Is struggling to get a full lung of breath a bad sign?

Question

Just as a background, I'm a 22 year old male in roughly average physical shape for my age. A few months ago I was having chest pains and concerned about it I visited my doctor. He was mildly concerned I may have left ventricular hypertrophy (Based on an odd ECG) and so sent me to see a specialist.

Without doing any real tests, other than another ECG and quizzing me a little about the pains, I was discharged.

I've not suffered to badly from chest pains more recently, although quite often I find it difficult to fill my lungs with air. Even when consciously trying to take deep breaths, I struggle to 'quench' my need for air.

Is this normal or could it be an indicator for something more serious.

Answer 1

Firstly, I am not in the medical profession so you can take this as my own experience only. I suffer from Costochondritis. That is a condition that inflames the soft tissue that surrounds the breast bone and caused symptoms very similar to the ones you are describing. it took my doctor several months to come up with this diagnosis ans I was then told, after an ECG and a treadmill, that Very few chest pains are caused by the Heart but all should be professionally diagnosed.
Keep pestering your doctor for as long as you are suffering is my advice. Get second or even third opinions. This is not only affecting you but also your friends and loved ones, they do not like to see you suffering, so keep at it.

Answer 2

No it doesn't sound like a normal thing, especially at your young age. I suggest talking with a doc again and ask for a 'breathing test'. Not sure what other tests they could do, maybe a stress test to check your heart and lungs, but for sure keep on asking the doc about what's going on so they'll keep looking for what it might be. If you smoke, try to quit, of course. I know that's hard, yet it for sure could be adding to the problem. And if you do smoke, please don't let the doc shrug this breathing problem off onto that only. It's an easy thing for a doc to say that as a catchall answer and not do enough to see what other problem there may be. Could simply be asthma or such, but if I were you I'd keep asking the doc about it until you get some for sure answers.

Myst

Answer 3

Different people have very different ideas of what average fitness is. I am in the forces so my measure might be slightly different but what you describe sounds like either you are grossly unfit or you have a problem. See your GP, don't get fobbed off get some answers and if you are really OK and your doc says it is OK, start working on your fitness SLOWLY. The trick to getting fit is each session should feel like not enough and only rarely should you do a session which really hurts. This will mean that you do tomorrow's session (always the most important one).

I hope you are not ill. Good luck.

Answer 4

Problem here is that I don't think you're shouting loud enough. From what you have described there is obviously something not right and you need to be shouting until someone takes you a bit more seriously.

Your question doesn't mention what kind of work you do. I work in a bakery and obviously with a lot of flour dust. But fumes of any kind (exhausts, toxic,alcohol) will not be helping this.

I believe there is also some thing called mild heart attack: when you breathe in deeply, it feels like there's someone sticking a knife in you.

Consider the possibility you could be asthmatic.

Go and see as many doctors as you need to until you get somebody to take you seriously and get this sorted out.

Answer 5

Find another Doctor, your's SUX. This is not normal. It is an indicator for something more serious. You need to see another specialist. So have your primary doctor refer you to one. Chest pains are serious and could indicate a number of problems, asthma for one or severe allergies. My advice is to see a Pulmonologist (breathing doctor) . This doctor will give you other tests to find the problem along with medications to help open your airways. DO NOT let this pass.

Answer 6

Loss of breath could be a high heart rate. When you feel like you cant take a deep breath, count your heart rate for about 15 sec x 4. If its greater than 100, this is probably the problem. This can be caused by L ventricular hypertrophy or mitral valve prolapse.

Answer 7

If your not satisfied with the cardiologist (just assuming that was the specialist) diagnosis check back with your primary care physician an and ask what the believes is going on and tell him about the other symptoms.

Also you can always go to another specialist for a second opinion... sound like a pulmonary specialist may be of help.

Good luck and God bless.

Answer 8

The old EMT rule - air goes in and out, blood goes round and round; any variation on this is a bad thing. I'd call your primary doctor and describe the new symptom. You might as well mention what happened with the specialist too. Make sure to include details - if you just banged your ribs, that might well explain the breath problems ;)

Kidding aside - talk to a doctor soon. Might be nothing, but why take the risk?

Answer 9

Depends on what your O2 is, your doc should beable to test that by just sticking a monitor on your finger, and get you to do a few exercises etc. If your oxygen is low then they will be worried, if not it may be just annoying - I have it too for no reason they can find, but my O2 was nearly 100% (I do have a heart defect but its benign) so cardiologist wasnt worried in the slightest, do you have palpatations or any other symptoms? See Doc if youre worried, hope its all ok!

Answer 10

i'm so sorry approximately your canine's accident. i'm hoping he recovers at as quickly as! I - properly, my canine - had an analogous adventure however the ER Vet mentioned my canine could no longer come homestead superb away. while he became waiting to come returned homestead (after 3 days - he had a brilliant form of issues and merely wasn't convalescing) he became merely wiped out. He actually walked into the homestead, drank some water, then walked superb to his mattress and exceeded out for the subsequent 4 hours (with me staring at him like a hawk the completed time.) His respiration became slightly shallow in the initiating yet then he enhanced. i became so careful with him for the subsequent month you're able to have theory he became made out of bone china. yet lung injuries are severe concerns and for my canine the healing became quite sluggish. like the Vet mentioned, watch him heavily. I wager your loved ones will take shifts staring at him, superb? All of you need to merely circulate along with your intestine; in the journey that your instincts inform you that something isn't superb, then placed him interior the vehicle and circulate to the ER Vet. I confident wish he would be ok.