Perimenopause/Menopause and shortness of breath/chest tightness/ Belching

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Anyone have the symptoms of shortness of breath with chest tightness, (air hunger) with lots of belching after eating? If so please describe... And does it get better? Mine started like 3 weeks ago and it's awful feels like i can't get a deep enough breath.

I'm also experiencing food allergies/sensitivities also to soaps and flowers and different smells, all make me choke/ cough and feels like chest tightness. Never ever have I had asthma in my life but feels like it now! My anxiety/ panic attacks are bad, antibodies are high for rheumatoid arthritis, and hashimotos, just don't know how to deal with all these new symptoms that keep getting thrown at me other than to sit and cry, cry cry! Anyone else having similar issues??? Are these symptoms all consistent with the menopause change??

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  • Edited

    Hello.

    I went through a period early this year where I coughed and hacked and was clearing my throat constantly. The cough was unproductive. The Dr listened to my lungs on more than one occasion and said they sounded fine.

    I still clear my throat quite a bit. There is also a feeling of swallowing past a lump. My acupuncturist says the throat clearing and lump feeling is thyroid. She says adrenals need to be supported too.

    I am having acupuncture twice a week and taking an herbal adrenal support supplement.

    I was having bad anxiety, health anxiety, Panic attacks, crying for no reason uncontrollably, anger, agitation, night sweats etc...

    The acupuncture and supplements are really helping. My anxiety is so much better. I will feel anxiety occasionally but it is milder and passes quickly. It is usually situational anxiety that is very mild and doesn't last long.

    Right now I am experiencing foggy headedness, my head feels huge and feels like it's going to explode.

    Sugar makes symptoms worse.

    Take care. Try different things and find what works.

    • Edited

      Hi if I had to write how I felt and suffered I would have written pretty much what you have said . I think as time passes we all teach ourselves coping strategies that sometimes work. I can't believe that I have exactly the same combinations of symptoms as you .

    • Edited

      Hello.

      That is wild that we have the same combo of symptoms.

      I am clearing my throat a lot today. The more I exert myself, the more often I clear my throat.

      I have ringing in my ears, especially the right ear. My right ear will sometimes have a thumping sound in it. It sounds like someone is thumping on my eardrum. SO annoying! So incredibly weird.

    • Edited

      Hello Struggling50

      What kind of supplements are you using for the adrenals?

    • Edited

      Hi Mary,

      I recently was told that my B6 was very low. This vitamin supports the adrenals. I have been taking 100 mil in the morning and 100 mil at night and in just one week, alot of my anxiety symptoms have tapered off. Especially my drunken vertigo sensations which I have been dealing with for 8 yrs. I am now 50.

  • Edited

    Dear Gyspy

    Yes shortness of breath was a symptom for me especially In the mornings but it did go away but like most symptoms, I found they might return again for a while! I suffer from a panic disorder generally but menopause increased my phobia! I had random panic attacks out of the blue. Common In peri/meno x

  • Edited

    Hi Gypsy, I've been experiencing these symptoms for almost 3 years now. In the past few months I've been able to cope with them better by using deep breathing techniques when it happens or before what I've learned triggers the episodes, for me lack of ventilation makes symptoms worse so I'll start the deep breathing before I go on a bus or into a shop or someone's house etc. I also do alot of things to try & minimise my anxiety (which makes it worse) which I think has helped me cope better.

  • Edited

    Yes have these very symptoms, the chest tightness and short of breath I have had on and off for two or three years, the throat thing I just started this a month ago.  At the moment I a getting some tests done to ensure my heart is working good.  I also started going back to the chiropractor as I have had chronic back issues for 12 years  My upper back was locked up, and he said this can cause chest tightness feeling.  I will say that has improved.  Get your iron levels checked as this can cause breathlessness too.  I am also starting to take more magnesium.......Stress makes things so much worse, which I know when we feel short of breath we go into anxiety mode.....try some relaxation techniques. Keep a diary when this all happens, I find if I get any of this it is leading up to my period or right after when hormones are changing....Know you are not alone, we all are experiencing this, but if you feel worried a trip to your doctor to rule out anything is a good idea....gives you peice of mine smile
  • Edited

    Ladies thank you for responding! It really helps to read what everyone else is going through with their symptoms, makes me feel not so alone in my journey!!! The breathless chest tightness and reacting to different foods and smells is definitely a new one for me, and quite scary...

