AZURE WISH
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 804
posted
those of you who expereince / have expereienced the shortness of breath air hunger that accompanies babs
did you ever find that coffee makes it a bit less severe?
I think I had heard that coffee helps asthma and I was wondering if the babs shortness of breath may have triggered my asthma or if the cofee would help the shortness of breath from babs too.
AZURE WISH
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 804
posted
thank you for sharing your expereince derek.
Its not anxiety related for me. physical exerition like walking across the house or going up or down a flight of stairs has my lite shortness of breath turn to huffing and puffing.
maybe for me now its a mixture of babs and astma ??? who knows...sure is annoying though...
I was just thinking if it is asthma (at least in part) it might be easier for me to make more tolerable.
Vermont_Lymie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9780
posted
Yes, coffee definitely helps me with air hunger.
It is a strong broncho-dialator. My spelling is awful here, but what I mean is it expands the bronchial tubes and makes breathing easier.
My breathing problems seem to be related to babs, because babs treatment, to my great surprise, helped them alot. I had thought I had asthma for years, now I think I just had babs. Malarone improved my breathing greatly, so did plaquenil.
Posts: 2557 | From home | Registered: Aug 2006
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TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
Coffee helps me for a short while but when it wears off I feel even more air hunger likely because coffee is a diuretic and I already have a low blood volume. Diuretics typically deplete blood volume and thus deplete oxygen.
Treatment for babs has decreased my air hunger but even now when I herx the air hunger comes back.
At one point before treatment I felt like I could never get enough air until I found that supplements that increase acetylcholine help my air hunger a LOT. I can't say whether they will help you or not.
Acetylcholine controls a lot of things, including breathing. I really don't know if this is why it helps me or not but I'm just grateful that it does. It's horrid to feel like you are suffocating all the time.
If coffee helps you perhaps it is because it is a vasoconstrictor. Do you have orthostatic hypotension or dysautonmia?
edited because I see that you do have asthma. Maybe you need an adjustment in your meds? Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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djf2005
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11449
posted
hey azure, no dont get me wrong here.
often times when people mention air hunger and benzo they think anxiety. i know this is not the case.
i had it so bad that i could not speak. it was bad.
what im trying to say is, that even tho a benzo is supposed to be for anxiety, it does a lot more then help that. see recent posts on lymenet about it.
i dont know how it all works, but it has something to do with xanax, klonopin, etc supressing the CNS to the point where you get some relief from the air hunger sx.
sometimes its so severe it doesnt help, but knowing what i now know, a benzo would have been of help to me then.
hope you get relief soon. have you had your BP tested recently? have you had a spect scan?
if you can measure the blood flow to your brain, then maybe you could determine if that is a factor with you air hunger. i know babs it a "contribitor'" to it all, or the cause, but a benzo could help.
hope you feel better soon. i know how terrible this sx is, and its one of the worst.
praying for your relief
derek
-------------------- "Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you."
posted
Air hunger/shortness of breath is one of my worst symptoms. This is the way I describe it to my friends when they ask me how I feel: It feels like my body isn't getting enough oxygen even though my resp system is working at full (I am taking near full breaths, my heart is working normally etc). I get headaches because my brain isn't getting enough oxygen, then my heart starts pounding harder because it thinks parts of my body aren't getting enough oxygen. Crushing fatigue from lack of oxygen to my brain and the rest of my body? I don't know for sure if it is lack of oxygen, its just the way i feel.
I don't know how the babs parasite works, but I tell you it is evil, I have the WA1 strain, and supposedly it is one of the harder ones to get rid of. I just try and get as much done as possible when I am feeling well.
And to answer your question, nothing really makes me feel better when I am having an air hunger attack
If coffee made me feel better I find the lowest amount that helped me and use it throughout the day.
I'm glad to hear something helps you, but everything that I have tried including broncial dialators (sp?) have not helped.
Currently on 2tsp of mepron daily, 500mg azith for babs seems to be helping. 400mg doxy to keep the lyme at bay till we can get to that.
Posts: 158 | From Santa Monica | Registered: May 2007
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tailz
Unregistered
posted
I spent maybe 15 years on Klonopin. Though it did help my anxiety, in later years, it did nothing - but that may be because I was not absorbing any of it by then due to chronic diarrhea.
I still have bouts of air hunger but have found they coincide with exposure to high electromagnetic/microwave fields (power lines, cell phones. You might want to get an Electrosmog Detector. That's next on my list.
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Info on acetylcholine is very interesting. Perhaps that is why Dr. B recommends AL Carnitine.
