Shortness of Breath

[Tarheelllll]

Hi folks,

I have been a member of this community for awhile but have never posted. About 4 years ago, I started being very short of breath. Since I am a former smoker, the first thing that came to my mind was lung cancer. I went to lung specialist who ran numerous tests and concluded that my lungs were fine. She suggested I go to a cardiologist-which I did. The cardiologist also ran tests and concluded that my LAD was blocked. He then scheduled a procedure to put in a stent. During the procedure he discovered that the LAD was only 50% blocked and instead of putting in a splint, he put me on Crestor and a beta blocker. Since that time I have had an appointment with him once a year. So far, so good.

Flash forward until now. I still have the problem with shortness of breath and in fact, it seems a bit worse. In addition, I have dizzy spells and have periods where I start sweating heavily. They COULD be caused by some other medications I am on but I really don't know. I have become very frightened that there is something else going on with my heart. My husband encourages me to see the cardiologists but insists that he believes it is caused because I am out of shape. I am 66 years old and have no other medical problems.

I would love any comments or suggestions from y'all. Thanks!

[Tos92]

Hi Tarheelllll

You’re right in saying that the medications you’re on might be causing it however, have you ever been considered for low blood pressure perhaps? This can cause dizzy spells. If you have a blood pressure monitor at home, it may be a good idea to take your blood pressure, once in the morning and once in the evening and keep a log of it.

Other things unrelated to the heart such as COPD and asthma can also cause shortness of breath. However, I note you’ve said you have been to a lung specialist so I assume these have been ruled out?

Being out of shape or overweight can also contribute to making shortness of breath worse. Have you thought about perhaps looking at your diet and seeing what things you could cut out? Mild exercising such as brisk walking to get you started might also be helpful for you.

I hope others come by with suggestions.

All the best.

Tos

[Bigheart58]

As others have said, we are not medically qualified so I will refrain from offering any medical opinion.

All I would say is that three years ago I started to notice that I was becoming out of breath when climbing up a long flight of stairs. I ascribed this to being out of shape, eating the wrong things and not exercising enough.

It turned out that my main artery was in fact almost completely blocked and I suffered a major heart attack a week later. I obviously wish now that I had got myself checked out before it happened.

I really hope you get to the bottom of what’s causing you to get out of breath.

[Paula233 in reply to Bigheart58]

I concur completely. I thought exactly the same before my HA. I was out of breathe, hot after walking that I'd need a cold shower to cool down, my toes looked bruised (but it was where blood wasn't circulating properly) I had headaches every day, dry eyes....and I still put it all sown to being unfit. After the HA and stents were fitted all those symptoms completely disappeared!

[Smitty1956]

Hi, Tarheellll,

Your post makes me feel that I am experiencing something similar to you. It can be frustrating trying to figure out what is causing my difficulty in breathing.

I had a HA in March 2022, and I also did not have any stents placed. I was prescribed Atorvastatin, 40 mg daily, and had an increase in Metropolol, from 50 mg to 75 mg daily. I also take low-dose aspirin. These are not my only medications, but the ones added post HA. It took several months to slowly begin to feel more “normal,” and it is still a work in progress.

After over a year, I saw a cardiologist on June 30, 2023. This was mainly because I am worried about continued breathlessness, or difficulty in breathing after the HA. Some days, I feel that I struggle the whole day to simply breathe. It may feel like I need to take a deep breath, but I have concrete blocks on my chest keeping me from being able to get a deep breath. Other days, I may breathe fairly easy and not feel like I am struggling to breathe. I have felt similar issues with breathing while having a panic attack or a gallbladder attack. Plus I don’t have to be exercising to feel this breathlessness; sometimes it helps some to walk for 15 minutes.

Last month, May 2023, I had a CT chest scan to check on a lung nodule that had been found a year earlier during my HA. The good news is that there had been no change in the nodule over the past year so no further follow-up for that is needed. However, the report stated that I had a stable enlarged heart and an enlarged diameter pulmonary artery. Apparently, that might indicate possible pulmonary arterial hypertension so flash forward to last Friday and seeing the cardiologist.

I now have an appointment in August for an ultrasound of my lungs/heart. Hopefully, this will help to see why I am having difficulty in breathing. Hopefully, we can get this sorted as it is awful to struggle for breath. I am 67 ( so close to your age).

I wish you the best in getting your breathlessness sorted too. Keep us posted please. 😊

[Creations]

I have similar symptoms to you. My concern is the excessive sweating, which happens without much exertion, for example when singing. I had an HA 4 years ago, have a stent and the usual meds. I have a healthy diet and am not overweight. I walk regularly, and although not as fit as I was, am not too out of condition. My GP has referred me to the cardiologist as nothing shows up in bloods, blood pressure or ECG. The amount of sweating is quite disabling. I carry a towel on my handbag. Watch this space for what the cardiologist has to say

[Doublef]

It is probably medication I worked out by process of elimination that it was was bisoprolol and water tablets, I got them reduced and feel a lot better.

[Tarheelllll]

Thanks folks! I really relate to the sweating problem. I never know when it is going to happen; and yes, it can be quite debilitating. I will literally be dripping with sweat with my hair plastered to my skull. Also, I forget to add that my sob happens when I move from a sitting position to being upright and walking. I will get extremely short of breath but then it will disappear after a few minutes. This seems so odd to me.

In any event, I will be calling my cardiologist and hopefully get an appointment soon. I really appreciate your responses! I will let you know what happens.