Does anyone have feet pain when shortness of breath starts?

[Mel6755]

Hi guys, all of a sudden my anxiety spiked and I’m confused if I’m getting shortness of breath or having trouble swallowing. It’s been happening constantly the day and a half which is really scaring me. With the shortness of breath/troubling swallowing my getting feet pain at the same time. Does anyone experience this?

[kkat37]

Hi I sometimes get numbing and tingling in my feet and it makes the shortness of breath much worse. So sorry your anxiety is troubling you. What helps me is cold air whether through a/c or ceiling fan blasting air helps

[Aj4273]

Hi Mell426,

I am so sorry to hear that your anxiety is at a peak and giving you problems.

As a fomer nurse (pre fibro) one simple explanation for the foot pain is that when we become short of breath for whatever reason then this obviously impacts upon the levels of oxygen in our body. Lower levels of oxygen in our blood will then kickstart the body’s natural protective response which is to focus on the parts that are most important. Our body will ensure that our vital organs are getting the required amount of oxygen first and foremost and it will do this by prioritising where the higher levels of oxygenated blood go. Therefore, hands and feet become last on the list in order of need and can then produce numbness, tingling, coldness and cramp like sensations.

However, I would always always advise to get any new or worsening symptoms checked by a health professional just to be on the safe side as obviously I am just speaking from a healthy anatomical and physiological perspective and can no way say for sure that this is the reason for your foot pain and/or tingling. One reason being that I cannot see you to assess you properly and the other being that I am not a doctor.

Regarding the panic attacks please forgive me if I’m trying to teach an old dog new tricks as they say but have you tried using a simple paper bag when the attack’s occur?

Holding the bag try and slow your breathing as much as is possible by breathing out into the bag (inflating it) and then breathing back in (deflating)!as slowly and as deeply as possible until your breathing and then your heart rate as a result starts to slow and return to normal and the attack is over. Concentrate on inflating and deflating that bag. A very basic but very effective method that is still used regularly.

Again I reiterate that if the shortness of breath, foot pain etc is a new or worsening symptom or if the panic attacks are increasing In frequency and/or severity then please go and get checked over by a doctor. X