Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: cal on September 26, 2014, 12:30:39 PM
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I seem to have just come to terms with all the awful symptoms I have had the last year that come and go and now I have more really scary ones!!
About two weeks ago I started having problems breathing, it is like I cant take a really deep breath sometimes or get enough oxygen ( I would imagine it is like someone with asthma feels) It isnt all the time. When I wake up it is fine and then it comes and goes throughout the day. I went to the docs yesterday and my bp was 117/75 oxygen 99%, pulse 80, temp 75 she also listened to my chest thoroughly front and back and she said everything was perfect. I have gone today for a xray which she said is to be on the safe side and then I will have my annual blood test for thyroid and they will check for anemia.
i am really scared, over the last 12 months I have imagined i have had every type of cancer, throat, thyrod, lymphs, breast, womb...........now Im scared I have lung cancer
Im so anxious all the time, tired, aching all over, feel like my feet will break around the ankles when I get out of bed in the morning.
Im just sitting here going out of my mind :'( and am beside myself
Anyone else had this breathing problem??
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Yes, and its anxiety.
Chest feels tight and I feel as if I can't take a deep enough breath. Horrid.
I had the tests too and all was fine. I also had the lump in the throat thing....also anxiety.
Breathing exercises really help. As does a glass of wine in the evening. I have it mostly under control now.
Honeyb
x
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Hello Cal, don't panic, I'm the same, I wake up in the morning and think how good I feel (if I'm lucky) and then everything sets in.. The aches and pains, shakes, and then it's sort of "after 3... Panic !!! "...This last few days it's like I've had a band around under my boobs (even tried wire-less bra's cuz I thought they were the cause, but they weren't) it's like I can't breath to get the air in, sort of like my diaphragm isn't moving. I get dizzy and tingly, But then later if I sit quiet, the yawning starts, can't open my mouth wide enough to get the air in fast enough, so it's one after another then my eyes stream... god knows what's going on these days but I hate it. I'm putting it down to stress, yesterday I thought my throat was closing up, when I swallowed it was like a lump in there on one side half way down to my collar bone. It's gone today thank heavens. As for thinking I've got something bad... been there, done that, got the tee-shirt in every size and colour. I've had everything scanned except my womb, and that's being done next week.... I think that's why I'm so edgy now... I do hope you feel better soon, for me this time of life is not fun, and there was me wishing my period years away cuz they were awful too, and I thought things would be better when it had all finished. :( Just seen your post while I was typing Honeybun, agree totally.
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Hi Cal - you have described exactly what happens to my chest and breathing in the moments before I get a hot flush/sweat and I seem to remember having similar a few months before I began flushing. I always feel as if I want to fling my arms wide to try to get enough air in. Not sure if that helps as I don't know how far into meno you are and whether you are experiencing hot sweats anyway at other times.
Taz x
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It's an anxiety thing. However, always best to have checked out. Only consolation is, you're not alone. It's unpleasant & scary though. Try some deep breaths until it passes.
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Hi Ladies,
Thank you so much for the replies, it is so calming to know I'm not the only one experiencing these problems !!
I started down this road last year in April with the throat problem, had camera down a couple of times, scan on thyroid and around my neck and everything was fine, but I still suffer with my throat now. It was only after coming back from Caribbean last october that it clicked It was menopause related because the hot sweats started, that was really a relief to say the least and also I found this site which has been so so helpful.
I have had the hot flushes on and of and mild sweats but mainly all these obscure symptoms that are just so scary, this latest breathing one is really scaring me. My periods are all over the place, last one was end of May. I am now at the stage I don't know where I am in my cycle to be able to monitor fluctuating hormones even though I keep a diary of dates etc since it all started last year.
I started doing Yoga earlier this year and meditation and breathing exercises but at the moment nothing seems to be helping, in fact I was wondering if I had pulled a muscle in my shoulder blades that was perhaps affecting my breathing??
Witches Cat,
I am exactly the same, cant stop yawning which I assume is the bodies way of getting the oxygen it needs, and even then last night I noticed some times I cant even yawn properly :-\
I also get the band around the boobs feeling and also I get a pain under my right boob where the wire sits from the middle to the inner curve. I have had this on and off for 12 months and thought originally maybe the wire was causing it, ruled that out eventually but in May I went on holiday and had been spotting for 6 weeks so the doc gave me some tablets to take which was just progesterone to stop the bleeding whilst away and it also stopped the pain !! It stayed away for ages but now it comes and goes again. Sunday was awful even when I moved my arm but it has eased over the coarse of this week.
