Breathing/Breathlessness/Is Someone sitting on my chest!

[dogmad65]

Hi, my mum with Stage 4 with mets to liver and bones has recently experienced a tightness in her chest in the evenings. It does not last long and feels like someone is sitting on her chest or similar to something heavy on it. I have shown her a video on how to cope with breathlessness but is there somewhere I could obtain a leaflet so she has something at hand. (Her history: she was formally diagnosed in July 2018 after a cough that had lasted months was investigated, she decided against treatment going for quality rather than time, at the moment she remains painfree and is reasonably active, her breathing is becoming more laboured however and her reoccurring cystitis is treated with antibiotics. We manage the fatigue by making the most of the 3/4 hours a day she is able to do things).

[Reflective60]

I'm so sorry to hear about your mum, she - and you - sound very courageous. I'm not a doctor and your mum needs to ask her medics and nurses about this. But I wonder if the very understandable anxiety and fear she may be feeling may be causing or contributing to her symptoms? These are the same symptoms I have experienced at times of great stress in my pre-lung cancer life when I found mental and breathing relaxation techniques, especially mindfulness, very helpful (I recommend the Williams & Penman book with CD called 'Mindfulness A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world'). Also going for walks wherever there are trees and greener is a great therapy, which I am sure she knows already. There is a known link between anxiety and blood pressure and the low dose beta blocker bisoprolol has helped my anxiety a lot by controlling my borderline high blood pressure which was both the cause and effect of the anxiety. Some people say that rebreathing your own exhaled air by breathing into a paper bag alleviates panic attacks but the medical views on this are mixed - not to be done without medical advice. Finally, after my lobectomy I felt I couldn't breathe and demanded oxygen but was reassured by nurses telling me that I was getting fully oxygenated air (as proved by their little finger gadget) and just needed to breathe more deeply to expand my remaining lung, which worked, as did that reassurance. I don't know of a leaflet, sorry.

[dogmad65 in reply to Reflective60]

Thank you x

[RoyCastleHelpline Partner Ask the Nurse Roy Castle]

Hello dogmad65, I am sorry to hear that your mum is feeling breathless the British Lung foundation ( BLF ) has some very good information and advice on managing breathlessness, I have added a link to their website below. Any change in symptoms such as the tightness / heaviness in her chest should be checked by her Gp there may be an underlying cause and he may be able to prescribe something to help and as Reflective60 has mentioned mindfulness and mediation is a very good way to control your breathing.

blf.org.uk/support-for-you/...

If yo would like to speak to someone please give us a call on the nurse led helpline freephone 0800 358 7200

[dogmad65 in reply to RoyCastleHelpline]

Thank you

[JanetteR57]

Sorry to hear about your mum's breathlessness in the evening - this time of year affects people with their breathlessness and can be affected by cold air or mould spores in the atmosphere (allergic response in the airways) as well as infections that circulate when central heating is higher. After my lung surgery I was given an incentivising spirometer toy to help regulate breathing and found this really helpful. I have gone onto improve my lung health by increasing the amount of swimming I did before my surgery in a bid to develop the remaining half of the lung which has worked as I've gone onto do far more than before my diagnosis of lung cancer in Jan 2011. However I occasionally get chest infections when the tightness returns. It's worth seeing a doctor to rule out that she hasn't developed a chest infection on top of her other issues and may be put on a reliever inhaler to open up the airways. As others have suggested, gentle exercise like walking can help improve breathing as can yoga, pilates and singing (yes this is evidenced). there are some breathing exercises and exercises to open up the chest area shown/described on the roy castle lung cancer foundation website under 'how we help', 'information' treatments' 'my lung surgery' that may help. good luck.