2nd time today i am writing maybe more i lost count. am i having breathing problems merely because of my severe panic attacks.was on the phone and all of a sudden i feel i cant breath and used my inhaler,when for 6 hours at work while walking and lifting i stayed calm and my breathing never bothered me.is this because of anxiety and panic.because when i wake up in morning from sleeping i am always fine. on another note has anyone ever heard of a dr. gregery someone told me of this dr he is very well known and i was told if i go on a plant based diet and eat lots of fruits and vegetables people say it does tremendous things for copd i read it helps helps damaged lung tissue heal and there was a study done and everyone who did this had there breathing improve over 3 year period. i am ready i am sorry to say to loose my mind and end this and it has just begun for me but i know what bad breathing problems are like when many years ago i would not get rid of my cats and it almost killed me.i cant forgive myself for what i have done with my own 2 hands for smoking for 35 years.i am ready to leave my phone number so i can actually talk to someone. i dont know from one day to the next if i will just say screw it i am done this is way to hard.when i feel i am having trouble breathing i say in my head i am heading down so fast i will be suffocating soon and i cant do this.
CANT STOP THE SHEER PANIC: 2nd time... - Lung Conditions C...
CANT STOP THE SHEER PANIC
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There is no proven scientific method of healing lung matter so don't waste your money on claims like this. There is no cure for copd. There is a good anxiety and depression site on here and have given you the link below. x
healthunlocked.com/anxiety-...
its not costing me anything but buying food and please dont do this to me i am very suicidal and if i think there is no hope i will kill myself.i didnt say a cure and i think i got the lung part wrong i just said there was a study where peoples breathing improved.i am in sheer terror and i am not sure i will even last a couple of days.they told me at the copd hotline its possible for me to keep it where it is with hard work and good diet.people on this site have told me they have not gotten any worse in 10 years .if you want to kill me tell me its all hopeless
We have all told you the opposite of it's all hopeless but it doesn't seem to be taking hold which is why I suggested you get help for your anxiety and gave you the link to the relevant site on here. x
Hi,
I’m so sorry you are having such a hard time with your thoughts. Your actual lung health and overall fitness, your outlook for both in the future have little to do with the thoughts racing in your head. Want proof? Get an oximeter. When your panic tells you that you cannot breathe at all, check your O2 and it could well be in normal range. I’ve learned the mind / body conundrum as when I think “oh, I’ve had such a day, I cannot go to the gym today I am too beat”, then I go and work my body and my body is fully able to do what I ask, though my mind said “no way”. Now there is an actual limit to what I can do, but it is not nearly the limits my mind makes it out to be sometimes. As others have said, you may want to see a doctor about the anxiety you are feeling, but in the meantime, try to focus on how well you are probably feeling aside from the panic, and consider that there is no way to tell the future, it is all we can do to do our best in the here and now and not let fear of the future rob us of pleasure in the now. Hang in there, trust that for hundreds of people in your condition, including myself, there are many many good days after the COPD diagnosis, and in fact even some of their very best days. There are new medical discoveries every day. In the years ahead, before you will reach your Dad’s age, do you imagine nothing will change in the medical treatment realm? I believe for sure something will be changed by then. I pray for peace for you, sorry do not mean to offend if you are not a person of faith, it is a gesture of hope I mean to send you. Take care.
