6 months I have experiencing difficulty breathing. Feeling of being unable to take a deep breath. Every test shows nothing wrong and diagnosis is general anxiety disorder. Just cannot acceot this, my life is too good.
Had chest xray, ultra sound - which diagnosed FALD (unrelated to SOB I am told), stress test, ecocardiogram, spirometry test and finally CT to determine not pulmonary embolism.
I am totally sane and desparate to determine if there is a physical cause when I saw on this website mention of fybromyalgia with similar physical symptoms.
Please tell me is there is anyone out there with the same issue.
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BonnieG
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Look at next post fibromyalgia it has a chart on it you might find interesting. Yes in a flare you can feel like you can't breathe. I would suggest you talk to your doctor about it.
Hi there BonnieG I can remember how I felt when all my tests came back negative to conditions that related to my pain . And also a relief when I was diagnose, cause at least I knew what it was if you know what I mean. May be this could be fibro related, I also can become breathless when doing really easy thing.. I really hope you find the peace you require in order to lower the stress xx
Thank you for asking this question I am newly diagnosed with fibromyalgia and have this feeling that my chest has a heavy weight on it preventing me from breathing and I sigh a lot. The answers here have helped.
Have them asked you to record your lung capacity ( blowing in the tube) twice a day over a month? I had the same thing, went through all the test you have and eventually they diagnosed asthma! I was shocked. What started as a little breathless sometimes escalated to feeling like a couldn't fill my lungs with a deep breath. I now use the brown preventive inhaler and I feel better than before, but not as good as I used to be. Doc seems to think a chest infection last year started the symptoms off and me being super women ( in my head only) I ignored the initial symptoms. ( sick of going to the doctor for every new ache, pain or swollen joint) Joking aside I really hope you find out what's triggering your breathlessness as it can be pretty scared. Your in my thoughts, good luck and let us know the outcome.
Hi ,I have profound fibromyalgia and also very severe M.E.I had symptoms of sighing and air hunger from the very begining.I have had 2 previous bloodclots but they were to the same same thigh,and attributed to the fact that i am bedbound 24/7 last 6 years with severity of M.E.I always had the sighing breathing and went through all the same diagnostics as you did,and i still experience Air hunger.My M.E. And Fibro specialist informed me that this is very common with my conditions.Im also extreemly well controlled asthmatic,and these symptomsare not attributed to my asthma as i experience the hunger minus asthma symptoms .Hope this helps you in your query.
You might check on getting a nebuliser or however it's spelled! It helps me a lot when it gets bad. I don't have to put anything in it but I also have chronic bronchitis so I do have stuff to put in it. My grandsons are both premies and have to use it when allergies or a cold comes around. Hope this helps!
Hi and welcome, the only time that i dont experience these symptoms is when i am resting, as soon as i start walking I struggle for breath and yes i sigh a lot, to me it feels more like a gasp for air.
I now use a wheelchair outside and hold onto the furneture in the house. most days i can only manage a few very slow steps before stopping for air. if i try to push on i go dizzy.
Fibro is a possibility. ask your gp to make an appointment to see a neurologist
I don't want to sound like a broken record, but for years I've had, what I've always described as being a shallow breather, I was unaware I was struggling for a deeper breathe, my niece for years said my breathing was very noisey!!! It became the famiy joke , when i visited, she would put earphones on lol, Which she has not said/done now in 5 years, I was diagnosed as pernicious anaemic after I started my B12 injections my breathing regulated, also after the injections I realised I had not been producing saliva either, that explained why I couldn't go anywhere without a bottle of water in my hand, always thirsty I thought! Saliva back to normal production the next day, initially I was dribbling like a baby. I hope this information is of some help to you, if nothing else it's another avenue to go down, it's diagnosed by a blood test called the "intrinsic factor" nothing ventured nothing gained, wishing you well, Take care Honor xx
WOW - what a lot to digest. I will come back to this post and make notes to talk to the doctor next time I go. I am just amazed how my pain and other symptoms have escalated since the diagnosis. My friends and family will begin to think I am milking the situation if I told them everything I am going through right now. So I am putting on my positive face the world face.
Hi - just to say that yes I do get gasping. At one time it was so bad, I was sure that it felt I was drowning in oxygen because it didn't matter how much I gasped, I didn't feel right. I have mild asthma, but my inhalers did nothing for this type of breathing (however, if you haven't already, please do get tested for asthma). B12 deficiency and good old fashioned anaemia can also give you the same symptoms. I have silent reflux (basically reflux that doesn't hurt, so you don't know it is happening) and when I lay down flat I often feel like my wind pipe is pressing in - it isn't - it is the contents of my stomach coming up my throat. So for me, it has really helped to raise the head of my bed by 20cm, so at night I don't get so much reflux - which can also affect your breathing. I also cut out certain foods that seem to make the reflux worse. Also get checked for thyroid problems if you haven't already, as they can make you gasp as well. Hope you are feeling better soon - I remember how scared I was when my gasping was bad.
