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Forum:	Symptoms Discussions
Topic:	Constant shortness of breath?

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Your Reply: HTML is OFF UBB Code is ON Smilies Legend	[QUOTE]Originally posted by TaunyaG: [B]I am short of breath mostly when I am just doing small stuff like cleaning the house, but I do have it every now and then when I first lay down at night. The shortness of breath seems to be better after I have worked out for 15-30 min. I'm short of breath right now and I'm just sitting! I don't know how long I can take this. I'm tempted to go back to my Cardio. but I just saw him last week. I had another panic attack last night. It didn't last very long, but it was annoying just the same. It's nice to know that there are other MVP sufferers going through the same things I am. [/B][/QUOTE]
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<TABLE BORDER=0 cellpadding=4 border=0 cellspacing=1 WIDTH="95%"><TR bgcolor="#D5E6E1"><TD COLSPAN=2><CENTER>T O P I C     R E V I E W</CENTER></TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#dedfdf"><TD valign=top>TaunyaG</TD><TD>Hi. This is my first time here. I am 27 years old, had my first panic attack at 19, was rushed to the ER and later learned I have MVP. Symptoms have gotten worse this past year, but what bothers me the most is the constant shortness of breath. Does anyone else have this problem? I went to My cardiologist last week and he just increased my Zoloft thinking it was the stress I'm under. My panic attacks are frequent now, with one or two a week. Zoloft doesn't seem to help with the anxiety. Any suggestions? Thanks! (Last Echo. was 2 years ago.) </TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#f7f7f7"><TD valign=top>dinhtran</TD><TD>Hi TaunyaG,Welcome to the boards. SOB is VERY common with mvp and I would say 9 out of 10 people have that symptom here on these boards. I hate it and it scares me more than the palps. What do ya do though? You learn to live with it. Now don't forget that right before your menses start 10-14 days you get very SOB b/c of the way our hormones affect our mvp. Thats why I hate AF sooo much. We poor women with mvp!Don't worry too much, Serena</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#dedfdf"><TD valign=top>Gabriel</TD><TD>Out of interest, is the shortness you experience as though you're worn out and need more air or as if you can't inhale enough when you breathe in? When I would describe shortness of breath to my doctor I would mean my 2nd description whereas he thought I meant the 1st, and theres a difference apparently.[This message has been edited by Gabriel (edited April 16, 2003).]</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#f7f7f7"><TD valign=top>TaunyaG</TD><TD>Thanks for the reassurance guys. The shortness of breath I have is like I can't get enough air into my lungs. I usually have to take a deep breath or yawn. This shortness of breath thing just started in January and hardly ever lets up. I know I am constantly monitoring my breathing, so that doesn't help any. Can anxiety last for this long? I have been under a lot of stress and my Zoloft doesn't seem to help. I am a constant worrier/perfectionist and it is hard for me to relax and rest. (I have four kids and a husband who works in Tenn. and is only home on weekends.) Sometimes I think I need to be put into the funny farm, I think I'm going crazy. My husband thinks all of this is in my head, so he's really not any help. Thanks for the replies.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#dedfdf"><TD valign=top>Lisa N</TD><TD>The SOB I tend to get, which scares me most is when I am walking and I am out of breath, I am panting heavily, like I have just done heavy exercise. I am exhausted and I my heart races like crazy too, then slows down, then speeds right back up again. I sometimes sweat like mad too. The other kind, I have only experienced upon waking in the middle of the night. My doctor used to say it was asthma related, so I never thought anything of it.Gabriel, do you know what the differences are?Lisa</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#f7f7f7"><TD valign=top>Al</TD><TD>Its crazy! I can run a few miles and feel fine, but goto the kitchen to get a glass of water and I feel like I cant get enough air into my lungs! My mind usually starts to race when it happens too.