Posts: 233 | From United States | Registered: Oct 2006
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djf2005
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11449
posted
artemensisin is much more powerful than i had ever suspected.
some llmds "add" it in, although, i am becoming convinced it may be more effective if not as effective for certain tbis as rx drugs.
hope u feel better soon
derek
-------------------- "Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you."
posted
Before I knew it was babs... I had horrible air hunger (still sometimes I do). I also have exercise induced asthma... but ended up in the ER on New Year's Eve day last year. Doc said it was bronchitis... so he gives me steroids. Sent me into the worst downward spiral and ended up on my parents couch for 6 weeks. The only thing that made it better during this time was my albuteral inhaler for my asthma. I had to take it ever 2-3 hours... which I don't think is good for you, but I couldn't breath without it! I'm not sure if coffee helps, never really noticed... I drink tons of coffee lately (not really sure why) but next time I have air hunger I will drink some and let you know if it helps me. Art is great but couldn't tolerate it until about 3 months in.
Posts: 45 | From MA | Registered: Sep 2007
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posted
My air hunger is not related to anxiety either. Honestly I have no idea what triggers it. Right now the Mepron herx is doing it. It is weird to describe when you have no idea why it is happening.
Posts: 422 | From CT | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
Question for confirmed babs folks: I know the air hunger is often sustained & severe. But was there/is there ever a time, or a symptom where it is more like a huge, spontaneous gasp or breath-catch for you?
I've had this symptom often since I've been sick, and had it for months before I was diagnosed with LD or treated. I haven't been diagnosed with babs. But I have so many babs symptoms & am wondering if there is any chance this could be my 'weak' version of real air hunger.
Thanks for thoughts.
otm
Posts: 314 | From east coast | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
I did notice that the air hunger would get worse at night. Don't ask me why. Maybe my body was getting worn down with the days activities. But this would happen even if I slept all day, so that doesn't really work out... Posts: 158 | From Santa Monica | Registered: May 2007
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posted
My air hunger is worse at night, but I take Ambien and Klonopin, which I believe I read can depress respirations somewhat.
If that is true, perhaps it is noticable only for those of us who have another breathing issue.
Posts: 233 | From United States | Registered: Oct 2006
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jamescase20
Unregistered
posted
Dont know how true this is but...I think and my natpath concered..that whats happening is you take abx, or something that ****es off babes...so it runs to hide in the brain...where most abx dont get to very well, (BTW roxy concentrates in the brain...up to 50x blood plasma levels!) So babes ends up in the area of the brain that controls or senses or whatever, you brain gets signals that your staving for air..but your not, it just thinks you are. Try it...when it happens..often soon after doing something like taking abx or something that scares babes. You get air hunger...now when it happens...think about it...are you REALLY choking..or do you just think your choking? I found I was only thinking I was...and the panic went rapidly away. Thats my experience with that. Interestingly I took roxy and bactrim and I have not had any air hunger since few days after starting the gasser protocol. I was infected with babes I believe 5 years ago...and in the acute phase I would wake up in the middle every night with air hunger. That stopped until I started treating lyme 2 months ago. And roxy batrim cipro and quinine stopped that within a week or so. Again each time I took the pills air hunger...slowly went less and less till it disappeared. Thats my experiences with this. Your s or others surely may be different.
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posted
My air hunger was/is worse at night as well. For onthemend- "But was there/is there ever a time, or a symptom where it is more like a huge, spontaneous gasp or breath-catch for you?" I have indeed had that experience may times. This was one of my first symptoms at the very start... it started a week or two before any of my other symptoms. I would say it is for sure part of air hunger and babs for me.
Posts: 45 | From MA | Registered: Sep 2007
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groovy2
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6304
posted
Hi All
when you are treating Babs -
symptoms will Come and Go - and New symptoms will appear and the old symptoms will decrease--
This is Normal -
Babs takes a Long time to treat successfully -
It is Important to take Babs meds ON TIME- Dont miss ANY Doses - it matters -
Babs symptoms are usually worse at Night - for some reason Many peoples symptoms Flair at 2AM like clock work --
Warm Tea or Decaf coffee dose help - make Sure it is Warm -
Cold liquids take to much of your body's energy to warm up -
You want to put ALL of your bodies Energy into fighting your illness - not warming up liquid -
It is Super Important to drink as Much liquid as you can Every Day
Water -Tea - are the Best Not Fruit juices ect-
If you are not having to pee once or twice a hour you are not drinking enough-
Babs is a Very Tuff Bug - and it takes Much Longer to treat than other co infections
If you have Babs Real Bad - it takes 2 to 3 years of constant GOOD treatment to be successful -
Drinking Tonic Water is amazing helpful - you can buy at grocery store - it has a small amount of Quinine in it - Get the Diet kind -
Drink 1 to 3 liters a day -
I have had Lyme and Babs for 18 years- before I started treatment -
After 2 years of Good treatment 95% of my babs symptoms are gone -
Babs herxes are MUCH Worse that Lyme herxes so dont freek out - Its Normal - Defiantly No Fun tho --
Hope this helps you -- Jay --
Posts: 2999 | From Austin tx USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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