I have now got to wait probably 2 weeks to get the result of this xray and just feel I'm going out of my mind. I just don't feel like I'm looking forward to anything, or can be bothered with anything as I'm so exhausted ! Doc did say it could be anaemia which she will check when the xray is back. OOOOOOhh I'm just so sick of it
I go to the Caribbean again in two weeks and i am dreading it because I am so anxious I don't want to get on the plane, it will be that hot that when I come back I will not sleep for months and have the hot flushes again because my body is adjusting to the change in temperature. I really need to chill but i just don't seem to be able to.
Sorry for waffling !!!
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You waffle all you like, everyone on here loves a good waffle, and what's nice is that there are some really knowledgeable ladies on here (I'm not one of them) and their replies really help. Just knowing other women are having the same problems is a help too. You mentioned the heat, I hate it when it's hot, but I love the winter and snow and frost... but at the same time I hate my white fingers and toes when I go out in it... Couldn't go to a hot country I'd curl up and melt. My family think I'm bonkers, love the dark nights, curtains closed, gas fire on, born in November you see, 1st November all saints day, if my mother had got herself in gear it would have been Halloween... always thought I should have been a witch !!! More in common with them...
;D
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I just wanted to update my post. I had the results of my X ray 2 weeks ago and everything was fine when the doc told me I just started crying with relief. We agreed maybe the shortness of breath is being caused by anxiety and as I was of on my hols the following day I would just monitor how I went.
well I came back from holiday yesterday and I have to say my breathing was even worse than before !! It was starting to feel better before I went but it was so bad some days whilst away it was like the pipes in my neck were going to break and couldn't carry oxygen to my lungs, relly horrible and scary !! I am wondering if the tropical heat made it worse and perhaps I have developed asma ?? It feels a bit easier now I'm home but still not right
I have also been really tired whilst away and I can't put it down to being overworked and so relaxing because I took redundancy the beginning of this year sold having a work free year (attempt to reduce the stress, which I think has worked a bit )
I don't want to go back to docs as I feel so stupid!! Although I do have blood tests booked for next week
also I ache all over, when I get up in the morning I can hardly walk my ankles feel like they will break. When I have walked around a bit they are on but the last few days my back and hip are killing me
I just don't know what to do about anything anymore
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You have my sympathies Cal. I get this shortness of breath and it is awful and very frightening.
My sister in law started having this in her mid forties too. Like you everything had been scanned and probed and scanned again. All normal. In the end her doctor diagnosed asthma, gave her an inhaler and it's really helped.
I find it very interesting reading these posts. I wonder if there is a link between fluctuating hormones and breathing problems, or if it is just the anxiety part of meno
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My sympathies too! I'm having these symptoms at the moment too - tight chest, feeling like I can't get a full breath, palpitations. Notice it more when I get in bed trying to sleep but I think everything feels worse at night and i just get more worked up then which makes it worse - vicious circle!
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Cal- I agree with the other ladies that it is meno symptoms. I have been experiencing this and regularly have to gasp to get more air through my mouth, which is difficult whilst you drink anything....also found that when I was on a walk the other day, it happened as well - quite frightening...
I initially thought it was because I was overweight and needed to lose weight.
Hubby started noticing this and ask me why I was sighing all the time!
I am starting swimming next week and planning to do pilates at home to see if it helps.
Hope you find what works for you.
Rebecca
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Def anxiety are you on HRT?
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Thanks for the replies ladies it helps knowing I'm not the only one !
cassIe , no I don't take hot currentlying, I have just tried managing symptoms as they arise, I just can't understsnd how this can be anxiety as I wasn't anxious on holiday apart from feeling anxious if my breathing went bad I have also wondered if it's my heart
To be honest I'm sick of wondering and thinking everything is wrong bup it is very scary I just don't know what to do !!
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My breathing used to be harder when my period was due. I would get bloated with fluids which had a knock on effect, I couldn't take a deep breath - then I would try more often and it got so that I focussed on not being able to breath.
As soon as I read this thread for example, I tried a deep breath and found I can't ::) so I will lean over the sink later and do some deep breathing.
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I seem to have just come to terms with all the awful symptoms I have had the last year that come and go and now I have more really scary ones!!
