Hello everybody i am jimmyr some may remember me from 4mths ago. I went into the hosp then bcos i had pnuemonia for a week. Then i felt better. I have copd ..but what stage it is ..is anybodys guess. For those who remember me i was the one wh lives across the pond in philadelphia ...& i had gotten myself in a hootananny over the scottish vote..well nevermind that. I am back ( i know i should of never left.) Bcos i loved this site n everybody in it..i think the british kingdom has a wonderful outlook on the world n its balances of basically common sense is what im trying to say. So let me start by stating the past week has almost seen me at deaths door. I only 55 one week ago i dialed 911 ..3:30 am bcos i was panicking over breathing issues. I know how to breathe correctly in a exacurbation attack ..but on this particular night i lost all control..now my wife is n has been a lifelong asthmatic...so she usually has me calm so i can get thru these attacks. This winter in phila has been a bad one. Lots of winds n humitity + very cold temps (+9 etc...) cont..paramedics took me to intensive care where they settled me down. Ok now. I only remember yelling in the ambulance.."help me im gonna die..knock me.out"! But of course they cant knock.me out. In the icu i was told i had afib also bcos i do the adhd drug aderoll. Fastforward ..,but hold pause for right now..i must tell you another condition that has completely taken over my body with reckless abondon..(1 w k later n i cant get to my pcp.) Its the lining on the bottom part of my stomach below the belly button.. my god if i had the words to express the severe spasms i am recieving i am thinking death would be the best solution for them sarcastically speaking..its like your worst coilitis attack. x 10. What once was when i walked a lil distance is now every 15 min with no rhythm or reason. God help me with them. I am sitting on my couch now bcos wepl work(im a opthlamolic technican) has no patients scheduled on thurs this month(i test patients eyes all day)...so thats a godsend..but i dont want work to know how bad i really am if i can help it. Or should i ? They know ivr been sick n havent been very supportive...i cant walk from my couch to my kitchen..without stopping to gasp a breathe n even then i am in so much pain like a piano wire is tightening around my neck..my chest is tight n i have this cough that is not good to the avg ear... i at have a nebulizer i overuse n i am taking the prednisone so much for a quick fix that my blood vessels on my right arm look like war torn explosions in red...hard to look at....i fear sleeping cz i dont want to awake gasping..so ive had like 10 total hrs in last 4 days...when im sitting n im gasping im in trouble .cant go to hosp again. Plz this is a dire call for help..i have no one here i can ask what i should do...good pp of BLF..please help me if you can...jimmyri
Im scared to death.: Hello everybody i... - Lung Conditions C...
Im scared to death.
Hi jimmyr nice to see ya yer i remmber
this alot you have going on but first things first predosone ya striode pills can give you pneumonia as side effect
As to ya gut pain that could be antibiotics your taking as they give you stomach inflamation like you say that can kill ya
I would recomend you do go back hospital and tell them meds they give you dont agree with you
Hi n hey glad to be back to the site..look at me..i thought i was all bettrer so i dared to walk among the giants n the who thinks bout breathing? Well i have been humbled severly..i am asking for a seat in the back so that i may learn my egotistical n arrogant iodacies..ok well.im not taking antibiotics ..n the pred ..need help cant breathe without it..ive gotten myself in deep n i cant get out..my doctors office has been closed..yea believe that ? I cant go to my car n back or to my kitchen from my couch...i feel like im going to die...ever feel s coilitis attack..well its x 10 used to be when i walked a lil distance now its every 15 min at and no rhyme or reason..week ago paramedics took me to icu..i was pleading help me..help.me..bcos i lost control on how to breathe.. know how though..my wife was there...but yet i still lost it.so if there is any suggestions..please..im getting no help here in philadelphia..
