I feel like I can't take a deep breath

So I've been feeling like i cant take a deep breath for about a week now. About a month ago i was driving back home about two hours and i felt as if i couldn't breathe. I went to bed and I woke up the next morning and was fine. Then on Tuesday of this past week I felt as if i could not take a full deep breath. I would yawn constantly and it barely helped.

I feel as if my body is craving oxygen and I need to take a deep breath. Only problem is I physically can't. It feels as if when i am breathing normally, the air enters my lungs just fine, but when I take a deep breath, nothing happens. It feels as if my lings do not fully expand, and at the end of the breath, I am fighting myself to get my lungs ti expand, but they just wont. Then after constant fighting, EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, I CAN TAKE A GLORIOUS DEEP BREATH. But then I try to repeat it once I get that good breath, and back to fighting for air again.

I've gone to the doctor three separate times this week alone and they tell me its General Anxiety Disorder. And that I just need to relax. I insisted the doctor give me an EKG, which came back normal, I insisted they check my heart for murmers and such (since the heart is the pump that allows oxygen to travel through the body) and they said its fine. I told the Dr my resting heart rate is in the 40-55 range depending on the day and they told me I am athletic and its fine. I insisted on having a chest X-Ray and was told it came back fine, just that my bronchials are a little inflamed. (so I was prescribed claritin, an inhaler, and oral steroids to reduce inflammation) but it seems like nothing is working.

I even bought a finger pulse oxygen meter and my levels are between 95-99 (more so between 97-99) depending on the day or time of day.

Has anyone found out the cause of this?

It is driving me crazy!

i had this issue for 9 hideous months before a physiotherapist finally figured it out. i saw all kinds of people to try solve it - doctor, chiropractors, physios, massage therapists, naturopaths - i tried it all. i tried anti anxiety meds too and for me, they didnt do anything to solve the issue, not even ativan touched it. in my case, it was an issue with my ribs and all the muscles around them. the muscles from my armpit down were the worst, but basically everything in my ribcage was off. i knew she had the problem figured out when i went into the first appointment and she pushed hard into my ribs on each side and i could take a breath as long as she held her hands there. i actually cried when she said she had seen this twice before and could fix it. it took 6 months of physio to resolve and i still go to appointment every two months just to keep things in check. i also did a lot of strength training which also helped. i asked her why she was able to figure this out when other physios could not and she said she specializes in ribs and its also a bit of luck as this is a bit of an unusual problem and not all physios have seen it. anyway, thought i'd post because i remember how horrible this issue was and i had signed up for updates on this thread a long time ago, and just recieved some notices from it. i think there are several different things that can cause this (anxiety and thyroid issues are two other possible causes; i'm sure there are more), and this just happened to be mine. hope it helps someone. good luck to all.

I have been to A&E twice in a week with this.

Heads up...I am 37 female, smoker, have had 8 children. Medical history of hypermobility joint syndrome, scoliosis, spondylosis and I am a coeliac.

A small ECG ruled out anything heart, a chest x-ray ruled out anything lungs. Blood tests ruled out clots.

I originally thought this was anaemia but blood tests showed all levels normal and good, apart from transferrin saturation, which was considered low at 18%, but GP refused to give me iron supplements for that.

I am having another blood test tomorrow for ige (allergies blood) and liver function. I also was given some omeprazole today but I dont have pain. I have this ridiculous almost physical restriction. I even start welling up when Im driving as I cannot get that deep breath. I have tried different postures different breathing techniques, its even got to the point of when I can grab that deep breath, I hold it in just as a moment of real satisfaction as I dont know when my next one will be. I am hurting all the muscles around my top back and just around the sternum, with the strain of trying to breathe deeply.

I would have been happy to have been told it was anaemia, then I know it would be OK, or even I was convinced a pneumothorax (air around the lung stopping it from expanding) as I thought ok a chest drain and easy breathing again.

I am very happy all was clear but its miserable as I still dont know what this is.

About 2 weeks ago, we used a hefty amount of pesticides and had flea treatment in the home and I was having palpitations for a few days which scared me, but they have subsided and this has crept up. I thought maybe it was that? It doesnt seem likely now though. I was given an inhaler...that didnt help at all, piriton (max dosage all day)...nope...even prednisolone didnt help and oh my gawd I felt so so ill on that I was literally confined to bed.

Palpitations before was linked to coffee (13 cups a day) so now I am completely caffeine free. I was told years ago I have an extrasystole (ectopic heartbeat) which is normal and harmless but I feel it more than average.

I am still convinced this is iron deficiency or even now a muscle problem?

I am so upset as it is the summer holidays and I feel like doing nothing. Just relaxing in bed which ironically the breathlessness tends to subside.

Or like now sitting in my shed writing this blog Im not thinking about it and I havent felt it.

I dont accept the whole anxiety issue as I have major anxiety issues but this has never ever happened...only during a real panic attack but even that I can eventually control.

Any help please?????

Have you found anything? Please if anyone knows anything about this please let me know. I'm going to try to explain how i feel as much as i can. First, I've been dealing with this for 5 years now. It comes and goes but when it comes it can last up to 3 months 24/7. I feel like i cannot take a deep breath whatsoever, sometimes i force myself to yawn and then i get a little bit of relief but not for long. I'ts not that i cant breath, i can but it just feels uncomfortable, like i'm being suffocated. I have this constant urge to burp but its difficult for me to let the air out, sometimes i feel it moving and it doesn't get out, (ive even tried sticking my finger down my throat to get the air out and ALOT of air came out) it's as if i have a lot of air trapped and from how much air it won't come out. I feel discomfort in my upper abdominal and as if there's a ball stuck in my throat. I don't know why but my stomach gets bloated. I have went to several doctors, got all sorts of tests (X rays, ultrasounds, blood test, thyroid test, heart examination, lung examination and more) done and everything came back normal. I even went to a lung specialist and did the blow test to see how my lungs are and it came back excellent. I've had doctors tell me it's anxiety and doctors that didn't believe me. I don't think it is anxiety because it lasts forever, from the minute i wake up until i fall asleep i feel like i cannot take a deep breath. It has nothing to do with stress because i feel it when im not even stressed. In the comments below some people said something about it being a rib issue and that kind of makes sense, its the only thing i haven't gotten checked out so if anyone knows anything PLEASE let me know. What doctor should i see? Has anyone gotten this figured out?