Someone help!!?

Question

I posted a couple of hours ago regarding respiratory problems.Just a
few minutes ago I was sitting on the couch reading,and all of the sudden I started having trouble breathing.I started wheezing and could barely breathe.The world started spinning out of control.I was able to stop whatever it was by breathing deeply,but it really scared me!Could someone tell me if this was an asthma attack?
P.S I went to the pulmonologist 2 months ago and he said my lungs sounded healthy after listening with his stethoscope.Should he have looked further into it?

I tried focusing on breathing,and I'm pretty sure it wasn't an anxiety attack,since I have nothing to be anxious about.And last night I started having excessive breathing difficulties that got worse as today went on.

Answer 1

is there anything you are allergic to? because allergies trigger asthma attacks (if you have them) when you said that you suddenly felt like you could not breathe and started wheezing -- that sounds like asthma. but i've never heard of any condition that will just suddenly trigger and asthma while at rest. other factors that triggers an attack are exercise-induced asthma, sometimes even emotional-induced asthma. my sister has asthma, and sometimes when she laughs too hard, this triggers it also. the rest are allergens such as dust, pet dander, pollen, etc... do you think there may be something that you were exposed to while you were reading that triggered the attack. how old are you by the way, and when did the problem start? has it started when you were a lot younger? or just now?

with your pulmonologist, of course he wouldn't hear anything if you were perfectly fine when he was listening with the stethoscope. seek second opinion, a good doctor will have tests done on you to "troubleshoot" what's going on inside your body and not just by merely listening with the stethoscope.

also you describe that during this episode, you were able to control it by breathing deeply -- with asthma, it doesn't work that way, they are going to wheeze as long as they are exposed to that allergen or they take nebulizer therapy or their inhalers. if they don't it could even get worse.

this condition that you have, i have never heard of it -- it does sound like anxiety attack (wherein you can wheeze by the way), but you said you were on the couch reading during that ordeal. it is very unlikely for people with asthma, and also if you had asthma to begin with -- you would have been diagnosed long time ago. and also one reason why people above think that this is an anxiety attack is because you're panicking while writing your question. (well, sounds like it), so my conclusion -- when you said that you were fine after taking deep breath, i don't think you have asthma. the problem with asthma is you CAN'T take a deep breath.

Answer 2

It could be an asthma attack and an anxiety attack triggered by not being able to breathe. There is no worse feeling. You need to get another opinion. Perhaps your breathing was clear on the day you went to the doctor. The symptoms of asthma come and go. I have two friends who died of asthma attacks in their early 30's, so I am concerned that you make sure you are OK. I developed asthma in my 50's and I didn't know why I couldn't breathe. The doctors kept checking my heart and they didn't check for asthma until I had developed COPD because it went untreated. (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) So, keep pursuing why you can't breathe and try to go in to urgent care or a doctor when you have the symptoms, rather than when you are feeling fine. Take care and follow your intuition if you feel like these problems are not soley anxiety.

Answer 3

First of all, go to the ER! Then make a follow-up appointment with an allergist or pulmonary physician. The wheezing sounds like asthma! But vocal cord dysfunction can be mistaken for asthma (which is what I found out I had after being told I had asthma!). I never wheezed, so I didn't believe I had asthma, so I got another opinion. Good thing I did! Panic attacks usually follow along hand-in-hand with shortness of breath. DO NOT take this lightly!

Answer 4

People with asthma experience symptoms when the airways tighten, inflame, or fill with mucus. Common symptoms of asthma include:

Coughing, especially at night
Wheezing
Shortness of breath
Chest tightness, pain, or pressure
Not every person with asthma has the same symptoms in the same way. You may not have all of these symptoms, or you may have different symptoms at different times. Your symptoms may also vary from one asthma attack to the next, being mild during one asthma attack and severe during another.
In general, these signs are not severe enough to stop you from going about your daily activities. But by recognizing these signs, you can stop an asthma attack or prevent one from getting worse. Early warning signs include:

Frequent cough, especially at night
Losing your breath easily or shortness of breath
Feeling very tired or weak when exercising
Wheezing or coughing after exercise
Feeling tired, easily upset, grouchy, or moody
Decreases or changes in lung function as measured on a peak flow meter
Signs of a cold, or allergies (sneezing, runny nose, cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, and headache)
Trouble sleeping
If you have early warning signs or symptoms,
If you have four or more of the following, you are having a panic attack:

Heart palpitations
Sweating
Shaking
A "smothering" sensation
A feeling of choking
Chest pain or discomfort
Nausea
Dizziness or faintness
A sense of unreality
A fear of going crazy
A fear of dying
Numbness or tingling
Chills or hot flashes
An isolated panic attack, while extremely unpleasant, is not uncommon or life-threatening.

You think you're having a heart attack -- and it's true that the symptoms can be similar. However, most people having a panic attack have had one before, triggered by a similar event or situation.

The chest pain of a panic attack usually stays in the mid-chest area (the pain of a heart attack commonly moves toward the left arm). It is often accompanied by rapid breathing, rapid heartbeat, and fear.

Answer 5

People get depressed for various reasons. Some are just due to current life situations where they have allowed themselves to be overextended or the lose of a parent, spouse, child, or someone else very close to them. Other reasons are physiological/neurological. Many chronically depressed people have chemical deficiancies or excesses in neurotrans mitters. These can in most cases be treated with medication. Therapy also helps by reteaching the pearson to look at and aproach life from a different perspective. It sounds like your friend may be in a temporary situation where she just needs to releive the pressure that life is applying due to the choices she has made. In that case some counseling is very adventagous whether that be one-on-one or a group setting. Having friends she can trust and count on will prove to be another big help. Good luck and hope the best for you both.

Answer 6

I'm don't know about the asthma attack, but if you are continuing to have symptoms even thought a doctor has found nothing wrong, you should get a second opinion for sure!

P.S. After reading your post again, it sounds like you may have had an anxiety attack.

Answer 7

I have asthma and it feels like someone is sitting on your chest. The spinning is probably lack of oxygen to the brain. I would tell your doctor to test you for asthma. It's not done with a stethoscope. It involves breathing into various machines.

Answer 8

If this was your first attack then maybe your lungs were clear two months ago and now you have something. Based on what you said it could be anything from anxiety to who knows. Go back to the Doctor for more tests.

Answer 9

asthma attacks cannot be stopped by simply deep breathing. If you are having an asthma attack, you cannot take a deep breath even if you tried.

Answer 10

hello it sounds like to me you are hyperventalating because that usually happens when i hyperventalate trying deep breathing exceirse if that doesnt work talk with your doctor. if you not satisfied with the answer then get a second doctors oppinion... but do not wait i could be wrong and it could be a sign of asthma take care