Feels like I'm suffocating and Dr says nothing physically wrong with me

[MooBear1]

I want to share my experience of the hell I went through lying in bed scared that I was going to die because I felt like I was suffocating for hours at a time. After seeing drs who said that physically nothing was wrong with me, I got in touch with a Behavioral therapist who saved my life.

It all started when I got paint poisoning which at the time I did not know what was wrong with me. After a week of experiencing light headedness with shortness of breath I decided that I needed to get away from the house. Due to corona, I was not able to go anywhere so I lived in a tent in the backyard while my wife remained inside the house.

After a week I moved back inside the house where I experienced shortness of breathe almost daily. Over the course of 5 weeks the shortness of breathe grew worse and worse until I was lying in bed scared to death because I felt like I was suffocating. I would lay in bed for hours at a time suffocating. When the feeling would go away I still felt as though my lungs were stuffed and had trouble breathing.

I needed to get better so naturally I spoke with a dr. He had me get blood work and a chest xray. The reports showed I was in good health which meant that there was nothing wrong with me physically! So my dr prescribed me alcohol and and said to chill out. I then spoke with a therapist who said that she had experience with patients who felt as though they were suffocating. Hearing this news gave me hope.

At the start of my long journey with my therapist I told myself I was going to do whatever she said and to believe with full senserity that she was right. She told me that I had developed a panic disorder and was experiencing prolonged panic attacks and extreme anxiety.

The first two months were the hardest where I had to pretend that I was not having trouble breathing. It was not easy. On a daily basis I could not take a deep breath and felt as though I was suffocating. I had to pretend that how I was feeling was not real. I wanted to get better so I rationalized that given there was nothing physically wrong with me therefore the issue was in my head.

After two months I started to see results where I was no longer suffocating. Granted I was far from 100% healthy but I was able to function and get through the day.

I've now been recovering for 4 months and while my body may never be the same I am feeling so much better. I am still sensitive to stress which at times induces chest tightness. I am unable to get a deep cough. At times I have panic atracks and when they happen I just ignore it and it goes away after about 30 min.

I hope that no one ever has to go through this and I just want to share my experience in case you do. There is hope at the end of the road. You just have to be tough of mind and patient and you will get better. Maybe not 100% but definitely better to he point you can live a normal life.

[Damon1864 Volunteer]

Hi you are so brave telling us all of this, I really admire and appreciate it. Going through all of that must have been so frightening but you came through and because of what you have written may have helped others. I'm glad you are so muchh better you and have a good night and take care 😊 Bernadette xx xx 🌈

[ProudYorky in reply to Damon1864]

Thank you for sharing this in such intricate detail it's not something I was aware of must have been such a difficult time .I'm glad you got the right help as it could have been ongoing forever you take care and enjoy your tent just for the right reasons 😆😆😆

[Troilus]

Hi MooBear.

I don’t mean to undermine the treatment you are getting, and it is good that you share your experiences, but have you ever been checked for asthma?

I am not a dr and I do not have any medical experience, but what you are describing sounds a lot like asthma to me.

Asthma would not show on X-ray, nor would it be detected by blood tests, but an attack could be triggered by paint fumes.

[MooBear1 in reply to Troilus]

Appreciate the suggestion. I thought about it but I dont believe so. I've never had asthma and have been physically active all my life. The dr initially prescribed me an inhaler which worked the first two times but after that made the symptoms worse. So far the treatment has been helping and the breathing issues have mostly gone away.

[knitter]

I am sorry about your suffering and glad that you have improved.

Just a thought , even though your gp said he could not see any physical cause, were you tested for Covid ?

Or did you have any allergy tests for house dust etc. I guess paint fumes would be difficult to test for....I know some brands of paint make my chest worse.

I am reading a book at the moment called Breath...it’s about the authors theory on mouth breathing .

I find gentle, gentle nose breathing helps me .

Best wishes to you, take care.

[Tempo57 in reply to knitter]

I agree with you knitter, a test for Covid would be my first step.

I had the same thing in February and it lasted until late April. I still get the odd setback and at first thought it was perhaps asthma (tho late in life). I would get breathless and felt like I was suffocating. Turpentine set me off, as well as as Malathion (whilst sprayI got for aphids). I was a zombie.

Then I spoke with the surgeon who had operated on my foot this past January. He’d gone to work on the Covid wards when all orthopedic operations were cancelled . He said what I was describing to him was Covid, since he’d seen so much of it in the large city hospital where he’d been working. I forgot to say that I coughed for 66 night & days and sat up in bed for 47 nights! I had no energy and became breathless trying to climb a few stairs. Even walking down the street I had to stop. Now I ride my push bike all over, cut my large hedges, (though I wear a mask for dust), and I’m very active all day in my garden.

I’ve found breathing exercises have helped me enormously and I continue with them several times a day to train my lungs, since I never want to go through what I suffered last winter.

My advice is not to bother taking an antibody test at present. They are useless if you are further away from 35 days after first symptoms began. The two tests available here are from Abbott Labs (US Pharma) and Roche (Swiss Pharma). Both test for the ‘N’ protein in the blood. Red Blood Cells are renewed every 120 days (or 4 months), hence the antibody isn’t there to show up on the test. This doesn’t mean you don’t have antibodies having had Covid but that they are not available to show in this type of test. It’s a very basic test anyway and until there is more time taken to find a better method of testing this is all we have at present. Please don’t waste your money if you are beyond the 35 days as your result may not be accurate.

[Jomo46]

Thanks so much for sharing this and well done for getting through it.

Xx jo

[Nicholatracy]

So glad you are on the mend 🐞

[Jct1]

Pleased you are coping with this you are brave.

[barbs47]

Thank you MooBear for sharing your story. I have suffered from panic attacks for several years. When they started I felt like I was suffocating. It is the most dreadful feeling. I worked on my mental state through reading self help items and mindfulness. They are very much better now but I still suffer from time to time. One thing that helps me is pursed lip breathing. I hope you continue to get better. Barbs x

[Beth1949]

Good to hear that you finally were able to get results.

Stress plays a big factor in a person's health. Before I retired, I had a stressful job, but a job that I loved. I would put my work before my health. I was on all kinds of medication for my Bronchiectasis. I was always short of breath and had numerous ER visits, hospital stays and bronchoscopies to clear out the mucus from my lungs.

Since retiring, we have moved into a newly built house (no chance of mold) in an area with better air quality and I have a less stressful life. So very little shortness of breath.

We do travel (before the virus), and when we're preparing to go and during the travel time, I get stressed and I do have shortness of breath. So stress can cause SOB.

It just goes to show, if you are not happy with one doctor, go to another until you get positive results.

Beth