Fibro does cause the same symptoms however so does worrying a lot. Thinking of the problem and it's effects makes it 50times worse. Go do yoga learn to control yr mind and body...it'll help stay with it for more than a week..good luck
Hi there. Get your B12 levels checked. This was one of the first signs I had of low B12. I have always done Yoga, and learning to breathe deeply is part of that. I found I was struggling to do so many of the breathing exercises. I got puffed out just going upstairs. Get yours checked. MariLiz
Hiya I'm Nicola, I have been having the same problem. I was diagnosed in 2010 with fibro, I also have a couple of other issues that I won't bore you with. I am being tested for lupus at the moment. The breathing thing is really frustrating as I can get out of breath just by having a conversation. Like you had all the tests which have come back clear. They say fibro is non progressive but I am starting to doubt this as I feel so much worse now than I did 5 years ago and all other tests are clear so far I am wondering what the hell is wrong with me.
Hope you get some answers, always here if you want to rant.
Nicola I firmly believe that Fibro is progressive as mine has got gradually worse over the past 27yrs and now I'm bed bound 70% of the time with fatigue and pain.
Hi my breathing has got worse since they put me on Tgel/HRT was finding it hard before but not so much now out of breath for doing little but if say spend day at home/sleep till late(if i can stay a sleep)find if walk for while feel more lively then it starts again.
Finding much is too much for me had to trudge up the road other day and had enough really struggled to get back walking like someone in there 90's! then went to bed and that was end of the day for me.
Have the blue pumps don't do a lot but okish sometimes
Always bringing up thick stuff more often than not white like milk but also yellowish plus sure when had some blood come up wasn't from nose/teeth as woke up early one morning had to clear it and had blood in it but not like a fresh bleed but was really tired went back to bed so was like a dream and didn't really register it as such but did say to quack when saw them.
Had flow test which was ok they said but mind been sitting around for quite a while and was cool there as find when it's warmer etc then really struggle so much so was with friend wondering round B&Q's said to him have to stop n sit down as worlds going round started to feel things changing face stated going numb like when i collapsed while back.
But on the sunday as raining and cooler felt easier.
But the lungs like other parts of body the fibro thinks it's funny to mess about with are involuntary unstriped muscle tissues like all internal organs apart from heart (thats cardiac and striped involuntary muscle only one in the body)
Took part in a Fibro study at St Thomas's Hospital other week speaking to lady there see said many have similar breathing problems.
Was quite an interesting conversation there found some things out some confirmed what i'd worked out myself too.
Hi im in process of closing my facebook data mining account don't use it hardly at all only keep because have a few people far away on there but went on other day got a list of people to add some i know but not on the net at all as don't have there details or where they live even also don't have there phone numbers just to talk to in street there not in any circle of my friends on there yet how does it have them up to add? very scary/worrying situation but read more into fb they know what you buy/spend/political leanings who you talk to and turn on camera/listen to conversations on the phone plus steal your details from phones/pc's
they even set up ghost profiles of your friends then if they join they have there details up there all ready!
Hi, i have the same problems and been told it is sleep apnea as mine mostly happens at night, only to be told at the hospital that it isnt this. But yet to be told exactly what it is. sorry its not helpful but at least you know your not on your own. X
I too occasionally have the feeling that I can't take a deep breath, I don't feel like I am gasping just that I am breathing shallowly. My osteopath once commented that she wondered how I could take a deep breath because of all the tension in the muscles around my rib cage. I have heard this mentioned elsewhere that sometimes it is just that everything is so tense there is no give to expand your lungs. Obviously best to get this checked out if you really feel like you can't breath but hopefully it is nothing serious. Gentle hugs, Steph
When I first started with Fibro I had tightness across my chest and I felt I couldn't breath right. lasted 12 months and was due to anxiety. Most symptoms are but it takes years to accept this.
a weakened diaphragm is thought to be the culprit for this symptom in people with m.e fibromyalgia. since fatigue effects all the muscles and the diaphragm is the main muscle that controls how we breath. air hunger is common with people who have m.e c f s . and of course such symptoms will make people anxious the anxiety is caused by the symptom not the other way around. you can check out such symptoms on the pheonix rising site which has many links to biomedical research in this area.best wishes.
I am so genuinely sorry to read this and I sincerely hope that you can find some resolution and relief to this issue. I am a life long asthmatic and I also have COPD, a fixed airway and sleep apnea, so breathing has always been an issue for me.
I can see that you have been given a lot of really good replies so I will just wish you all the best of luck with this.
Hi I have Fibro and there is days I find it hard to breath and get air in to my lungs. I know how you feel you are not alone. Good luck and keep fighting.
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