I have C.O.P.D. and also suffer from anxiety and depression, when I get out of breath I wonder if the cause is anxiety or C.O.P.D. or both?

[rick1]

[knitter]

Hi, have you looked at the information on the BLF Blog, there is a video there on breathlessness,anxiety and depression.

There are leaflets available too.

Sometimes I don't know which is more frightening or which comes first...panic or SOB

[libby7827]

Hi Rick, this is something I have suffered with quite badly but have gradually been getting better. I believe it begins with being out of breath which in turn causes our bodies to start to panic a bit, then our natural defences come to the fore producing adrenalin so we can run away from whatever we are panicking about, but of course with emphysema you're not running anywhere! All this makes us panic more, hyperventilating until we can breath in less and less until our lungs are hyperinflated and are only able to take tiny breaths. The problem is further compounded by our bodies starting to respond in this way when we aren't particularly out of breath, particularly if you've had an attack in a particular spot, say, the loo, the stairs, or just someone knocking at the door. Here is a link to a blog written by one of our members some time ago, it helped me enormously to understand and can now circumvent a full blown "attack".

blf.healthunlocked.com/blog...

All the best to you. Libby

[scrobbitty in reply to libby7827]

Thanks Libby for the link - excellent advice there for you rick1 - I hope things calm down for you.

[pamela67]

Hi rick1 I to suffer with anxiety and depression and was also going to ask the same question that you have just asked xx

[tony49]

i think this is a very good question for me they all set each other off leving you unable to do much most of the time im at home i can just about get to the loo from my bedroom but when im in hospital ive got to be wheeled in to the loo i think thats the anxiety side of things

[libbygood]

I get anxiety, depression and panic attacks. I have learnt to live with them with the help of some medication, meditation, deep breathing etc. hope things get better for you.

Lib x

[Hidden]

My husband suffers with severe COPD and does get panic attacks. Particularly during exacerbations. He has just had a spate of them! They can be extremely frightening and I am trying to convince him that a hypnotist might be a way forward. They come on as a result of being short of breath and the whole thing just spirals out of control, sometimes it can take him 30 minutes to start to come round.

One thing that apparently does help is to breath in to the count of 2 and out for the count of 3 - which not only slows your breathing down but distracts you. He has found this useful - if he remembers!

He is also much more anxious because life is a constant worry about COPD - where we are going - can he get there? will he be OK when he gets there? why is he more breathless today? have the children got colds? All these added stresses make life much more difficult. I am annoyingly positive (!) - and although he will not try I find yoga very helpful for relaxation and will help with breathing.

If you are becoming very anxious please go to the Doctor. Also have you heard of Pulmonary rehab - a programme of exercise and education for COPD. That really helped my husband. Good Luck TAD xxx

[moneal]

The vicious circle of panic, Libby's explanation is really good the trick is to break the circle before the attack starts.

If you are like I used to be when certain things would terrify me, going to the toilet was where the first attack happened, so after that even before I went the panic started .Lots of silly things that had caused problems before, or even thing that I had read about stuck in my mind so I was wound up before I even tried to do them.

Breath control is vital as well, but that needs practice to perfect it.

The hospital got an expert to explain about panic and how it took over and how I could control it, easier said than done. But it did help

I got hold of a self hypnosis cd and listened to it all the way through, before trying it properly. I must admit I thought this will never work, but when I had the next feeling of panic I thought about what I had been told and it helped. The more I listened the better the effect. Then I saw an offer on Groupon for 4 sessions with a professional hypnotherapist, it was great and the results were amazing. Now I can control most panic attracts before they start, those that I can't fully stop I can breath through.

One thing that really helps is having something to take your mind off what is happening. I have an old mobile phone with a game on it, you have to concentrate on it to play and it definitely helps.

Just sitting down and thinking it's getting worst will make it worst, tricking the mind into thinking about something else seems to be the answer. Once you slow the adrenalin flow the quicker you recover, which really all the hypnosis does.

[libby7827 in reply to moneal]

Hi Moneal, had forgotten to mention distraction tactics - I found one that at first seemed silly but works fairly well - tapping! Whilst trying to breath out for longer than I breath in (even forcing it out), I tap my finger(s) on a surface, or even against themselves rhythmically, not fast, and that usually seems to help a lot. Not so strange, again it's about paying attention to something other than the bad stuff that's going on. Libby

[BLFCommsTeam]

You should take a look at our latest online surgery rick1 - it talks about COPD and anxiety: blf.healthunlocked.com/blog...

Hope that's helpful!