You realy do need to sit up and take slow steady breaths breath threw ya nose then out threw your mouth
If ya breathing gets that bad you will pass out and your body will take over so a really would try to telax and slow ya breathing down
Them steriode pill produce lots of fluid on ya chest so is inporant you couth it up
If you have paper try to read it or have sips of water
Sounds like your hyperventalating i have just done a post it is worth having yours checked take a look when you have chance
jimmy have you been tested for Gerd or thyroids , muscle spasms , but jimmy I would do as others have said, go back to hospital and stay there till its all sorted, or ring the blf up in the morning, if your getting no help were you live from the hospital . but try to pace your self out jimmy getting worked up wont help, that will seem like its getting worse when it wont be , try to stay calm , yes its not easy im writing that , bet that's what your thinking but it will help you jimmy its scarey we all no that one, at the end of the day jimmy its your life take control now , not the other way round , don't let it control you jimmy ,get the help you need and deserve now .
Hi Jimmy you sound very scared and I don't blame you as it is awful when you can't breath like that. If your symptoms worsen please call an ambulance and go back to hospital.
It sounds to me like you need an urgent review of your meds and maybe oxygen? Don't know if you are already on it so I would go back to your doctors asap and get the problems sorted out. It's up to you if you want to know the full story but personally I would always want to.
But please if you are that bad go back to hospital and don't take chances with your lungs. They are very important and you do need them to breathe. x
Here in philadelhia there are these options..either the emergency room where ill have to wait for hrs..ots 10:30pm...plus a ambulance isnt coming to get me if im not like litterely deeme fit for a hosp..n im might be in bad shape but paramedics arent coming out for this
Hello how you filling now jim yer iim up had sleeping pill hgave me 2hours kip now wide a wake agane
Hi Jimmy, I'm no expert but I'd say you need to go to the hospital. It's the safest place to be. Your anxiety is through the roof and your so obviously exhausted that it will be escalating your symptoms.
Please go to the hospital, at least they can give you something to get your breathing under control, calm you down and help you get some much needed sleep. That's what they're there for. Get yourself gone Jimmy, your suffering when you don't need to be. xx
I cant go.back to.the hosp..its not that easy..u have to be litterally dying. Other option ? Well i could wait in the emergency room for 4hrs
Thnx but im ok ..yes im thinking irritacally but lack of sleep will do that to u..nobody's mention the drug i take for ad
adhd..possibly making me shaky...my nose is running like niagra falls for 6mths ucontrollably...legs hurt from swellimg..but i t s 11 pm..my only concern now is breathe thru my nose..keep repeating breathe thru my nose...i must not panic..ill be ok repeat..
Oh forgot to say Jimmy try sleeping with lots of pillows or even sitting up. x
Ok thnx yes that makes sense..why is that?
Because when you lie down fluid collects in your lungs making it harder to breathe. Sitting more upright it's easier to breathe. And that's the name of the game isn't it Jimmy?
Hope you are feeling a bit better now Jimmy and can avoid the dreaded hospital. Take care. x
Yes i think i might not have to go..i have to call my pcp now..let u know how it turns out.thnx for the concern..means alot to me
xJimmy, are you a vet, Did you serve in the military, I've got severe copd / emphysema and go to the Wilmington VA here in Delaware. No waiting.
Just a thought brother. I KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE TO NOT BE ABLE TO BREATH.
NO FUN. If you haven't already put them Damn cigarettes down. Listen, I should talk. I lost my dad 3 months ago of old age, he was 88, but it hit me hard, I picked the ciggs up after not smoking for a year and now gotta do it all over again. I'm on day 3. God bless and be with you my friend. Don't take chances, hit the hospital when flair ups accrue.
