Suddenly Cant Catch my Breath

cmriverside

My father, BTW had that fatal heart attack at age 40. Not overweight, not ill. Boom. Dead.

Myschelle

CALL YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY. You could have an issue with your heart or a pulmonary embalism (sorry for the spelling errors)! Take it seriously and go to the doctor, PLEASE!

Myschelle

I dont have diabetes.

I am not hyperventilating in the traditional "oh-my-gosh-i-cant-breathe-im-gonna-pass-out-oh-my-gosh-im-dying-and-everything-is-going-black" sort of way. I can talk normally. I have no chest pain. I have no weakness or numbness. Im a pretty healthy person. I ran for an hour on the treadmill yesterday and did 55 minutes of HIIT the day before without ever feeling like I couldnt catch my breath. It doesnt seem to be exercise-related. And Im not anxious or in a panic about anything, so I dont think its a panic attack.

Thats whats so weird. Ive been trying to catch a good, deep breath or a yawn since about 10pm last night. And just when I think Ive reached that great yawn that "catches" my breath, it starts all over again. I thought about calling my doctor but they'd send me to the ER...and I know its not anything SERIOUS like aheart attack. I just wonder if a pulled back muscle could really hinder breathing. Its almost like I got the wind sucked out of my lungs.

It could be a clot in your lungs or plurasy, it COULD be a million things. Please see a doctor immediately.

ramseyrose

Yes i have had this and its worth getting checked out, but I was told it was stress and exhaustion. The more you think about it, the worse it gets.

Get iy checked out just to be safe

Cmuchoa

Like I said before...go to the ER now - I had the same problem and went into respiratory failure - my oxygen level was slowly depleting - I am no on oxygen anytime I leave the house and have a machine that I use in the house. Do not fool around with this - for you, your husband and baby - just go!

jkestens63

CALL YOUR DOCTOR NOW.....

Yea, what he said. Not something to mess around with and quite honestly not something to go looking on the internet for answers on.

katapple

Kat, this is freakin me out, go to the ER please!

randi50

Kat I have a muscle pulled in my back and when it is bad OMG I can do the slightest thing and I feel like something is just squeezing it in there. When it was realy bad the other night I would take a deep breath or yawn in bed and it hurt like hades. IDK, but let me know what is up. Worried about you

katbass

Nevermind...called urgent care and they said they dont know what tests they would do for me and that, from what i can tell them, they have "no clue" and 'cant even begin to think of what it could be". Awesome.
I am gonna call my primary doc in the morning and if he wont see me, Im going to the ER.

Why are you coming to MFP for medical advice???????????????????????


SEE YOUR DOCTOR OR THE ER TODAY. NOT TOMORROW.

I had one friend with a pulmonary embolism that was THREE MINUTES from death when the EMTs arrived. All the doctors said she was lucky to be alive. The only thing that saved her was a friend that was with her who happened to have emergency first response training AND they had oxygen in their car. She was a fit athlete and it happened all of a sudden. Her symtoms sounded just like yours - right up until she passed out and woke up in the hospital intensive care unit.

BOTH my parents died of heart attacks. Who knows what symtoms they both ignored before they died?

Another friend, here on MFP, screen name "arewethereyet", had a Patent Foramen Ovale in her heart. Perfectly healthy, worked out, not overweight. One day she felt "weird", ended up going to the hospital -- that night they did surgery to REPAIR A HOLE IN HER HEART she never knew she had. The cardiologist told her many people just have a stroke or DIE never knowing they had the PFO. About 25% of the population has this.

You could ruin your life here. Stop thinking about a muscle. That muscle could be your heart.

GO NOW.

