Deep Breath

[cshamb]

Does anyone have problem with getting a deep breath. I also have along with with it constant clearing my throat. It may be allergies as pollen is bad right now. Thank you

[park_bear]

I would vote for allergies.

[bahrainhelp1]

yes cannot do easily .

[cabbagecottage]

One of the many unfortunate symptons I am sorry to say .

[haugenk]

Same here - I was unaware that this might be PD-related so thanks.

[mistergadget]

When i'm going "off" sinemet I get severe breathing issues.

[JohnPepper]

Hi cshamb. One of the symptoms of Pd is the inability to clear the mucus from the chest. It is a similar problem to constipation. the trachea and the intestines have very small muscles in them and those muscles are supposed to contract and that is called peristalsis. The contraction moves the mucus up towards the throat and in the case of the intestines it moves the stool down towards the rectum. This action does not work very well and we get this build-up of mucus in our chests.

What can we do about it? I have found no medication that clears it properly but I have found that if I expel air from my lungs very quickly, I can move the mucus up and keep my trachea clear. If I cough, it makes my throat sore, which I don't need.

Walking helps the deep breathing and it helps the Pd as well.

[Lynnie1 in reply to JohnPepper]

Hi John, what about NAC? Several folks in this community swear by it so I just ordered some for Ron, and it appears to Clear mucus. Here's a link, and at the bottom of the "may help"section, it addresses Parkinson's: wholehealthmd.com/ME2/dirmo...

[JohnPepper in reply to Lynnie1]

Thanks

[cabbagecottage in reply to JohnPepper]

There is a name for when the muscles work / pull against themselves isn't there

[JohnPepper in reply to cabbagecottage]

Hi Cabbagecottage. I'm sure there is, but I cannot tell you what it is!

[HeartSong in reply to JohnPepper]

John, I've also found that expelling the air from my lungs forcefully 3 or 4 times in rapid succession relaxes my diaphragm, which in turn makes it easier to draw in more air.

[JohnPepper in reply to HeartSong]

Hi Heartsong. Your name reminds me that have just returned from a concert given in our retirement village for people in the Frail Care Centre. I used to sing, many years ago and thought I could just get up and sing a few songs this morning, but it all went a little pear-shaped. My larynx soon filled up with phlegm and the singing was very wobbly. I felt ashamed of myself There is nowhere her for me to practice, as that noise would not be tolerated. I'll just have t do it somewhere else, because, as bad as it was, they enjoyed it and want more next month.

I must practice what I preach and get my throat clear for next time.

[HeartSong in reply to JohnPepper]

John, I sense that you are one determined man!

I often sing around the house, and sometimes my throat fills up with phlegm just as you described. I've always thought it must be acid reflux caused by the pressure between my throat and diaphragm when I sing.

[JohnPepper in reply to HeartSong]

H HeartSong. I love singing too! Did you know that Pd causes two similar conditions: the first is constipation and the second is phlegm in the chest and trachea. How does it do this? There are muscles around the intestines and the trachea that expand and contract causing the stools in the intestines to move towards the anus and the phlegm in the chest to move upwards towards the throat. This is called peristalsis. In Pd, that often ceases to work properly, which means we become constipated and get chest infections.

Walking helps the constipation, as does conscious clearing of the chest help the chest problems.

If I cough the phlegm up, my throat gets sore and infected, so what do I do? I expel the air from my chest by taking a deep breath and suddenly expelling it, like coughing but not temporarily stopping my throat from allowing the air to get out. Two or three quick attempts is normally enough to get the phlegm up.

To get the phlegm out of the larynx, I do the same thing but pass the air through the larynx by shouting a sound at the same time.

Give it a try!

[paddyfield]

Yes to both. The clearing incessant clearing of the throat drives me crackers. At least now I'm saved a second trip to the doctors about it

[ecurb]

@CShamb. Yes I have a similar problem. It as though my rib cage collapses. I feel the need to inhale deeply but am not able to because of reduced rib cage volume. This gives a sensation of being short winded. This happens most when lying on my back and especially when I'm in bed at night and can be very nerveracking. I discovered not so long ago that putting one hand on top of the other just under the sternum and pushing inwards whilst breathing in forcefully can help at times in achieving deep breath.

