breathing

[lonlygirl]

I have been having some problems with my lungs for a while, they keep stopping and the only way i have found to get them working it to bang my back against a hard flat surface. The doctors don't know what is wrong but said i should go for an MRI but i haven't been able to. Does anyone have any idea what is wrong cause it is starting to scare me and it is getting worse.

 

[RuthD]

I'm so very sorry you are having this problem. I am praying that it goes away and that you will be able to somehow get that MRI. Bless you.

 

[foxsta]

What do you mean when you say your lungs "stop"? Breathing rhythm is very different to that of a heart beat. Do you mean that you become breathless?

 

[seanben]

Hey cure it and don't make it worse and just do as your doc said as it is serious thing and may become critical..

 

[lonlygirl]

when i say stop i mean it feel like someone has tied a belt around my chest and is pulling. before now i have almost passed out because it has gone on for a minute or two. i have taken to writing it down so tag when i do see the doc they can see the extent of it. i am just really scared of being told its nothing and it then getting worse because then i will not be able to do anything about it.
All the docs i have seen have brushed it off as nothing because i can't get across how much it hurts.
i don't now what mire to for. i get to emotional when talking about it cause it scares me to much and i am scared of what they will say.

 

[LM1955]

Without knowing if you have been diagnosed with a lung ailment, I will take a stab at your symptoms. I cannot diagnose because I am not a doctor, but I worked as a registered respiratory therapist for many years. So I make no claim.

Sometimes people with COPD or asthma have a feeling of tightness around the chest and have a hard time breathing in and out. There is some pain involved sometimes. This is caused by what they call "air trapping" when the tiny vessels leading to the alveoli (area where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between lung and hemoglobin cells takes place) collapse or swell from an irritation. When air trapping takes place, the lungs have a hard time expelling old air (carbon dioxide) and the chest fills up with CO2. Fresh air cannot get in. There is a way to breathe to remove that old air. If you are still on these forums and want to know, let me know and I will explain more.

Blessings to you.

 

[BluhdoftheLamb]

When air trapping takes place, the lungs have a hard time expelling old air (carbon dioxide) and the chest fills up with CO2. Fresh air cannot get in. There is a way to breathe to remove that old air. If you are still on these forums and want to know, let me know and I will explain more.

Blessings to you.

I'm not the OP, but medical care has always failed me. Currently (age 48) it is much closer to doing me some good than ever before, but a peak flow meter has me maxing out at 230, and that's when I'm perfectly clear, by my own standards and experience. Two breaths later I'm at 160. I understand 750 is "a good blow."

On a bad day things are noticeably worse, (hasn't been measured) and I earn my living with physical labor that is quite demanding.

How does one remove this stale air? (I'm a trumpet player, and no stranger to breathing techniques that develop the blowing muscles)

 

[LM1955]

Do you wheeze when you blow into the peak flow meter? What has your doctor diagnosed you with...if anything? Are you on breathing treatments? You do not have to answer these questions on a public forum. I just ask these questions for you to be aware at those peak flows, you should have been given some sort of diagnosis by your physician.

Your doctor or his agent i.e. nurse, respiratory therapist etc...should have taught you how to do what is called pursed-lip breathing. The important thing is to stay calm when you feel shortness of breath. Having been diagnosed with Asthma myself, the way I get rid of stale old air is to breathe in through my nose and then I purse my lips as if I am going to whistle or blow through a straw. Then I gently blow out as much air as I can before gently breathing in through my nose again. Your exhaling should take at least twice as long as your inhaling. If my nose is stopped up from allergies or colds, I breathe in anyway I can...mouth. The trick is to breathe out through pursed lips. This creates a back flow all the way back to the tiny bronchioles and alveoli and helps keep the tiny airways open long enough for the stale old air (CO2) to escape.

I breathe this way until I get relief and also when I walk upstairs or other exercise that can cause me to have shortness of breath.

Now if I am trying to pick up something heavy there is another way to do it easier. Most people hold their breath when they pick up something heavy. Not a good thing to do because it creates pressure in the chest. I always take a good deep breath, bend down and grab the heavy object, then exhale through purse lips as I bring the object up.

After awhile, if you consciously practice this type of breathing, it will start to come naturally for you and you will coordinate your breathing techniques with your activity.

Go to this website from the Cleveland Clinic to help you with instructions on pursed lip breathing. I haven't posted enough to be able to post a link to this website, but this will really help you learn how to breathe properly.

clevelandclinic.org/health/health-info/docs/2400/2408.asp

Blessings from our Savior to you.

 

[LM1955]

BTW, my son is a trumpet player, although he has not played the trumpet in nearly 3 years. He got tired of the marching band after elementary, jr high, high school and his first 2 years of college.

 

[joStix91]

Gettin the run-around by all the doctors sucks, I can relate.

Don't worry about getting emotional, that might help them realize the severity of the situation. Does it go away right away once you've slammed yourself against a wall? Could you be having panic attacks? They can cause people tightness in the chest and restricted breathing and a lot of people pass out.