---

edit can't spell

I appreciate your concern. Really. I just know my body and I know it is a pulled muscle impacting my breathing, similar to the way a broken rib impacts breathing. I am going to the doctor tomorrow, as soon as they;ll get me in, just to have complete peace of mind. I wasnt coming to MFP for medical advice. I was asking if anyone else had ever pulled a muscle and had similar side effects, and if so, what helped it heal? I really appreciate and understand the concern and I am not taking it lightly, I just know my body and have checked my blood pressure and am resting assured that it is nothing more than the pulled muscle, MAYBE mixed in with some underlying tension/anxiety about my husband flying today. (But thats a stretch.) My blood pressure is 118/78 (normal is 120/80)...well within a healthy range.
Ill keep yall posted re: what my primary doc says tomorrow if I still havent caught my breath. I think I got more panicked reading here on this thread than I was when I first realized I couldnt catch a deep breath! I love the support and concern and really do appreciate it. I dont want anyone to think Im taking it lightly. Im not! I just have bad timing, as my husband is out of town on business and I cant exactly truck my daughter into the ER by myself. If I thought it was somethign serious, please know that I would not waste time searching the internet....I would be at my doctor immediately.
Again, thanks for all the support!

rileysowner

CALL YOUR DOCTOR NOW.....

Ditto. This is not something to play with, it could be something major. Call you doctor NOW.

The only time I had this was when I had pneumonia, and I didn't realize it until it was quite advanced. There is a whole story there, but I will simply say when you have trouble breathing it is saying your heart or lungs or both are having problems. That is not something to play with.

katbass

Just wanted to update everyone who was soooo thoughtful and helpful the other day!

I went to my primary doc yesterday afternoon. He ran an EKG (normal), did a chest xray (clear), and did a breathing test that showed I had some decreased lung capacity, but no idea why. He sent me to the ER with suspicions of a Pulmonary Embolis. I was in the ER til about midnight last night. The ER doc was "certain" we were dealing with a pulmonary elbolis, so he ordered a CT Scan. Fortunately, both docs were wrong and my CT Scan was all clear...and fortunately, both docs were very thorough in their investigations. Unfortunately, we are still without answers.
My breathing has improved a great deal, but I now have extreme nausea and a dull headache that wont relent. Doc says it is likely viral, and that I need to see him again tomorrow (Saturday) if the vomitting continues.

So, you guys were all on the right track and I really thank you for pushing me to take it seriously! The pulled muscle in my back does play some roll in the shortness of breath, but not the main cause. And even though we dont have answers this time, we have potentially prevented disaster in the future because the ER doc caught something my other docs were overlooking. I have a blood clotting disorder (MTHFR) but Im on birth control pills to prevent cysts on my ovary. BCP and MTHFR do NOT go well together, and are literally deadly. So while I might have to deal with ovarian cysts, I am no longer at risk of a stroke or embolis since ive stopped taking the pill.

So again, THANK YOU! I really appreciate all of your concern and messages

rileysowner

Thanks for the update. Sounds like something very dangerous was found, although they still don't know why your breathing is a problem. Hopefully all the symptoms will get better.

tammy200678

I have panic attacks when I do I have same problem.

katbass

I had a panic attack once several years ago, and thought MAYBE this could have been related, but I wasnt stressed or anxious or even mildly upset. Doc ruled out allergy-induced asthma, panic attack, embolism, masses on my lungs, and any really scary stuff. Now I am a medical mystery.

Nailrep

SOUNDS ALMOST LIKE A PANIC ATTACK.

MobiusMan

CALL YOUR DOCTOR NOW.....

DO THIS!
Why would you not? If it were your kid you wouldn't be googling!

keep pushing till you get an answer. My mom went through a similar thing at 55. they never figured it out until she had a heart attack. Don't take "unexplained" as an answer.

katbass

Thanks again for more replies I went to the ER/doc. The update is a few posts back....page 2

jonisalie

More women suffer heart attacks without the typical symptoms, I would strongly suggest you see your doctor or th ER asap. Remember we are no doctors and even if someone is a doctor they would probably have to examine you before making any type of conclusion to why this is happening. Please see you dr.

naebear99

Glad you got to a doctor and checked out thoroughly. Do keep at it; sometimes something gets missed the first time and found on a second visit, or by another doctor, or desperation leads the doctor to throw the REALLY rare tests at it. Hope you feel better.