Breathing difficulty and choking sensations 😞

[Princessjessica]

Hi my names Jessica I'm 23 and have been having severe panic attacks since the day I turned 21. I was drugged on my birthday and had to have an ambulance as I was struggling to breathe, ever since then I've had trouble breathing every day I have awful choking sensations all of the time, it's so bad I've lost jobs because I'm unable to cope. I've tried so many different medications, therapies including cbt. But nothing has made a difference, if anything I'm getting worse I have this problem from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep, rarely do I feel I can breathe properly it causes me so much pain and discomfort and most people couldn't begin to understand the pain it causes me, I feel like I've got an life threatening illness, yet I never die, but it doesn't make it any less scary. I'm beginning to loose hope on ever being normal again I try so hard to be strong and do everything in my power to try and overcome this, but it has stuck with me for 2 and a half years and the more time that passes makes me feel even more scared that this is it for me. Does anyone else have the same problem as me? I feel like I'm the only one

[Richy626]

For near enough 2 years I had the same issues as you major health anxiety after a sudden panic attack on the way to work, Mine as it turns out must have been stress induced as oppose to drug induced, after that moment, I always thought I had cancer or something was wrong with my heart, I had all sorts, heart palpitations, feeling of a boulder pressing my chest, tight chest, heavy head, unbalanced feeling, tight neck, dizzy, tight throat or feeling of something being stuck in it that made me feel like gagging, had all these on and off.

Every day I had an underlining fear I was going to die.

I got unfortunate as well as this coincided with actual health scares, felt a lump once and had to have tests, coughed up blood once after a a terrible chest infection for over a month and had to have an x ray etc etc.

What all of this is down to is stress and anxiety on your body, once i stopped worrying about my heart so much the pressure went.

Once I stopped worrying as much something was wrong with my brain my unbalanced feeling started to fade a bit.

With you, clearly the experience on the drug was such a nasty experience your mind has remembered it as something to watch out for as a threat, as well as understandably yourself worrying you'll feel that way, so it keeps the feelings constant.

CBT didn't work for me either as for me it's more about feelings then thoughts, I can think Oh what a wonderful day but that won't change how I feel on it's own, you'll find your own ways of dealing with anxiety.

First thing to do of course is demand that for your own quality of life get basic tests done to rule anything medical out completely, get a chest x ray done, get basic blood work taken etc.

But I'm sure it is anxiety myself from what you have told me, though I am not a medical professional.

I want you to try something that helped with me alot to overcome anxiety when I was a bit younger, your age funnily enough, it's a breathing technique called 7/11.

Breathe in through your nose for 7 seconds and out through your mouth for 11 seconds, this balances out the amount of carbon dioxide in your blood stream and relaxes your body and you, also it will show you and your mind that you have full control over your breathing.

Keep doing it and eventually you will find it becomes habit to breathe that way naturally and nobody would even notice you doing it wherever you are.

Never give up sweetie, never give up, it's all a mind game that YOU are in charge of and YOU get to win.

And I'm so sorry this happened to you, what a fool that person was whoever they were for drugging you.

Oh and P. S. If the medications don't make a difference to you then don't bother with them at all, you could just try over the counter ones such as kalms for the sake of placebo effect.

[Princessjessica in reply to Richy626]

Thank you so much for your reply and advise it really means a lot to me and I'm so happy to hear your free of your symptoms, I am going to try your breathing technique as much as I can and hope that it will work for me. I've had lots of tests done on my heart and X-ray on my chest bloods etc but they can't find anything wrong with me. What I find most bizarre is I don't even need to me thinking of my breathing or worrying if just happens automatically now. And the more I try to regulate my breathing the worse it gets. It's like I've forgotten how to breathe normally when it happenes and it's so painful and exhausting 😞 I have it every day too so I never get to escape it. And after suffering for nearly 3 years I worry it is do inbeded that I will never be free. But I find it comforting to know that u have experienced very similar futons for a long period of time and also therapy didn't work for you and you managed to get rid of it. It gives me hope so thank you so much for that.

[Hidden in reply to Princessjessica]

Ooo wow what a beautiful woman such a shame a really hope your okay yes breathing technique wich Ricky has informed you about may help let's hope so a hope your okay lovely take care xx

[Richy626 in reply to Princessjessica]

I'm going through a different bout of anxiety then back then currently, and like you I worry that i have grained into my mind the feelings I currently have, but that just shows both of us that it's a normal part of the worry and anxiety of it all.

The more you accept that it's the way it is at the moment the less you and then your mind will see it as a threat and the more the symptoms will go away, but you can't try to do that by forcing yourself to do it as it's added stress on you, and upset when you don't get the results you wanted, it's something I'm trying to learn to do with what I'm currently going through myself.

My Dad gave me this advice, what's your options, do nothing and feel like it, or live your life and feel like it, the latter is by far the better option.

I really hope what I've passed on to you with the breathing technique really helps with your particular issue.

Please do come back to me to let me know how you're getting on with it and if it's improved at least a bit.

If not I'll try and give you an outside perspective on it again with further techniques I can think of that help.

[Hidden]

I have just proven that only handsome and beautiful people are afflicted with anxiety. Hahaha

[Hidden]

Lmao hey that's about the best comment I've witnessed she's beautiful ain't she 👌

[Mantasjanu2000]

Hello , I know how you feel , the reason you're experiencing this (obviously I can't guarantee but I can make a very good observation) is because you're so focused on it that it's become a part of your mind all the time , even when you think your not thinking about it , you're still aware of your breathe. It's all anxiety . My advice is that you're thinking about it too much , it's been 2 and a half years , you're not dead , you're not in critical condition , you're not diagnosed with any life threatening illness , you might just need to accept that anxiety is causing you this pain and discomfort and every thought you have , every time you think that "this isn't normal , I'm ill" you're fueling it.

Hope this helps , hang in there !

[Princessjessica in reply to Mantasjanu2000]

Thanks so much for your comment I think that ur right I'm gonna try my best to not over obsess with my breathing and try to occupy my mind and hopefully it should improve