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#dedfdf"><TD valign=top>TaunyaG</TD><TD>I am short of breath mostly when I am just doing small stuff like cleaning the house, but I do have it every now and then when I first lay down at night. The shortness of breath seems to be better after I have worked out for 15-30 min. I'm short of breath right now and I'm just sitting! I don't know how long I can take this. I'm tempted to go back to my Cardio. but I just saw him last week. I had another panic attack last night. It didn't last very long, but it was annoying just the same. It's nice to know that there are other MVP sufferers going through the same things I am. </TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#f7f7f7"><TD valign=top>karemare</TD><TD>I have 4 children, they are older now (19,16,14,12) but I remember those days when they were little, because of MVP syndrome I couldn't do all that I thought I was "suppose" to do. We had (and still have) lots of easy meals, fronzen pizza (with carrot stick and fruit for dessert of course) snadwiches, cereal etcx. My house was always a disaster, but we had fun- just being together, I played with them and read to them cause I was too tired to do house work (my main MVP symptoms are weakness, fatigue) Emial me if you want to talk more. Must be sooo hard with hubbie gone all week. My mom was not tired and soooo PERFECT!!!! I think it helped my kids (they have turned out really pretty SUPER kids!!!) for me to stop feeling sorry that they didn't have a "perfect" mom. and I had them do more for me, fix their own lunches, they do their own laundrey even the one not quite 12, they are pretty responsible and compassionate and might not have been if they would have had a more together mother. I did have a bad reaction to Zoloft and Prozac sent me to the hospital with extreme anxiety (I couldn't shut my brain off) now I am taking low dose of Effexor. Also Celexxa is an SSRI they use for MVP syndrome. Maybe the increase of Zoloft is making you worse instead of better and the Dr. should try new med..... just some thoughts, hope they help. Karen</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#dedfdf"><TD valign=top>karemare</TD><TD>PSSS Exercise, swimming 1/2 mile for me every day has realllly helped with anxiety that goes with MVPS. Is there anyway you can do something arobic- babysitter for kids possible? Our Y has excellent childcare for free. And/or teenagers work really cheap esp children loving 13-15 year olds. </TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#f7f7f7"><TD valign=top>angie</TD><TD>Shortness of breath and palpitations were my most frequent concerns and complaints. The shortness of breath drove me crazy and caused more anxiety and a vicious cycle would start of shortness of breath - anxiety - more shortness of breath. Then add the skipped beats and I was really worrying. I thought my heart would stop beating it was so irregular. I was also convinced I had a lung tumor. I couldnt think of any other reason why I was so short of breath. Well - to make a long story short. I had a 24 hour holter monitor which showed lots of PVC's and elevated heart rate. My stress test treadmill was perfect - my coronary arteries clean - just this MVP. It seemed like I even had more palpitations when I had shortness of breath. I was put on Paxil by my family practice doctor which only made me feel spacy and not so good. It also increased my palpitations so I stopped that after 2 weeks. So now what to do about the anxiety/palpitations/shortness of breath? The shortness of breath was like always needing to get a deep breath or yawn. So my Cardiologist started me on atenolol - my favorite magic pill! I feel better than I have for 20 years. I started a very structured exercise program. I hired a trainer and I do between 30-45 minutes a day of cardiovascular exercise followed by 30-45 minutes of strength training. I have currently lost 18 pounds in 3 months. Everyone said there is weight gain on atenolol. I found I have lost. I have no noticeable - to me - palpitations. That helps the anxiety - but I also feel calm. I count grams of everything I eat - meaning I eat low fat and watch the sugars. I do count calories but i eat very healthy. My only vice is caffeine free diet coke - i cant give that up yet. But any caffeine would put me in the emergency room with so many skipped beats - even on atenolol. It is probably the whole combination of exercise, diet and atenolol, but I have not had shortness of breath since I started this program. My heart rate does not get up to age appropriate levels with exercise due to the atenolol - but even with MY maximym heart beat I get enough cardiac output. My cardiologist said I should not look at the rate charts at the gym since the atenolol will keep me lower. I can run 3 miles in 36 minutes and feel great. My body fat had decreased 7.7%. PS - I am over 50. Hang in there. Last summer I thought I would never have a decent breath again. I was constantly yawning and sighing. Now my heart feels calm - not wildly beating out of my chest and I am calmer all over. If anyone tries to take away my atenolol they could be in big trouble. Try it.