posted
Yesterday I had a really bad breathing episode. Only thing I did was do a stress test around 2pm. Around 5 I start to notice that I'm not gettin a full breath/having to breath on my own as if my body didnt want to. Within an hour it got worse. I thought I was having a heart attack. Its hard to explain. I just kidna felt like from my throat down to my stomach was just going to close up. I decided to lay down on the couch. It got better but I had to breathe on my own. I've read this could be a symptom/herx . I'm on doxy 300mg right now. I havent been tested for co-infections yet because of money. My first thought is to go to the ER but I know how that usually goes..they basically make sure im not dead and send me home with a 2000 dollar bill. Posts: 42 | From Niger | Registered: Oct 2008
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posted
The way I would describe my air hunger is that I can breathe just fine, BUT...it just doesn't feel like I'm getting enough oxygen. Almost like I'm suffocating, but I'm not...like breathing into a bag where there isn't enough oxygen. Does that make sense? I've learned that although it FEELS like I'm suffocating, if I lie down and relax and take some deep breathes and even sleep for awhile, it passes.
Not sure if everyone else feels it the same way, but that is the best I can describe what I feel.
Posts: 215 | From Phoenix, AZ | Registered: Jul 2008
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I'm really sorry to hear that you've got to deal with this now too. It's one of my worst symptoms. It sounds like you got slammed with a combination of shortness of breath and air hunger. Paired with the chest pains, it does totally feel like a heart attack (not that I really know what one feels like, I just imagine that's how it feels). I don't know about you, but at the same time to me it feels kind of seizure-ish, because my brain feels like it "forgets to breathe" too. Not fun.
I think that air hunger and shortness of breath are most often associated with babesia. We didn't bother with the testing since it's so expensive and unreliable anyway. I display all of the symptoms for it, which is sometimes enough evidence alone for an LLMD to treat you for it. You might want to take that up with your LLMD next time you see him.
Hope it gets better soon. Keep breathing Posts: 710 | From West Coast | Registered: May 2008
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lymielauren28
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 13742
posted
I had the worst attack of air hunger a couple of weeks ago that I've ever had and that's how I described it - It felt like I was literally being suffocated. It lasted about two hours and scared the you know what out of me.
No matter how hard I tried I could not get a deep enough breath and it felt like my lungs were closing up as well as my throat. It caused me to have a massive panick attack on top of all that so needless to say it was not a pleasant experience!
Like Rachellemarie said laying down is what I've found to be the best medicine.
Lauren
-------------------- "The only way out is through" Posts: 1434 | From mississippi | Registered: Nov 2007
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posted
For me, air hunger is having to yawn continuously. I have to yawn a really deep yawn, and it just barely satisfy my need. Within a few seconds, I need to yawn again...and again...and..
Posts: 227 | From Northern CA (bitten in Illinois) | Registered: Jan 2008
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jamescase20
Unregistered
posted
actually air hunger is a medical term used for an astmaha attack I gathered.
I experienced air hunger only in acute (early) about 1-4 weeks after infection with babs. I didnt experience air hunger again until I started TX 6 yrs later on zithromax, in fact, zithromax if often used in a high "shock" dose say 1200mg single dose to test to see if babs is still around, or if its severe still.
In other words, zithromax is often used by LLMDs to see if you have babs. If air hunger occurs often its a verifier you DO have it.
Carrions Disease (bart strain 1) is or has been sometimes known to cause air hunger as well, sorry to muddy this up with that. Other bart strains (there are at least 23 known to date) may also cause some air hunger.
Babs though, is the corner stone dead ringer for DX for babs is the air hunger.
Air hunger in me felt like well, I told my doctor, I would awaken at around 3-5am, feeling and I will quote myself " I feel like I am choking dock". Thats was I would call it. A choking like sensation, yet I was not eating. I discovered when I was experiencing this sensation, that if I JUST WOULD IGNORE the "feedback from my brain telling me I was not able to breath" I would be able to realize that I WAS IN FACT breathing, and getting air.
This was comforting, and enabled me to prevent panic from the air hunger when it occured.
I had air hunger at night in bed...mostly.
Zithromax brang out air hunger instantly..within about 1 hour of a 1200mg on empty stom shock dose. And only then had I realized I STILL had babs when I was DX'ed with lyme.
So, air hunger feels like your choking for air sorta speak, but yet, if you "ingore" your brains feedback information reporting that your unable to breath, and you just inhale and exhale fully, you can then realize your BREATHING normally actually.
Thats just my experience with this. Surely others can vary, perhaps even be life threatening. I am NOT a doctor, but I had babs for 6 full yrs at a minimun for sure. My babs strain is unknown, but its a bad one thats largely resistent, perhaps the dreded babs WA1. (former name) They changed it. I was in Wisconson deep woods area close to canada, and the WA1 was def in canada at time of exposer.
My babs infection caused in about 1 week after bite...SEVERE 106 fever, and this fever wouldnt lift for WEEKS! I used NSIDS to lower to fever, but now I learn that 106 fever for 24 hours, while the fever at 106 can be deadly, its believed and was actually utilized on purpose in the early 1900s to kill pathogens like maleria.
Its proven that a 106 temp for 24 hour span will actually fully rid lyme according to research study. But a fever that high has also killed people so its not used anymore. In fact, I have gathered data that revials that most of these common TBDs do in fact die at a 24 hour fever of 106.
BUT, its NOT used and NOT advisable to use due to the possiblity of death.
In the early 1900s it was used in a bathtub, submerging the entire body in a 106 temp bathtub only the mouth and nose out to breath by doctors to rid maleria. And it DID kill it according to reasearch about a 100percent cure rate, however, about if I recall correctly 20percent or so, DIED from the fever, EVEN while under continuous observation of hospital staffs. So this 106 fever treatment is NOT ADVISABLE, and is too DANGEROUS.
Bringing the temp to close to 106 however is safe for most persons without other heart or other diseases that would place them at higher risk for serious problems from a fever. And ANY fever pushes down the bugs and is proven in reasearch.
I found even just a hot shower, brings a temp in me (under tounge check) to about 103 even! Surely reaking havoc to the bugs no dought. You might be suprised how high your temp gets just from a common hot shower.
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jamescase20
Unregistered
posted
Forgot this,
I got them impression that air hunger was caused by the bugs "shorting out the brains circuits" so that it would report to you that you are unable to breath.
Poor BBB crosser zithromax may push the bugs to "hide" in the brain and thus bring up air hunger more severely.
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
My worst symptom. The one that I just can't get rid of.
Air hunger is to me like being a fish out of water.
I feel like I am gasping for air.
Every once in a while I get a deep satisfying breath.
I sometimes get two.
I don't have issues with this while laying down at night to sleep (flat).
I also have POTs, NMH, and adrenal fatigue which can all
Also cause shortness of breath issues.
I am going into month 10 of babesia treatment.
First 9.5 months with mepron/biaxin.
Now, back to malarone/bactrim and biaxin.
I have actually had a few days where I wasn't thinking about
Trying to get a deep breath.
That is always a really good thing.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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