorder - PLEASE HELP!

You need a good diagnostician, and the CT scan of the lung is a good idea. Might also try a rheumatologist.

I hate to state the obvious but ALL of us feel the need to inhale ALL the time, including when lying down resting or even asleep. Without that constant need, we're dead.

Did you ever work as a fireman?

Hi Mindhunter!  So sorry you are having such a struggle!.  Please INSIST on a CT scan.  If your doctor won't prescribe one, keep looking for a doctor that will!  I was misdiagnosed with asthma many years ago and those years were wasted as far as beneficial treatment goes.  FINALLY a doctor realized there was more going on and set up a CT scan.  That is how I was diagnosed with COPD.  Please keep in touch on this forum and let us know what happens.  A CT scan will definitely either show COPD or not.

Don't panic. Breathlessness leads to panic attacks which worsen the symptoms. COPD sufferers with dyspnoea (breathlessness) suffer from ten times the number of panic attacks. The breathlessness is generally from retaining too much CO2 rather than insufficient oxygen. I had severe breathlessness a year ago due to Stage 3 COPD (emphysema and bronchitis) and my blood pH showed I was slightly acidic which us a sign of excessive CO2. I started noting my breathing patterns and found I was breathing more rapidly than normal but not as deep as I could. The shallow rapid breathing was making the build up of CO2 worse. I started doing the recommended 'pursed lips' breathing as well as lots of deep breathing to try to expel the excess CO2. After a couple of months my phosphate dropped and I became hypophospatemic so had my blood pH tested again and it was too alkaline. I had expelled too much CO2! I had to try to change my breathing pattern again. I noticed I was breathing fairly rapidly, then found there is a correlation between breathing rate and illness. The more ill someone is, over a range of conditions, the more rapid their breathing becomes. The time between the out breath and next in breath shortens. I continued deep breathing but taught myself to re-lengthen the gap between breaths. I also stopped open mouth breathing as that lowers your nitric oxide levels, which is dependant on a biochemical reaction in your nose. My phosphate and blood pH returned to normal, and now I only get occasional periods of breathlessness that I manage to 'breath through'. My GP had not seen a COPD patient breath themselves from respiratory acidosis into respiratory alkaloids and it generally only happens with COPD sufferers who are put on assisted ventilation, but it is possible. Look at your current breathing pattern. Are you rapidly breathing in through your mouth when feeling breathless? How soon after an out breath do you need to breath back in? Whatever your underlying pulmonary condition is your symptoms will worsen unless you manage to adjust your breathing depth and rate to compensate. As this is normally under the automic control of your brain stem it can be difficult to gain conscious control, but it is possible. You need to practice your 'new' breathing style until it becomes habitualised. The two ways we maintain body pH is through retention/expulsion of CO2 and through bicarbonate produced by the liver. The carbon dioxide turns to carbonic acid that increases blood acidity, and the bicarbonate increases alkalinity. The CO2 levels are the quickest way our bodies adjust blood pH, and retains more when our bodies are too alkaline and expels more when our blood is too acidic through subconsciously altering our breathing patterns. Have a blood pH test done to see if the breathlessness is from excessive CO2 retention (would be acidic), and if it is then try to adjust you breathing pattern accordingly. It won't fix the underlying pulmonary problem but will stop the constant breathlessness.