No shortness i am not a vet..i missed the vietnam war by 3 yrs. N thnk god .i have trouble trying to make my drs office unserstand that im in trouble & work too..i work with patients doing eye tests ..i live with my wife of 31 yrs....im 55 and i never had a family but a brother 2 yrs younger. So i am mostly alone..Stephanie (my wife) works at a hosp as a case appeals mgr..i have been in this breathless rut since 2009 i am ok n what i mean by that is..out of the 4 seasons..the winter is horrible for me..temps n phila are hovering at or around +20-32 its the wind that is my achiles heel...scarf around mouth when i go out..tell me cz im not trying to know..its called denial still..can this kill me ? Life expactancy is ? ..ttyl ok
Hi Jimmy I do believe every thing I was going to say has by those wonderful people this is the best site ever,the trouble is by you beening out of control when you have the attacks your not helping your self yes it is scary but your making your heart work so hard and you could be hyperventilate which makes the picture not quite right, I hope you understand me. Good luck nice to hear your back
I do understand..i have afib also..my dad died of a heart attack in his sleep at 46..my sister died new years day 2014 when her heart gave out..louise was 62 mother died at 53 of cerebral hemm...she had paralyzing stroke at 41. I was 3 when my father passed..mother was in nursing homes from 41-53..hardly knew her..3 days bfore my 17th bday she passed away..in terminal home...couldnt get that last letter to her cz i was in a boarding school n the nurse asked me y to plz write her one last letter. I was 16 and i am still haunted to this day..mom asked for me and i was too s t stuck up in my own adolesence frame of mind...god forgive me for that..keep u posted on status..thnx for listening
My god you have been though the mill no wounder your scared, I should be asking you how do you cope, it's amazing how we do cope under stress I lost my dad 4 yrs ago same illness, and the medical world has improved so much and new tablets are coming on the market which may help you, so please try and relax and not let the past haunt you, you could also be suffering delayed shock with your sisters passing that's was not very long ago, please go and speak to your doctor I'm sure they can help you, if you need to talk im here ok take care
I know it seems trite but I have been there and got the t shirt, sometimes the fear is so intense that nothing or no one can help. I was prescribed Xanax for a while but they just made me sick.
You say you are overdosing on the nebuliser, I have done that too as a dose does not last the four hours that it should, that causes panic too partly as a side effect of the drug and because it can make you hyperventilate.
After a few emergency trips to A and E, and then being at home not being able to get to the kitchen or bathroom without panicking, I found a local gp who prescribed a high course of steroids which she then slowly decreased over time. This enabled me to get control of my breathing and so I did not need to rely on the nebuliser, I only need it know for exacerbations.
If you are coughing discoloured mucus you will need antibiotics too., all my lung problems started after double pneumonia , and I often wonder if the bugs hung around in my lungs for years.
Even if it is a four hour wait for treatment, then it is worth it for the sake of your health
In the meantime try the pursed lip breathing technique that you can find on You Tube, sit upright and slightly forward with your hands on your knees, and I know you have stomach pains but try and relax your diaphragm when you breathe with your belly.
You will need the gastric resistant red covered prednisolone if you have stomach problems and I was prescribed omniprozole (spelt wrong I think) to protect the stomach as well.
Please go and wait for help, thinking of you
I know it is not easy but learning to control your breathing can change your life. Panic breathing causes breathing Panic!
Count your breath gaps in and out and get a bigger number on each. Take in deep breaths hold and slowly release.
healthland.time.com/2012/10... Might help?
Be Well
You sound very scared and the breathlessness is scary. My husband has severe COPD and has suffered with very bad breathlessness which causes him severe anxiety. You dont say if you are using any inhalers - are you? Perhaps you need to go to the doctor and ask for a review. When my husband gets very panicky he uses salbutomol with a spacer which is very effective. He was also prescribed oxygen for ambulatory - in reality he uses it if we go to a large shopping centre etc. BUT he has also found it very useful when he has had exacerbations - he has recently had flu with a chest infection and used it almost constantly which certainly seemed to help with the breathlessness and anxiety. I know that you are probably reeling at the thought of oxygen but actually it has really helped my husband - especially getting in a cold car etc. He likes you works at his desk all day so the breathlessness is not too much of a problem at work.
You also need to check the steroids you are taking - certain ones are not kind to your stomach but others are enteric coated which protects your stomach.