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#dedfdf"><TD valign=top>Bebee</TD><TD>Hey Tanya,I've had SOB since I was 12 years old, and ever since then it has gotten worse and worse (I'm 24 now). That was my first symptom and continues to be the worst symptom. I've tried everything, but nothing seems to help. I'm on Zoloft and that has helped with the panic attacks but not with the SOB. I was on propanolol (a beta blocker) but that didn't even seem to help. I've heard that beta blockers can actually worsen SOB. What is atenolol? is that a beta blocker also? I might try that. I'm constantly sighing and yawning trying to get a full breath in but even that doesn't work. It just feels so shallow. I graduated last year and took a year off. I had alot of stress during university and had SEVERE SOB. It has definitely gotten alot better since I graduated. Unfortunately, I'm going back this September for law school. It's going to be another three years of hell. I'm really not looking forward to the SOB starting again. But there is NO WAY I'm letting MVP get in the way of law school. Hope you feel better. </TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#f7f7f7"><TD valign=top>Bebee</TD><TD>Hey Tanya,I've had SOB since I was 12 years old, and ever since then it has gotten worse and worse (I'm 24 now). That was my first symptom and continues to be the worst symptom. I've tried everything, but nothing seems to help. I'm on Zoloft and that has helped with the panic attacks but not with the SOB. I was on propanolol (a beta blocker) but that didn't even seem to help. I've heard that beta blockers can actually worsen SOB. What is atenolol? is that a beta blocker also? I might try that. I'm constantly sighing and yawning trying to get a full breath in but even that doesn't work. It just feels so shallow. I graduated last year and took a year off. I had alot of stress during university and had SEVERE SOB. It has definitely gotten alot better since I graduated. Unfortunately, I'm going back this September for law school. It's going to be another three years of hell. I'm really not looking forward to the SOB starting again. But there is NO WAY I'm letting MVP get in the way of law school. Hope you feel better. </TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#dedfdf"><TD valign=top>Gabriel</TD><TD>Lisa,I don't know for sure what the difference is so please don't take this as certified fact. I was under the impression that it was more likely to be anxiety related or psychological if it was the feeling of an inability to draw a large enough breath without feeling an urgency for more air and more likely to be a physical issue (i.e structural MVP) if you feel exhausted and need to gasp for more air.That is my layman's understanding and I may well be wrong. And of course, shortness of breath should be evaluated by your doctor no matter what "type" it is.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#f7f7f7"><TD valign=top>TaunyaG</TD><TD>Thank You everyone for your replies. It helps a lot. I think I will look into seeing if my Dr. will prescibe antenol. I believe the first time I was diagnosed with MVP, my Dr. put me on that. I know I have been on Propananol. It didn't work well. I know I'm going to have to do something. Thanks for caring.Taunya</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#dedfdf"><TD valign=top>JewL315</TD><TD>Hi everyone! I can completely relate to you all about this one. I have felt like I can't get a good deep breath for years and after I started getting palps got an echo done and my Dr says there is nothing wrong with me. However, I notice when I am busy enjoying life and going to class and such that I rarely feel this way. But now, as I sit here thinking about it, I keep taking in deep breaths and yawning...I really do hope it is simply an anxiety thing! I've never had a problem while sleeping either. Exercising helps me to develop a normal breathing pattern, at least for a while haha...Hope you get some relief! You're definitely not alone!</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#f7f7f7"><TD valign=top>Froghand</TD><TD>Hey yeah, I've been suffering from SOB for several months now. I've had every test done short of the heart cath. and still have found nothing. My pulmonologist seems to think that I have "straight back" and pectus excavatum which is causing it. These two abnormalities tend to decrease my chest cavity - compressing my heart and lungs. I'm at the point where I believe it is all "just" stress related. I've noticed a slight increase in my symptoms when I started my diet and exercise regimen (sp?). My advice would be to have an echo done to rule out anything serious and when it comes out negative, which it probably will, start dealing with the stress in your life. And just try not to worry about it, everything will be fine.