pepapod you are a really nice human being.i wrote about a famous dr and someone just told me dont waste your money basically there is no hope.if i have no hope i am dead pepapod.whats the sense.however i actually hate most drs cause one messed me up and it took years to get on my feet and i was in in agonizing pain for 5 years.i know this isnt a good thing to believe but i am under the opinion that they dont want to cure anything,there is no money in a cure. i hope i am wrong.you did not offend me with praying for me and a person of faith,however i am an atheist and i really think being one makes this harder on me in a way.i never ask any god for anything and i never pray.its just who i am and i didnt arrive at this conclusion all of a sudden it took me awhile.sometimes i wish i could have someone to say please help me but it just isnt there.please pepapod if you can write me back do so..everyday is becoming way to hard for me.i had a good day at work cause i was calm and had zero breathing problems and when i get home the panic starts.i keep calling the copd hotline and they tell me i can stay at the level i am at for a very long time and the dr said i can baseline if i take care of myself eat well and exercise.i have good nights and some that are very bad,i have been thru hell no pun intended lol and back in my 57 years and alot of times i feel i cant do this anymore i am exhausted and just want to die.i cant forgive myself for smoking and not quitting 20 years ago it eats at me like a cancer
Dear Hope132,
I hope that you will be able to talk with a professional who treats anxiety soon. I’m just a 59 year old woman who has had panic attacks in the past, has emphysema, is a Christian, and tries to love others as Christ has loved us. My heart goes out to you because I know that terrified, clinging by a thread, sick stomach, racing heart, going to literally die feeling. It passes. It really does. It passes more quickly when we distract ourselves with something that proves we aren’t really as sick in reality as our mind is telling us, which is why I suggested the oximeter. I used to sing really loudly - proved I could breathe and was alive. I will also share that I think guilt is the most devastating of human emotions. We beat ourselves up for all the wrong we have done, and if we don’t find a way to receive forgiveness and/ or to forgive ourselves, well it eats at our very souls. At least I know that for me, guilt contributed to my past anxiety a lot. My train of thought went like this “I did wrong, I deserve to receive a punishment for it, I’m terrified because I cannot escape the punishment and I don’t think I can take the punishment, I have no way out” - thinking along those lines would drive anyone to panic! Truly, it is a wretched train of thought, half of which is fortune telling about the future. So, back to reality - Did you smoke? Yes, and so did I. Are my lungs damaged from it? Yes, they are, it is a fact. At present, given what we know, that damage is probably not reversible - though new treatments will emerge over time, I am sure. Have I lots of reasons to beat myself up over bad choices? Oh yes, about 2 million (cigs smoked). But - I stopped smoking, I’m leading a healthier lifestyle than I have in years, and what’s done is done. My body is getting more good things from me than in the prior 30 years, and I can’t do any better for it than I am right now. I am presently buying myself as much time as I can simply through healthier habits. If you have stopped smoking, hurrah!! You have already done the single best thing for yourself, and you can be proud of each day you are smoke free. Give yourself a hug, you are still here, you are on this forum for a reason. There are so many kind and gentle souls on this forum, all wanting to help each other. It is a source of hope for me daily, to read the circumstances some face and yet they are still showing up, still contributing. Something very positive about that strength of the human spirit that lifts me up. Please take a deep breath, read their posts - there is a wise and witty community here that cares and can help.
thanku for the kind words i just took 5 pills to relax me an help me sleep and my breathing is fine now. i dont think i have you strength.i am to exhausted from years of fighting other horrible things that have happened to me lying in bed from agonizing nerve pain for 5 years wondering if it will go away trying to find an answer which i did and threw all i went threw the unbelievable stupidity of doing this to myself by still smoking.i am tired and if i deciede i am to tired what i am thinking about doing will kill my parents who are ill as well as my dad with copd at less then 20 and me with the same disease that i gave myself as he did. its not acceptable and i cant forgive myself for what i have done.it took me 35 years to kill myself and i just feel i should just finish the job.how do i watch myself slowly die and be suffocated to death i cant. i tell myself hey maybe you can keep your numbers up till you die someone wrote me his numbers has stayed steady for 10 years but how do i know that will be me. this is a progressive disease.i am just at the begininng and i am on the verge of a nervous breakdown. please keep writing me i am so scared !!!
I didn't tell you there was no hope. You said in your post that the diet could help heal lung tissue and I said it can't as the damage is not reversible. There are lots of 'cures' advertised but copd can only be managed.
You aren't the only one who really regrets smoking as most of us did. You can't change the past though and there is no point beating yourself up over it. We did smoke but we were also very unlucky to get copd as well as most smokers don't. We don't deserve it but we have it and all we can do now is deal with it.
