# Constant shortness of breath? Is it anxiety?



## bigg12x (Apr 30, 2014)

Im 23 year male and very healthy life style and don't smoke. All day I get shortness of breath where breath doesn't go all the way down. It seems to go away when I eat like crazy as in full my stomach.EVEN WHEN IM NOT HUNGRY I EAT FOR NO REASON WHICH IS RUNING MY DIET I did a surgrey tummy tuck 2012 and it kidna started from there but has gotten worse. Checked with surgeon and it had nothing to do with surgery he said. Can it be anxiety. Got a chest and lat xray showed no lung problem and checked oxygen which was normal doctor said... I have a over thinking problem where I think all day non stop worrying about things? any ideas?


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## SisterGoldenHair (Apr 30, 2014)

Since you've checked with your doctors and they've ruled out other causes, there's a good chance it is anxiety related.


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## bigg12x (Apr 30, 2014)

yeah I guess that's it... but I really never saw a dr only dr I saw.... said get a picture of chest.... it was clear.


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## LoneWolf246 (Apr 29, 2014)

I have this same problem when I'm in public due to my anxiety and especially after I eat its worse. When I'm anxious I tend to tense up so I'm probably holding my breath without realizing it. I don't no if this what causes it for you but I figured I'd share my opinion.


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## bigg12x (Apr 30, 2014)

where should I start... I already did a chest xray... all was good... go to a regular doctor?


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## bigg12x (Apr 30, 2014)

any other opunions?


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## charmquark (Apr 28, 2014)

It could be anxiety, but I would rule out asthma first if I were you. Your chest x-ray would be clear even if you had asthma, and it's certainly possible for anxiety to make asthma worse, which might explain why eating makes you feel better (if eating decreases your anxiety). Of course, if it was just anxiety alone, that would also explain that. I would recommend you see your regular doctor, tell them everything you told us, and talk over the possible causes with them.


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## Dan the man (Jul 4, 2013)

Could be anxiety related. I know when I get stressed at work I have the same difficulty.


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## bigg12x (Apr 30, 2014)

I can get astma at 22 yearsof age? I mean I felt it after surgrey but ALL DR SAID NOTHING TO DO WITH SURGREY


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## charmquark (Apr 28, 2014)

bigg12x said:


> I can get astma at 22 yearsof age? I mean I felt it after surgrey but ALL DR SAID NOTHING TO DO WITH SURGREY


Yep. I don't know anything about the surgery, but you _can_ get asthma for the first time at any age. I got asthma last year at age 19 and I know someone who got asthma in her mid-40s. It's more likely if you already have allergies of some sort.


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## bigg12x (Apr 30, 2014)

oh man.... but is it treatable where it can be removed or I will live restof my life with it


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## Serephina (Apr 13, 2010)

I have had shortness of breath for a number of years which was not related to my anxiety. I was given an inhaler by my doctor which I only used when I felt I needed it i.e. when I was going shopping or about to do gardening. It helped. At some point 'cardiac' asthma was mentioned .... which means that fluid is collecting in the lungs.

Recently I've been given a different inhaler(with a steroid in it), that I take twice a day, every day. It's made a noticeable difference to my breathing which was very shallow, occasionally stopping altogether. I now breath normally which gives me more energy and I sleep more soundly.


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## bigg12x (Apr 30, 2014)

I wonder if It happened after my surgrey... dr said no... did cat and all scans nothing wrong with lungs ... so ocnfusedan sick of eating to get away from it


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## VeryLoco (Mar 23, 2014)

this happens when Im in a reduced space with many ppl like an elevator. And its not like im claustrophobic eithe (because if im alone its alright) but I just feel my personal space is being invaded by having ppl so close.


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## No Real Help (Feb 8, 2012)

You had a 'tummy tuck' at the age of 21 but you live a healthy lifestyle? You must have turned it around significantly since then. My best guess is that you're extremely out of shape. My second guess would be asthma, which yes, can come on still at this stage in life without any prior indication of having it.


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## shift123 (Mar 12, 2014)

Of course it has everything to do with the surgery. Now did you actually think the surgeon would rush to admit he messed you up and give you his beach house so that you can remain friends? 

I've had several surgeries, they were all 'successful', and they all left me with many problems. For instance, 90% of those who undergo abdominal surgeries develop adhesions (which could very well be the reason why you're not able to take a full breath any more). If you do some research and read the forums, you'll understand very quickly that it's standard procedure for doctors to claim that the complications patients are left with after the surgery have nothing to do with the procedure. Of course, everyone knows that's a lie, but why take responsibility if you can avoid doing it?!

