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Update - Shortness Of Breath?

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Posted 11/15/2011 4:41 AM (GMT 0)
So I guess I can say I still kinda am in a slump. I have been alright, but for some reason, I keep getting shortness of breath. At least thats what I think it is :P. My throat has this sensation that it is closing up, and when I breath in or hold my breath it hurts. This happened when I was loading groceries into my vehicle, it was colder out. I cannot seem to get my mind off of it, today is for sure the worst it has ever been. It feels totally like my throat wants to close up, and when I take a deep breath it hurts, feels like my lungs have shrunk and I am stretching them. Has anyone ever had this feeling with just anxiety? It will ease my mind for sure. I have tried breathing exercises but they don't seem to be helping. It hurts also when I lye down more. Am I just tense there from thinking about it, or just being worried all the time about dying -_- l..o..l. Whenever I do any activity, even moving I get anxious worrying. But yea, any ideas?
Posted 11/15/2011 3:18 PM (GMT 0)
Hi FL, yes this is common with anxiety, and a very uncmfortable thing to experience.

It sounds like you are now anticipating the symptom happening, which of course makes it worse.

Keep up the breathing exericses, doing them everyday, not just when you are symptomatic. Practice them for 10 min or more twice a day, and you should see some improvement.

Also, when I had the tight throat sensation, I would sip water almost constantly (warm water was best) and massage my throat (gently) where it felt the most tense.

I hope that this improves for you soon. I definitely think that breathing in the cold weather makes it worse. I have always felt it's really harsh on my throat to be breathing in extremely cold air, so I think that's normal...try using a scarf, it might help:)

Thanks for the update, and keep posting!

S.C.
Posted 11/15/2011 4:15 PM (GMT 0)
Good Morning FL,

Anticipatory anxiety is a huge issue for me and I have to work really hard to keep it under control.  As the term indicates you may begin to anticipate or worry about possible future events which in turn produce symptoms of anxiety.

While everyone experiences anticipatory anxiety to some degree, those of us with anxiety disorders find it very difficult to break the cycle of constant worry or obsessional thinking. It is as if you have gotten on a treadmill of thoughts, worries, and concerns and it seems almost impossible to convince yourself of reasons to stop.

As soon as you realize you have gotten on the "worry-go-round" take the following steps:

Tell yourself that it is just anxiety, that you  control your thoughts and that your thoughts do not control you.

Remind yourself that worrying excessively about things beyond your control does not "solve" anything.

If you must "anticipate" then "anticipate" the best outcome instead of the worst. Let's say you fear having another anxiety attack. Rather than assume that you are losing your mind, tell yourself that thoughts can't hurt you, that you are in control and you will be fine should another attack occur.

As it takes time to form bad thinking habits it also takes time to unlearn them and form new ones. So, be patient as you make changes in your way of thinking. Don't get discouraged. I am a work in progress and have had anxiety and depression for 29 years.  95 % of the time I do well.

Gentle Hugs,

Kitt

Posted 11/16/2011 3:57 AM (GMT 0)
Hey guys! Thank you for responding! I have been keeping my mind off it, breathing more deeper, excersising my breaths and it has gone away! for now at least muwahaha!

I went to Wally-World tonight, aka Wal-mart. We walked around for a good hour. And dun dun dun, the blood pressure check place caught my eye. I checked it as soon as I sat down, my readings were

120(optimal)/102(high), pulse 120. Alot of 1's, 2's and 0's. I then checked it a minute later, and readings were, 115/80, pulse, 116. I feel good about the second one, i dont know why the bottom number the first was high. But the pulse, for walking around that long, I feel was good :) better than usual. So yes. That is my little story for the day, as of right now I feel really good. Let's hope tomorrow brings that!

Have a great night and day guys!
Posted 11/16/2011 4:32 AM (GMT 0)
And I am just wondering, I was wearing a thicker cardigan that felt bulky when my arm was put in, could this have caused the bp (lower number) for the first reading to be THAT high? I read that it is severe, but then 2 seconds later it was 115/80, was the first measurement wrong (120/102?)
Posted 11/16/2011 1:15 PM (GMT 0)
Flash, It very well could have been that you were wearing that sweater. I don't really trust the BP machines in the stores, but that's just me. I checked mine at a Rite Aid a while back, and after doing it 3 times, ALL of them were different! It was like "ok are ANY of them right"..... I have a cuff and stethoscope here at my house and I check mine regularly because of my spike in BP due to all the anxiety i've had every day. It was at a constant 140/90. But when I was at the ER yesterday, and at the docs office, it was totally normal, it even went as low as 106/62 at the hospital. So all my worrying about my BP was just keeping it elevated. Stupid me! LOL!

I hope you're feeling better with the whole breathing thing. It's an awful feeling when you feel like your throat is swelling, I used to get that alot. As far as the pain in your lungs, that could have possibly been because it was cold outside. That happens to me when I breath in cold air, I get like a stabbing pain in my lungs. Hope you are feeling better! Fox
Posted 11/16/2011 6:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Fox :D

Yea I am guessing the sweater made my numbers wacky. I felt good, and there would have been something, either feeling dizzy, etc, if my blood pressure was 120/102. And 2 seconds later, 115/80 LOL. I probably was anxious, did not do it accurately, we were walking and as soon as I sat and put my arm in the cuff, I pressed the inflate button. And when taking BP your supposed to rest. WELL, I kinda did not do both! hahaha, bad to the bone.

Yea I am feeling better for sure, the throat is still a bit tense, when I lay down it almost spasms for 20 seconds and returns to normal, but other than that, I am having another good day.

BONUS, it snowed outside!
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