My husband will wake from sleep or not be able to sleep........saying he can't breathe or catch his breath.

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Originally posted by aliyalex:
I get this feeling that I can't get a full breath or air in my lungs at times. I assumed that my diaphragm was weak or tense and if i really relax I can begin to breathe.

Is that what it is? I have been wondering for a long time. Thanks.

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Is it a feeling that you can't inhale completely, as if your chest is oppressed? Does it make you feel you need more air, so you try to force to inhale completely? Does it help if you yawn?

2,example, trying to breath and it feels like your lungs are half full.

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1.example, Did you ever see a goldfish laying on its side out of the water?

2,example, trying to breath and it feels like your lungs are half full.

3.example, say the word inhale as you inhale Now say word (in) thats all the air you get.

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I feel that I suddenly am not getting enough air, and I have to either breath in with all my might (still might not help)

OR try to relax a bit and "get that breath"

OR trick myself into yawning to "get that breath"

I've waken up in the middle of the night (more freq in the past) with the same feelig.

My Pulmonary Functon Test showed low diffusion, but they can't find anything else wrong.

Very frustrating, feeling like you are not getting enough air!

Sometimes I even feel like I stopped breathing for a moment, and I get a brief but intense funny sensation (pins and needles all over) for a second, then I gasp for air.

This condition has sent me to doctors again and again (before my lyme dx).

Does anything help with this? I just started Biaxin, but it seemed to intensify the symptoms. Does it ever go away??

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KW3LS, yes, yes! This is EXACTLY what I go through all the time!

I feel that I suddenly am not getting enough air, and I have to either breath in with all my might (still might not help)

OR try to relax a bit and "get that breath"

OR trick myself into yawning to "get that breath"

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Yup to all of the above!

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I've waken up in the middle of the night (more freq in the past) with the same feelig.

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Yup, awake and then feel like you are choking, causing anxiety? Scary, isn't is?

I tested neg before, but maybe there can be false negatives for Babesia, just like Lyme?

I get this feeling that I can't get a full breath or air in my lungs at times. I assumed that my diaphragm was weak or tense and if i really relax I can begin to breathe.

Can your lungs be filled with fluid? ie. like a bad cold, or can it be anxiety? ie breathing so fast that you are actually rebreathing your own Co2? Causing the lack of oxygen...

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Originally posted by johnnyb:
Seems like a bunch of us need to be re-tested for Babesia!

I tested neg before, but maybe there can be false negatives for Babesia, just like Lyme?

- JB

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Oh, right...blah, blah, blah...not a doctor...

I only found out recently (after coming here) that most of the symptoms I have are Babs. I'm just gonna have to get through a while longer until I can treat it.

My pulmonologist, after finding low diffusion on my PFT (but all other tests normal), suggested that it might be a non-specific inflammatory disorder.

He is not an LLMD, however. It is possible that an inflammation in the chest cavity around the lungs could cause shortness of breath, he says.

For those having breathing issues like myself, have any of you taken a pulmonary function test? Results?

If anyone is interested in taking one, just get a referral to a pulmonary specialist from your PCP. I think any pulmonologist can do it.

Be prepared for some funky breathing exercises and dizziness!

I am hopeful that anyone who is experiencing shortness of breath or air deprivation has taken into consideration their heart may need to have a check up as well...it would be a good ideal, IMHO, to rule out any complication that may have been over looked.

Better safe then sorry,

Sometimes I also feel like I'm breathing in really cold air (in the middle of summer). It's just uncomfortable.

Another thing I have is that every once in awhile, when I breath, it just feels weird. Like when I had a really bad chest cold. I can't describe it and sometimes I think I can even hear it.

i had air hunger the first 2 years of infection. after babesial, and lyme tx., it seemed to disappear. within the first 6 months it was moderate. haven't woken up trying to get air after the first two years of infection. but i feel this at a very low level.

roughly speaking,from 2003, onward, i felt that fish oil, or DHA + EPA when taken shortly before retiring made a noticeable difference in my sensation of not getting enough air. this is a consistent effect.

I also was able to breath more easily when I took magnesium and glucosamine sulfate, but this only happened once or twice, and had an inconsistent effect. I once had to get up form the couch and consciouly breath. since i was up, i took the glucosamine sulfate, and the magnesium with a bite of food. After 10-15 minutes i laid back down on the couch, and felt that i was getting enough air.

i think the combination of the magnesium and the glucosamine have to do with heparin prodcuction in the lungs,the latter in turn having to do with the ability to get air(oxygen delivered). Again this only happened once, at the most twice that i recall, since it was approx. 3 years ago.
it didn't seem to work consistently, nor did i consciously do an experiment with this combination to see if the effect was consistent by doing this nightly shortly before retiring, as i will do when taking the fish oil, or an dha and epa combination.

FWIW, thats my experience.

while i could never, and still can't get testing for babesiosis, from actually catching a number of lymies on the phone in the midst of an air hunger attack, AND who had a bad case of babesiosis, i'd say that my babesial load is low by comparison.

I do have have this consistent effect of easier breathing when i take cod liver oil, or a combination of DHA and EPA. this could be due to an anti-inflammatory effect on the lungs.

some medical literature i'v read, stated that certain fatty acids, allowed for a greater uptake of oxygen, while certain, if not all(?) steroids, reduced the uptake of oxygen. specific fatty acids were not named in the specific, but from my experience above, with DHA AND EPA, which are (unsaturated)fatty acids i'd say this is the case with these two acids, and cod liver oil which also contains DHA and EPA.

hope this helps

Why is that?

For example, I've been on IV Rocephin for 4.5 weeks, and yesterday Dr C told me to go off for a few days so the herx & brain inflammation would let up. So all day today, I've had air hunger & to force my diaphragm out when I breathe.

Just 36 hours after my last Rocephin infusion would be too soon for the spirochetes to become active again and cause the air hunger, wouldn't it?

I dont know if this is a lack of oxygen or bacteria die off and ensuing toxic load, or a combination. i think a combination.

I have to tell myself to breath a deep breath. Sometimes i think it is due to stress as i have a lot of that lately, but not sure.

I just rest and breath in slowly to the count of 10, as much as i can, an then try to breath out to the count of 4. I still dont feel like i am getting a good breath of air but it makes me think i am doing something.

It is kind of funny but right after i do this, then i yawn. Gosh if i know.

Good luck

I totally didn't remember saying I was going to resume the Cod Liver Oil. Weird.

I just tested equivocal for Babs after Doxy then Biaxin/Omnicef. I'm finally going to get on Mepron/Zithromax for the Babs. I've read here that Babs can really hold up progress with Lyme treatment so I'm excited to be moving forward.