Interestingly enough, there's quite a bit of research being done on internal adhesions following abdominal surgery. However, the only solution they came up with so far is additional surgeries to remove the adhesions; of course, more surgeries means more adhesions, and so it goes. In the meantime, to avoid dealing with the mess, doctors just pretend adhesions don't exist.


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## Serephina (Apr 13, 2010)

*Good post!*



shift123 said:


> Of course it has everything to do with the surgery. Now did you actually think the surgeon would rush to admit he messed you up and give you his beach house so that you can remain friends?
> 
> I've had several surgeries, they were all 'successful', and they all left me with many problems. For instance, 90% of those who undergo abdominal surgeries develop adhesions (which could very well be the reason why you're not able to take a full breath any more). If you do some research and read the forums, you'll understand very quickly that it's standard procedure for doctors to claim that the complications patients are left with after the surgery have nothing to do with the procedure. Of course, everyone knows that's a lie, but why take responsibility if you can avoid doing it?!
> 
> Interestingly enough, there's quite a bit of research being done on internal adhesions following abdominal surgery. However, the only solution they came up with so far is additional surgeries to remove the adhesions; of course, more surgeries means more adhesions, and so it goes. In the meantime, to avoid dealing with the mess, doctors just pretend adhesions don't exist.


I've had adhesions after abdominal surgery. Several years later when I woke up from surgery to mend a hernia, the surgeon said to me "Oh, and while we were in there we fixed several areas of intestine that had grown together after your last surgery" .... great! :um

For more than a year I'd been telling my doctor there were several sites of pain, not just where the hernia was, but he kept saying it's just 'refered' pain from the hernia. :mum

So, OP, you need to go back to your doctor and hit him with the adhesion idea. If you feel strongly that the problem started with the tummy tuck then you are more than likely right.

:idea Okay, this is just my own mad idea: is it possible that when your stomach is full it is then, so to speak, supported from the inside, lifted a little and therefore the strain of an adhesion is eased?


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## bigg12x (Apr 30, 2014)

im confused.... I know I have digestion problems also aka SLOW PROCESSING COLON.... they said it can be from that..... slow bowel movments.... no idea whats going on but sick of it and lost right about now.


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## bigg12x (Apr 30, 2014)

anyone else?


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## bigg12x (Apr 30, 2014)

any one else have this issue same as me where they have to eat to capacity for it to go away


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## slowlyimproving (Jan 2, 2014)

Lately I have been getting shortness of breath off and on. It seems to come and go when I'm stressed out and not getting enough sleep. I've been having this for the last five days. It's like I can't get a full breath until several attempts. Very frustrating.


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## bigg12x (Apr 30, 2014)

tell me about it........... 2 years and going..... now im relizing its a problem and want to remove it.... I want to be back how I was before normal breahting


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## Kenan A (Dec 24, 2012)

Do you still have anxiety problems? When my anxiety was bad, I would have shortness of breath very often often accompanied with panic attacks.

How about allergies? If you are allergies to something like dust, pollen, etc. this will inflame the sinuses as well as the lungs.

Liver inflammation? If you aren't digesting food properly, have several gallstones in the liver bile ducts and gallbladder or living a toxic lifestyle, this creates liver inflammation which presses against the diaphragm and reduces your ability to breathe deeply. The fact that you have had a tummy tuck at 23 shows that this is quite possible. Proper bile secretion from the liver is important for peristalsis so if you have a slow colon, it might be from insufficient bile output. You can check out The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush by Andreas Moritz if you want a powerful way of removing stones from the liver/gallbladder.

I'm not sure how the tummy tuck would affect your breathing but it may be a possibility.


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## bigg12x (Apr 30, 2014)

wow... I see what u mean bro.... god knows what it is... should I start to a dr regular for now?.... like I said I already took the CHEST XRAY inlung area is good no problems


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## Socialanxiety11 (Oct 3, 2011)

yes it is. I have shortness of breath


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## bigg12x (Apr 30, 2014)

I am diagsonsed with slow colon.... sometimes I constiptate for weeks it happened twice in 2 years..... but idk what else it can be.... I notice WHEN I LET MY STOMACH BULDGE OUT TO BREATHE that it goes down more.....


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## Midwesterner (Aug 30, 2013)

It's probably similar to my muscle tension. 

Many shy people struggle with things like shortness of breath due to their muscles always being tense. Sadly it was probably the way you were born. 

