Air hunger or panic attack or both?

Hello,

So I was recently diagnosed with bartonella and possibly lyme and babesia. My most bothersome/worrisome symptom is my air hunger which tends to occur at the most random times. A couple days ago I was on a flight for the first time in awhile and within 10 mins of boarding I started to feel tightness in my chest and severe air hunger/shortness of breath along with heart palpitations to the point where I felt like I was going on the verge of passing out. Thankfully it was only a short flight from san diego to San francisco and the stewardess gave me an oxygen tank to breath (which I wasn't sure it exactly helped too much).

Has anyone experienced something similar? If so, do air cabins in commercial airliners worsen air hunger somehow? Or another thought with my episodes of air hunger...could it possibly be a panic attack/hyperventilation? Does bartonella/babesia cause panic attack? Could the mechanism of our experience of air hunger be related to panic attacks?

Many doctors have told me that I am hyperventilating but I have effectively ignored it because these episodes would occur at very random times where I am certainly not anxious or nervous. However, every time I do go to the ER during one of my severe episodes they end up telling me my oxygen saturation and lungs are fine and symptoms end up subsiding. I try to practice breathing exercises (diaphramatic, pursed lips, etc.) but they all seem to no avail during my episodes and it just seems to just run its course (1-2 hrs).

Please let me know what you all think.

Thank you!

I have this problem all the time. Can’t tell if it’s air hunger and heart palps (which happens a lot during my Babesia flare-ups) or a panic attack (which I never had until Lyme/Babs/Bart). I think often the air hunger causes a panic attack. It’s a chicken-and-egg kind of thing.

What I love about Chinese medicine is that it doesn’t put a medical label on it. I’ve learned to let go (well, I’m learning) of diagnosing myself and trouble-shooting; it just makes me think and panic more.

Whether it’s air hunger or panic, the response is the same: you need to calm down and breathe through it. During both the medical tests and ER triage are all normal. So does it matter which one it is? Treating Babs should show other symptoms at different times like sweating, chest pressure, etc. Acknowledge you are panicking, tell yourself (and if someone is with you that can talk you through it that helps) it’s the infection, it will pass. Breath steadily and slowly, look up the 4-7-9 technique and see if it helps you.

My acupuncturist actually saw me while I was in the middle of one of these attacks. I was horribly agitated and could hardly lay down because it felt like my chest was going to collapse in itself. What ensued was almost a two-hour exorcism... it was crazy. As she put needles in, things started flowing and my body just went nuts, sobbing uncontrollably, gasping for air, shaking with chills, drenched in sweat, coughing, crying, gasping, over and over.

But what I loved about it was that FINALLY someone could SEE my invisible illness. All those sleepless panicked nights that doctors tell us are in our heads, that people don’t understand because “you look great!”, that make you think you are going crazy... all came out in the doctors office instead of alone in my bed at night. I had someone holding my hand, telling me I was brave and a fighter, validating my condition, and I was able to let it out without worrying about not sleeping, waking up or worrying my husband, or any pressure. Just let it OUT. Though my body was convulsing I felt so PEACEFUL that this was no longer just the battle in my body, someone else saw it and was forced to address it. It was like getting that big +++ diagnosis.

So when I’m panicking, I mentally take myself back to the table and the peace I felt. I make my dr reassure me every time I’m there that my symptoms are herxing and healing, I’m making progress and the battle is me killing IT, not killing ME. Herbs have helped tremendously. There’s a tea powder that takes away the panic- I still have heart palps and insomnia and air hunger, but instead of crying and fretting about it, I just brush it off as annoying while I read or draw or otherwise occupy my mind waiting for it to pass. But it’s specifically for my body, situation, and progress and only thru a TCM practitioner so I unfortunately can’t recommend it to anyone else, otherwise I’d shout if from the hills.

So to your original question: I’ve flown long-haul and had no probs with air hunger, so it’s not necessarily a given. Everyone’s different, though.
I don’t think there’s any way to stop it, but as you said, wait for it to pass. Just keep reassuring yourself it will pass.

Dahlias said...
BabsBunny, what a beautiful post. I love your reminder that you are killing it rather than it killing you. I would love to read more about your experience with acupuncture if you would be willing to start a thread on it. (Or maybe you have already, I'll go search.)

I started a thread about Chinese medicine, but it’s been a rocky few weeks so I haven’t updated. Guess I should be posting the good and the bad. I have an appt right now so I’ll try to remember when I get back.

It’s just so expensive - if I’d started with this it’d be fine, but most people go there as a last resort because it’s so different than the typical LLMD. I feel like this could be my miracle cure, but I’m very sad that it is still expected to take a year, and almost no one I know can afford it. I feel like I can’t help anyone, another way of saying, “you need money. Otherwise, you’re screwed.” Acupuncture itself though is often covered by insurance, but LL is of course out of network and I need 2-4x as many sessions as is covered.

At least I can share some comforting insight, if it helps at all

Wow. Thank you everyone for the responses. It definitely is really helpful to know. I think mine is a mix of both my infection and a slight bit of panic as I literally dread suffocating to death...I will look into what I can do more when these attacks come on while I undergo treatment..hopefully this will subside as I begin treatment.