Please go and see your doctor and ask for a medication review. Take good care, lots of love TAD xx
Tadaw..hi thnx a lot for ur advise..i have a nebulzer n a rescue..air..i was on symbacort. But in times of high anxiety n one hour im ok then the next im not.i really need to perfect the breathing excersies...i am trying to learn if it takes me forever cz i do not have forever..to breathe thru my nose..last wk when i called 911 n went to icu..i couldnt get the breathng technique..down and i know how its just i panicked n well had to keep asking paramedics to nmknock me out..now i know rhey arent gonna do that..but atc3:30am i had the feel of piano wire ar ar oil around my neck..nothing is more painful as that..thnx im learning something new each n every post..u see i have nobody to discuss this with here..c
Hello Jimmy, I know it is not easy and I know how you feel! I live on my own and my daughters live in Australia and Qatar so no help there then! I have had these panic attacks, which is what I think you are experiencing, and a brown paper bag works for me! I just sit with it and blow in and out into the bag until I settle down! I only have to use it when my breathing feels as if it has got the better of me but it has helped me a lot over the last few years. I was given the advice from a nurse on our respiratory team! I still think you should go back to either your doctor or to the hospital! Please try and calm down a little as you are exacerbating your panic. This is easy to say but not so easy to do! Take care and know we are all willing you to get better.
Hi Jimmy,, sorry to hear your having such a bad time at the moment, but it will pass. You have been given sound advice on here, you could always ring BLF, they have some very good trained nurses. Love Kin Xx
Maybe 4 hours in A&E might produce a better result than 4 hours of panic and climbing the wall at home?
That's just a thought and I know things are so different in the States than our National Health Service - I do sympathise with you, so many problems at the same time are bound to cause panic but do try the paper bag cure, it works for me too.
Good to see you back Jimmy albeit not in good shape, sorry to hear that. Re panic attacks and exacerbations, having had 3 really bad ones last year (ending up being hospitalized) whilst I agree with all the advice already given will just add a little trick that seem to work for me. I try to forget my breathing altogether - in other words - I stop still (sitting is preferable if I can) and try and distract my mind to think about something else be it plans for the next day or what I will eat for dinner or about a book I have been reading or something in the news, etc. My reasoning is that it is my mind that produces the panic and the more it thinks about how to breath, the more I gasp and work myself up into a state, which I know goes against what we re told about controlling it with the breathing techniques but as you know when you are in the middle of an attack that can be extremely difficult if not nigh near impossible. By distracting or diverting my mind I find that my body's natural ability to know what is best for it (after all it has been doing it without my mind's help or even notice for a long time) takes over and my breathing slowly recovers. This is not to say of course that I do not need steroids at times, and my inhalers and other medications all the time but touch wood I have found the above works for me. Also and this will sound silly but keeping my mouth open when I walk (I cannot breath entirely through my nose due to a bash years ago) and when I analysed my walking breathing that led to my hospitalization last time I found that I had a habit of closing my mouth every now and then and doing a sort of sucking closed mouth pursed lips gesture - sorry hard to explain - but anyway my motto now is whatever keep my mouth open. Anyway hope some of this or what the others have said will help meanwhile take care. All best wishes xx
Forgot to add, of course, if difficulty breathing due to bad infection call ambulance and ignore what I have said and just to illustrate my reasoning regarding not thinking about my breathing I offer the following little ditty (by anon I think)
The centipede what happy quite
Until the toad in fun
Said, 'Pray which leg goes after which'
Which put her mind in such a pitch
She lay distracted in the ditch
Considering how to run.
Hello Jimmy, Bless you darling, have worked in Hospitals in the US as a Sister, I know the system!! Insurance or no insurance, it is not easy calling an ambulance or visiting a doc. You have a very different way. I found it very hard, working in s State Hospital and also a Menonite Hospital. So different. Its hard for you there I know babe. 50 mil no medical care at all!! I can only send you my love and prayers. Don't let your mind pray on your beloved lost family, it will only make things seem worse. You have a loving wife, you must try for her. Are you on any antidepressants ? I think some might help you cope with the panic attacks. If you can see your Doc, Always get them from Canada, by mail when you get a scrip, much cheaper. I wish you all had health care like us. People moan about the NHS but they do not know any other way. It is wonderful. God Bless you Jimmy. Take care and chill out. Loads of love Kathy xx
Hi Jimmy, I see no one replied to you. I'm surprised. cant really help you out. You got alot going on. I see your from Philly. I'm in new Jersey. We're neighbors! Ck. It out huh. Hopefully your feeling better by
Now
Rubyxx 😁
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