I was basically born tense. The more tense someone is, the harder it is to breathe.

Just like many outgoing people are naturally relaxed most of the time, many shy people are naturally tense most of the time.

My guess is you've just gotten older and notice it more now.


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## shift123 (Mar 12, 2014)

Midwesterner said:


> It's probably similar to my muscle tension.
> 
> Many shy people struggle with things like shortness of breath due to their muscles always being tense. Sadly it was probably the way you were born.
> 
> ...


True that - you basically live in a cage (your own body, that is). I wasn't born tense myself, but a surgical procedure I undergone as a baby messed me up good and proper.

In my experience, it's not just tension, but also misalignment and other imbalances in the body. On the same note, I don't think you just notice it more as you get older (shouldn't you notice it less, since you lived with it your whole life ?); my guess is that you notice it more because it's actually getting worse.

On a more positive note, it appears that it's somewhat fixable, but that takes a lot of effort.


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## bigg12x (Apr 30, 2014)

so why is it when my stomach distended or full of food it goes?


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## shift123 (Mar 12, 2014)

bigg12x said:


> so why is it when my stomach distended or full of food it goes?


Most things we assume are simple and take for granted (until something malfunctions) are anything but. The 'why' only matters if there are available cures, so you should see some more doctors, if that's the approach you prefer.

Another way is to just pay attention to what's happening inside your body until you eventually start gaining control over processes that were previously out of reach. It can take a lot of time and patience, so be ready for that and decide if it's worth it to you.


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## bigg12x (Apr 30, 2014)

I tend to get to FULLNESS in stomach where it then disappers... it can be a food anxiety of binging till happiness and the anxiety goes away.... or a breathing problem with stomach..... or any other possisbilite


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## tiltshiftfocus (Jun 15, 2014)

Whenever I am at home, getting shortness of breath seems to be due to bloated stomach (lots of air in stomach). This in my experience and research seems to be caused by indigestion and fermentation of food left in the stomach. The fermentation of food may come from dairy products which produces carbon dioxide. All of these main cause of it, for me, is low acid stomach.

I have Betaine HCL supplement which helps to increase the amount of stomach acid, and thus digesting the food better, causing less bloat.

However, when I am outside. Shortness of breath seems to come and go, which I think may be caused by my SA. This I have not found a solution yet since it's anxiety related.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

Do you smoke? if so that's probably your answer.


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## Jarmen (Jun 17, 2014)

It's probably a lump throat. Which part of your body do you feel shortness of breath, lungs or throat? If you have a lump throat the sensation is like you have something stuck on your throat or someone was chocking you.


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## adiyon84 (Jun 19, 2014)

I think I have similar symptom like you. Perhaps it is GERD? Do you always burping too? When I ate wrong food (esp spicy or high acid food/drinks), I can feel the fullness in my stomach and start having shortness of breath. Only with eating that can make it better. Medicine like Magnesium trisilicate or Charcoal also help.

You should ask your doctor about this.


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## SofaKing (May 9, 2014)

I wonder if you have an issue with your diaphragm muscle.


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## pazuzuinxs (Jan 23, 2014)

Check asthma, allergies...do a lft and see how your inhalation/ exhalation works. Rule our physiological causes before arriving at a psychological one.


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## Kakumbus (Mar 27, 2012)

I have the same problem, who knows what cause it(goes away when eating most of the time, if I fast I literally cant breathe), but i know its not anxiety.

Let me just make sure of one thing, do NOT let anyone freaking tell you it is anxiety I know what anxiety is and I know for 100% that it is NOT anxiety

I always had shortness of breath but it wasn't anything to be concerned of until I started getting SEVERE and I mean MOTHER **** severe digestive issues and it has been coming on and off since then, at times I had to lay down just to breath. I would look into trying to get a better diet(no grains, dairy, more fresh fruits and veggies, proper clean water and exercise.

*IT IS NOT ANXIETY*
*IT IS NOT ANXIETY
**IT IS NOT ANXIETY
**IT IS NOT ANXIETY
**IT IS NOT ANXIETY*


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## tiltshiftfocus (Jun 15, 2014)

And on the other hand, I have difficulty breathing when I lay down. Hmm


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## Serephina (Apr 13, 2010)

tiltshiftfocus said:


> And on the other hand, I have difficulty breathing when I lay down. Hmm


Try lying on your side.


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## Cletis (Oct 10, 2011)

Could be anxiety but the stomach surgery is suspicious...


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