Have a google for some breathing exercises you can learn as these will help in a panic attack.
my diagnosos was copd thats what the dr told me.my fev1 was 67 then 64 6 weeks later but i was told the test can fluctuate at times and he would only let me blow in it once.i had an xray not a ct scan and the xray said the heart is small which can be seen in copd and there is flattening of the diaphram and a mild increase in lung markings consistent with copd. i was able to do alot of activity without a problem much but sometimes i have panic attacks while doing them and i feel i cant breath. when i dont i seem to feel pretty good.should i get a cat scan cause i just assumed the findings where pretty clear
thanks redsox that was extremely nice of you. i am scared my numbers will fall.i had a horrible dr who first told me i didnt have it with a 67 .when i did my own research i realized something is wrong and this prick did not even call me for 6 weeks about my xray and never would have it i did not go back. he told me oops i was wrong can u believe that.he told me i could baseline if i take care of myself but cause he such a moron i have trouble believing him. but someone wrote me on here and told me there numbers have remained steady for 10 years.cant get my dad out of my mind.its endless visited him 2 months ago i thought he was going to die in the car.he is like 20 or less.i see my dad i see me.he didnt quit smoking till he was 73.
i just wanted to add redsox that when i thought i didnt have anything after about 4 weeks i felt fantastic almost all the time. i wasnt even thinking about the inhaler for like 6 days and being as i was told i did not have it i started smoking a little weed to relax and i statred having problems again. it does tell me that when i was thinking i did not have anything i felt much better i wish i could go back there but now that i know the panic is a daily thing
i cant redsox and have a part time job and no insurance.i am going to sign up in october but have to wait till jan to start coverage. i think the only way i can deal with my life now is be medicated. the dr gave me ativan a couple week s ago but i did not fill the prescription.i hate pills and i think it will hurt my ability to keep my numbers up i dont even know if thats true. i think what he gave me is like xanex.someone on here is going to help me learn how to cook weed and make brownies so i can get stoned i am a 40 year weed smoker and that was taken away from me with the copd.i tried it a couple of times edibles but it did not work but hopefully someone can help me.i know it will totally relax me and my panic attacks would probably be gone .i just took 4 pills to help me sleep and i am starting to feel relaxed somewhat and i fell like i am breathing better. i know alot of this is mental i assume at my numbers isnt it? but its so freaking hard to relax my mind. its a natural human extinct to breath and when you are thinking about it i dont know how one can relax.how do u do it redsox,i wish i could cause if i cant i am afraid i wont make it much longer.thanks for caring about me redsox it is comforting to know that other human beings are out there and that all humanity isnt all bad. i have quite a negative outlook on humnaity there is a name for it it is called a misanthropic.i always look at the big picture i guess and the horrible things we have done througout history but you my friend are one of the good guys! please write me when you can it would help !
I have suffered from both panic attacks and breathlessness.....terrifying I know.
one feeds off the other , and you can get into a cycle of fear, breathlessness, fear.
If you are able to talk , can you contact the Samaritans today. If you are too breathless ring 111, if you are in the UK, or ask for emergency help.
The BLF have a helpline open during the working week
03000 030 555,
NoPanic also has a helpline , opening hours are the same ....0844 9674848.
Meantime, try the pursed lip breathing technique. Breathe in gently through your nose, then out through your mouth with pursed lips.....gently. Repeat a few times. Then carry on breathing gently, through your nose to prevent hyperventilating.
I was given Zanax, which helped me over the worst...but I only took it for a short time . Other people on this site take other medications for anxiety.
Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables is a good idea....I make soups and smoothies which are easier to eat when I am breathless.
Take care.
Hi Hope
You will get love and comfort on this forum but you need to get medical help.
Be sure to say exactly how you feel. You can try the helplines if you need to talk and calm down.
Because breathlessness can bring anxiety and vice versa it can be difficult to control.
It is worse at night when we feel lonely or helpless.
Try the Youtube links I have posted in the past.
youtube.com/playlist?list=P...
There are 24 meditations on Anxiety, just sit up propped up, plug your earphones in and let it run. Slowly you will drift..
If you feel you cannot handle things anymore phone the ambulance service.
Take good care x
Fran
There’s so much support for you hope and some wonderful replies so please get help for your anxiety. I do wish you better days ahead. Xxxxx
Hi Hope, please listen to what everyone here is saying. With mild copd and a willingness to look after yourself by keeping as fit as you already are, you have many years ahead of you. You've already done the best thing possible by giving up smoking. That takes great determination and grit and if you can do that you can do anything! Hang in there, don't beat yourself up over what you might have done wrong in the past. NOW you are doing all the right things for your future health and you have many years ahead to look forward to.
Finding someone who will help you deal with your anxiety is the next step in your journey.
You talked about insurance which made me wonder if you are in the USA. It would help us to know which country you are in so that any suggested solutions we have are relevant for you. Please let us know - not your full address, just the country you live in.
With best wishes, Annie
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