Eating out

[Looseloafers]

Hi all. Can anyone tell me why after eating out when i come to leave my breathlessness is so much worse ?? Hope everyone is enjoying this lovely 😊 weather luv Sue

[2greys]

When you fill your stomach there is less room for your diaphragm to move especially if you have hyper extended lungs (long lungs). Most restaurants/pubs tend to dish up way too much, I quite often just order what they call child's portions and find it adequate.

Small portions more but often is the way to maintain your breathing levels. I now have 2 breakfasts per day to be able to take my meds that cannot be taken together but require to be taken in the mornings with food, a light lunch, late afternoon snack and then my main evening meal.

[Alice70]

I carnt eat big meals anymore makes me to breathless ,dont know why , it makes sense what2greys has said

[hypercat54]

Hi I agree with 2Greys. With lung damage we all have larger than usual lungs which is due to the efforts of breathing. If you overfill your stomach this will press against it and make it harder to breathe. x

[SORRELHIPPO]

I know that I can only eat so much before I get more breathless. Also I only ever eat more than 1 course when out, I mean the sweet things are just there saying "eat me". I also wonder if we move more when at home, get up during eating to get something forgotten, maybe get up to put something in the sink, serve something, if someone is late etc. This allows gravity to help with where the food is inside you. Other wise, if you have something with a waist band on, lower levels of lungs and digestive system are restricted the entire time you are sitting.

[Carnival567]

My consultant said that it is because the energy you use to eat wears you out so it is better to eat little and often. I agree that eating out can be a problem as meals are much too large, and I hate wasting food as the ghost of my former English teacher haunts me with her much repeated ‘Remember the starving millions “. Nearly sixty years later I can still hear her voice! I wonder how many of my ex-pupils quote me!

[Fleurbaby]

Hi looseloafers,

EVERYTHING, EVERYONE above, says is spot on! I can only extend further by explaining 'long lung's!

It is where you over-breathe! Trying to suck in as much air as you can, you actually end up "over blowing, or stretching " your lungs, because they are damaged, beyond repair already! They get "baggy" like ill fitting clothes do, if you warm wash or stretch them when you put them on!

Your lungs, are designed to be protected by your ribs, your now stressed lungs are settling just below the protection of your ribs, so when you sit, or move around after sitting or eating etc, get squashed by the diaphragm as you compress your body getting up or like sitting down in the confines of your car, or a seat at home, that is lower than your level knee height, when you bend!

[O2Trees in reply to Fleurbaby]

Good description/explanation FB

[syntax]

You are not drinking enough Sue lol ! : )

[Ergendl]

You also shut your windpipe every time you swallow, cutting off the airflow so that the food goes down to the stomach and not into the lungs. So it's a good idea to take time over a meal, to breathe a little between each mouthful.

[Fleurbaby in reply to Ergendl]

Yes Ergendl,

That is absolutely true!

That is why, sadly! A lot of us with lung conditions lose weight, which eventually leads to our demise.

You automatically, instinctively choose to breathe over eating, so, you eat less, to enable you to breathe. Which leads to weight loss, which leads to illnesses, which finish you off, as you don't have the reserves needed to fight anything.

[Comino2]

Maybe because we tend to talk more during a meal out ? We rest a little longer afterwards at home and don't have to do the dreaded walk back to the car !! [beam me home scotty would be good ] unfamiliar table possibly a bit lower than we are used to at home so we could be squashing our lungs more.When I see people on the telly sitting on a squashy sofa leaning forward over a coffee table to eat i'm amazed how they do it !! xx

[HungryHufflepuff]

When I eat out I spend so much time worrying about whether I’m eating too slowly and focussing on trying to not spill or drop my food (it’s remarkable how often I seem to miss my mouth) and I just find the whole thing stressful. Which is crazy. Also often the tables are small and cramped so you can’t sit comfortably. 🍽

[Glasgowgirl1947 in reply to HungryHufflepuff]

You really shouldn't eat out, it obviously stresses you out too much. I would get takeaways if you're wanting to treat someone. Make your table look nice, get the best china and cutlery out, maybe a candle or flowers on a nice tablecloth and you've cracked it. You can eat as much or as little as you like, you can even keep your pinny on!

[hallentine47]

I experience the same difficulty and it seems to be made worse by my having sat for a period of time without much movement at the same time eating. and talking and then leaving the restaurant or Pub and going outside to the car into usually much cooler air temperature. Plus I would repeat all the other points already made on this site. I get what you describe sometimes after just watching TV for a couple of hours then getting up to go to the loo or something and severe breathlessness starts. I often forget when being at rest and feeling calm how little lung capacity I have (23%)