Difficulty breathing/heartbeat/Colazal?

I'm pretty sure I've read about this before - but has anyone experienced occasionally an irregular feeling heartbeat, and/or shortness of breath (feeling like you can't catch your breath)?

I am a smoker - and this sensation is making me question what I can do to be more  healthy.  I would like to know if this happens because of inflammation, ie CRP, or because of Colazal, dehydration, or (hopefully not) some autoimmune lung issue. 

All I know is that it tends to come and go.  I am going to promise myself to find a decent GP doctor for the new year.

 Doing some googling and wondering if it could be anemia?  Wish I knew more about this stuff!

doors12..have you taken your pulse to see if it's actually skipped beats or slower or faster?

I have asthma and do on occasion feel short of breath (which can feel a tad scary). As of the past 2 months I've had laryngitis twice and working on another bout. My chest is burning.
Were you sick recently with a cold/flu or could be getting on at this time?

I do get the same skipped beat fluttering feeling in my chest, and when I get my husband to check my pulse, it's actually faster but regular. I do have a slight murmur, but the doc doesn't think that's related and thinks it's anxiety. I don't know if it is for sure because the anxiety feelings I normally get seem different.

Curious if you get that feeling when you are smoking a cigarette or when you aren't.

I totally agree with Sue to request your doc have your chest x-rayed just in case there is something going on that could be autoimmune related or other.

Is your CRP high?

At least the anemia is easy to check as well as the B12 and even vitamin D.

Keep us updated as to how you're doing.,
q

No I haven't been sick at all this winter, thankfully. I don't notice a correlation with smoking as in just after or during a cigarette, but I had done some drinking the days before, not crazy or anything. I have noticed what I think could be some "wheezing" on occasion also. It's not real often I get like this where I feel I am not getting the oxygen I need, but it comes on and may last a day or two.

The heartbeat thing is rare - it will just come on and happen and i'm thinking "what the hell was that" and then that I hope I'm not having a heart attack. None of this seems anxiety related to me. (I know some people have anxiety and freak themselves out thinking they will have a heart attack). Incidentally, this has all gone away for the time being as of today.

Quitting smoking is always a good idea. As for Colazal use, I have my suspicions that something among the ingredients may affect breathing over time. It was actually your post in the recent thread on generic Colazal that got me thinking about that. You wrote that you experienced a lot of intestinal gurgling, rumbling, etc. while taking the generic; so did I, contrary to the mostly quiet comfort I felt while on original Colazal. That makes me think that something in original Colazal calms peristalsis-- therefore, we feel less discomfort from gurgling, etc. motions. But could the "something" also affect our breathing patterns? I toss this Q out keeping in mind the fact that Colazal is being used as a maintenance med for some of us-- because we're not helped by Asacol. I don't think that Colazal was originally intended as a maintenance med. My gastro, who subspecializes in IBD treatment, recently told me that a new form of Balsalazide with brand-name Apriso is soon due on the market, & it is supposed to be a maintenance med. So-- the jury is still out & we have to beware of what we're taking. Some of us are likely super-sensitive to many different chemicals. / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC; currently on 2-3 original Colazal daily for maintenance of remission)