[Lynnie1 in reply to ecurb]

Hi Folks, my guy and I attend Parkinson's classes, and they do breathing exercises to help expand the lung capacity. And I found this short article just now: fightingparkinsonsdrugfree....

[GinnyK]

Yes, I do have trouble taking a deep breath, usually when I am late with my med (Carbodopa/levodopa) and am lying down. Not allergies. My stomach gets very tight and doesn't expand .

[TheresaCurley]

I was curious about this myself. Over a year ago, maybe two, I started feeling like there is a constant mucous blockage in the back of my throat and constantly have to clear my throat. I've gone to the doctor about it and the GP said it was allergies....but I'm sure he is wrong because it happens year round for me. I use Halls throat lozenges every day and it helps. I can't get to sleep at night unless I have a Halls first. It opens up the passageway. It was after I was diagnosed that I though maybe this too has something to do with the PD. I forgot to ask my PD doctor about it. Next visit I will.

[weekapaw in reply to TheresaCurley]

I've had this for some time but did not know it was PD related, although Bush 1 has PD and has had Pneumonia for awhile. I buy sugar free Ricola lozenges to leave in my mouth when I go to sleep.

[TheresaCurley in reply to weekapaw]

I do the same thing, I can't fall asleep unless I have a lozenge......I use Sugar Free Halls with menthol. I'm a little worried about choking on it sometimes because when I wake up there is often some still in my mouth. My mouth gets very dry overnight and it doesn't always complete dissolve the lozenge.

[hopedope in reply to TheresaCurley]

I just replied to this breathing post about a thin lozenge that is really good for overnight--it is called Fisherman's Friend.

[PUTLAND]

Yes my husband is constantly clearing his throat and uses lozenges to help.

[2011rav]

I don't have the breath problem but have noticed in the last month or so that after every meal I have to spit. It appears that I build up a lot of phlegm. Don't know if it is related to my PD but have not had that before. I asked my Dr. but he had not answer for me. Wil J

[cabbagecottage in reply to 2011rav]

I

[cabbagecottage in reply to cabbagecottage]

I have recently started to use a nasal spray for John , for both of us as matter if fact . Helps clean airways . It has seemed to help a bit so far

[hopedope]

I don't have a daily problem with phlegm but was recovering from a bad cold recently and found a four year old box of Fisherman's Friend lozenges in our cold supplies. They still worked very well. They are very thin so you don't have the feeling you could choke on them if you fall asleep. On Wikipedia it says the lozenges were thought of as "friends". They are sold in CVS and Walgreen drug stores, in Walmart and on Amazon. Mine were the extra strong type that also clears the nose a little. I like them.

[HeartSong]

Sometimes when the medication is off, I feel like I'm suffocating, even though my airway passages are open and I'm inhaling normally. Other times, my sinuses actually swell so badly when the medication is off, that I have to put on a Breathe Right Strip (a wonderful little invention that quickly opens up the nose without drugs). And (sorry to sound like a broken record), massaging my face helps, especially down the ridge of my nose, just under my nose, around my eyes, and also my cheeks.

[kievian]

Like many things in PD your breaths are truncated so that you take shallow breaths. This is ok if you're not doing much but exertion will make you breathe more rapidly (but not more deeply). This us because exertionmskes you produce more carbon dioxide, which increases your breathing rate but it doesn't alter your PD so your breathes are still too shallow and yiu oxygen levels fall.

To brreak the cycle try and yawn or sigh at the end of an inhalation. This typically doubles your lung capacity (temporarily!) and you may need only to do this once or twice to restore your oxygen levels.

Keep an eye on your breathing rate and, if it goes above about 10/min, try and reduce it by taking slower deeper breaths.