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#dedfdf"><TD valign=top>rapom</TD><TD>I used to have SOB a lot. After I stopped eating chocolate and caffine the problem mostly went away. Try to even cut down on any suger. Also these three things can very easily cause a panic attack. There are some very good websites like anxiety.com that you can get a lot of info from. You need to print out the info that is on these sites and show it to your husband. You are going to need his support on getting over your anxiety. I had my wifes support and just knowing that made getting over my anxiety a lot easier. Believe it or not it is in your head and it takes time to train your mind to master it.Good luck </TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#f7f7f7"><TD valign=top>Gabriel</TD><TD>Froghand, how severe is your pectus excavitum? From what you said it sounds like your doctor doesn't know if you have it or not and is just offering up a theory, which is odd, because if you have pectus excavitum, especially to the extent of it causing you shortness of breath or effecting the heart, you're certainly going to notice the physical presence of it. Maybe I just misunderstood what you meant.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#dedfdf"><TD valign=top>Bluebelle</TD><TD>wow... well this post was very reassuring to me, SOB is my main, and sometimes my only symptom. I have it almost all the time, and recently, I went to the emergency room because I was so desperate to be able to breathe. They told me I was hyperventilating and gave me a valium.I took the Valium and it didn't help, I've taken Buspar (an anti-anxiety drug) and it doesn't help, I've been evaluated by a psychologist and told that I do not show signs of anxiety severe enough to cause shortness of breath like this. I'm a psychology major and I agree. My theory on shortness of breath is that those of us with MVP have hyperactive nervous systems, with increased release of chatecholamines and adrenaline, and so, whenever the stress hormones are too high, our nervous system functions at an abnormally high level, making our hearts pound, skip beats, etc. and making us feel like we need more air than we actually do. By sighing and yawning all the time, technically we ARE hyperventilating, but because we are in such a heightened neurological state, we still feel like we need more air.That said, the only thing I've found that helps is to stay away from Ortho Tri-Cyclen, drink water, and take CoQ10. It can't hurt <IMG SRC="http://www.mvpsupport.com/ubb/smile.gif"> good luck, ~Jacqui </TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#f7f7f7"><TD valign=top>podracerdave</TD><TD>It's great to find a discussion forum on this! I feel like I'm reading about myself, after reading everyone's comments.I had an echo done in 2001 which showed MVP...just started seeing a cardiologist in 2003, had another echo done, which did not show MVP this time. Because I was going to start an exercise program, my doctor ordered a stress echo for this week.I started seeing the cardiologist for chest tightness/pains which I've had on and off for years now. But now I've had feelings of SOB pretty constant lately. Deep breaths and yawning seem to help that momentarily.I have always had problems with stress, anxiety - simply put, I'm a worrier, and I seem to catastrophize any health problems. Definitely working towards getting my stress levels under control.Someone mentioned that they had pectus Excavatum...however, I have Pectus Carinatum, where my chest sticks out. Don't know if this may be assisting in my SOB? My cardiologist said it was possible.</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#dedfdf"><TD valign=top>aliqc</TD><TD>I am new here. I was diagnosed with MVP 6 years ago. I am also asthmatic. And the SOB was always blamed on the Asthma, but it always seemed to get worse right before my period. No body explained to me the correlation between SOB and MVP and hormones. Glad to hear that I'm not crazy. This is such a great source of information. Doctors can give us a little insight but unless they have MVP I don't really think they understand the symptoms and problems that we go through.Thanks------------------ </TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#f7f7f7"><TD valign=top>Froghand</TD><TD>Gabriel, Yes, I feel like my doc is just offering up an excuse. My P.E. is slight enough to not be noticed physically. X-ray shows heart and pulmonary valve enlargement, but echo and CAT scan show no such enlargements. On x-ray my chest cavity does show a decrease in capacity - it's rather narrow. But yes, I still do not feel that that is what is causeing my SOB, but my Dr. did truely try every test and even offered a heart cath - though he did not recommend it since I show no signs of PH or blockages. I may go ahead and get it done if it starts getting worse. Now why do some Dr.s still insist that SOB is not a symptom of MVPS? ( I guess some Dr.s still don't believe in MVP Syndrome to begin with)</TD></TR></TABLE>

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