    I'm 46 and believe I'm going through my change as I have so many horrible symptoms, I'm just not sure where I'm at in my cycle because I had a hysterectomy when I was 27, doctor left ovaries but took everything else. I do believe I started to experience peri symptoms that weren't to bad in my 30s I think my ovaries were declining. Hysterectomy was for pre cancer cells in my cervix, and after taking uterous it was all contained to the cervix and not had made it to uterus yet! So because of all that really can't take HRT, and pretty sure I wouldn't want to anyways. Well not sure where I'm at in cycle but do know and feel very imbalanced in the hormone department with all my crazy symptoms. Thanks again ladies for all the wonderful replies..

    • Edited

      Hello.

      I get chest tightness with a burning sensation sometimes upon waking up. I get a rush of adrenaline then a tight burning feeling in my chest followed by anxiety.

      I lost my sense of taste and smell, then they came back. Sometimes they are extremely heightened.

      Take care

    • Edited

      Hi Stuggling50,

      Yes that anxiety is awful it makes one feel so wired and disconnected from self it's just the worst argg!!!! The breathless feeling that I get with the tightness in chest can happen after eating, if I'm just walking around, or if I get a good wiff of something that I'm assuming I've become sensitive to, my chest immediately gets tight and hard to breathe (very scary) I cover my face right away and remove myself from the room to get fresh air and then it passes, but the breathlessness can hang around for hours.. So I'm hoping these are just some nasty new symptoms of peri/memo and they will go away as quick as they came (wishful thinking)

      So I did notice the extremely heightened smells for a couple of weeks before the breathing issues started, and I really thought how strange! And I also got the very bad ringing in the ears and sensitive to noise, now that hurt was awful but it passes and hasn't returned thank God!! This is all quite a ride and I'm so ready for it to end.. I noticed when I was 42/43 I started getting really a 2nd I do mean really bad shoulder pain (frozen) then it would go to other shoulder and I didn't put it together with peri/memo until recently. But I did go to doctor for blood work and my antibodies were very high consistent with rheumatoid arthritis, along with high antibodies consistent with hashimotos.

      So really not sure what's causing what but it sure seems like my body is attacking itself! I did read peri/memo hormone imbalance can wreck havoc in the body causing everything, I'm just hoping to wake up one lovey morning and be normal again! Hugs to you, hope your feeling well again soon...

  • Edited

    Hi.

    I actually was dealing with the breathing pressure gas stomach thing for over a year. Couldn't figure out what it was and even was scheduled for an endoscopy. Long story but it turns out that I became very lactose intolerant. Now I hadn't even considered that since I love cheese and dairy and have been eating it my whole life. Also sometimes the symptoms of lactose intolerance can be delayed a day or so. I spoke with my gastroenterologist and she said yes around perimenipause time or even at any time in your life you can lose the lactose enzyme and develop it. I had to go completely without any dairy in anything for a few weeks and all my symptoms disappeared. Now I can have fairy back but I have to take several of those Lactaid type pills.

    • Edited

      Hi Missmira,

      That does make so much sense with the dairy! I have given up so much in my diet gluten grains wheat soy, I eat very basic and it's almost the same thing everyday because of everything I've become sensitive to, I'm really scared to eat anything as I feel I'm reacting to everything. I haven't tried to reintroduce anything at this point as my symptoms are still there with me, I haven't given up milk, and I probably should but I feel it helps me with low blood sugar I reach for a glass of milk and it seems to help! Maybe it is making things worse! It's defeinatly a real tough time in life at this moment, and with all other stresses in life it only makes peri/memo that much worse! My aunt says hold on it will pass, but was quite the ride! She remembers hanging clothes out on her clothes line when she was going through her peri/ meno, and collapsing in the grass for a really good cry! Thinking to herself I can't even carry this basket or hang these clothes, and then after her cry she got up straightened herself out and went into the house. Those little things that she shares with me really help me to cope and get on with this time of my life! She says there is no avoiding it so be strong and ride it out! She also says that her peri/memo the worst part lasted 2 years and it ended as quick as it came on for her, she did say she went through milder symptoms before the worst part came on, but ended after those 2 years, so I hold on to that hope! Feel better soon hugs to you..

    • Edited

      I have similar symptoms!!! I was so glad to find these posts as it seems chest pressure is not very common in the list of peri/menopause list of "issues"! I get them a couple of days before my periods and something just out of the blue --- and it's usually linked to constipation or stomach upset... And I definitely have tons of allergies. I have now completely simplified my diet, took out sugars, carbs, etc.. and it's way better. Also vitamin B6 and B12 and Zinc have really helped me assimilate foods. I'm 48 and still ovulating, although it's now every 20 days and much more intense than ever before. I also do Qiqong to relax.. I find it's imperative to keep me sane or I can end up crying all day!! Has anyone found any other natural supplements that help ease this? Apparently it's also got to do with oestrogen dominance and liver functions... that's why eating well is super important to keeping the hormones in balance. Sending love!!

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