About two weeks ago I started having problems breathing, it is like I cant take a really deep breath sometimes or get enough oxygen ( I would imagine it is like someone with asthma feels) It isnt all the time. When I wake up it is fine and then it comes and goes throughout the day. I went to the docs yesterday and my bp was 117/75 oxygen 99%, pulse 80, temp 75 she also listened to my chest thoroughly front and back and she said everything was perfect. I have gone today for a xray which she said is to be on the safe side and then I will have my annual blood test for thyroid and they will check for anemia.
i am really scared, over the last 12 months I have imagined i have had every type of cancer, throat, thyrod, lymphs, breast, womb...........now Im scared I have lung cancer
Im so anxious all the time, tired, aching all over, feel like my feet will break around the ankles when I get out of bed in the morning.
Im just sitting here going out of my mind :'( and am beside myself
Anyone else had this breathing problem??
Aww bless your heart, without sounding patronising you wanna take a look at the anxiety thread on here, it really helped me.
I have anxiety about things in my fflat breaking, but it's similar to body anxiety. I worry about my water tank leaking and the damage to the plaster around the windows from the massive amounts of condensation on them.
I'm trying to find the right hrt for me.
I start a patch on Monday and I hope it works better than the pills.
Although Femoston is good, I don't absorb it, I think its because my bowel is not working properly, (possibly due to meno and insufficient oestrogen)
I bought evorel 50 privatly cos my doc has only given me evorel 25, and I am concerned it is not enough.
I am not prepared to spend any more time in this state.
I am going mental as well as soaking my clothes with flushes.
When my mum was meno she had fears about cancer and I remember her getting biopsies etc
She thought some of her lichen planus went cancerous but it didnt.
It is really convincing anxiety, but it is meno based.
Do you smoke?
I've got COPD but I noticed when I get anxious I also get breathless and have a puff on my inhaler.
Don't feel stupid, lots of women have these issues.
I think it is because our bodies start producing much less oestrogen and we get all these symptoms.
We don't have a HRT success stories thread on here, but some women really love it.
Maybe I will start one.
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Get your Dr to prescribe the bio identical hormones, the gel or patches and utrogestan...it will make you feel brand new... ;)
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HI I get the tight chest and breathing problems too, and have lately had problem where I think something is stuck in my throat all anxiety I guess its awful x
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Hi, this sounds very familiar, I was diagnosed with allergies, pollen in summer, dust mites in winter, and I think the medication helps. I would like to get off the medication after about 4 years, but not sure if I can. I think anxiety must be a big cause, my doctor told me even she finds it hard to control her breathing if she finds herself noticing getting short of breath, she says you can't easily separate the physical causes of asthma from psychological ones. (She gave me an inhaler by the way) She made me feel better because I was getting the feeling that the rest of the surgery thought I was a hypochondriac, I had tests where they seemed to be dissing the need for a test at all, I ended up totally confused about whether I had asthma or not, so didn't use the inhaler. I think I'm a lot better now, I even managed to get over a shortness of breath/panic while on a shop till by breathing evenly and telling myself It would pass. I changed my job and don't get them at work now, but sometimes while sat in the evenings, I think they are related to hot flushes.
I am lucky, I can wear layers all the time, I even go outside sometimes to cool down. Sometimes I take advantage of a hot flush in the middle of the night to go to the loo, it always cools me down in our climate!
I think exercise helps, not pushing yourself when your chest feels really tight, but experiencing that "healthy out of breath" breathing which is so different and where your breaths actually seem to provide you with extra oxygen. I've lots a couple of kilos too, would like to lose more but at least I'm maintaining weight (cross fingers) Good Luck to you all.
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Me too with the feeling that i sometimes cant get enough air. Makes me do a big yawn or take a big breath. Its awful but is def anxiety. They say it helps to concentrate on breathing in and out slowly but this makes me panic and draw in a huge breath. To think i thought menopause was about hot flushes snd weight gain. Havent had any of that but seriously feel like a neurotic wreck lol
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My music teacher told me that not many people breath correctly and only take about half the lung capacity each time they inhale.
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Omg girls I've just read these posts, I'm currently on HRT and have been for about three years I am 48.
I have been thinking about having a break fro the HRT to see where I am I this meno world, but now I'm remembering the symptoms I had befor I started it, hell to be honest thought I was going mad to start with, but I had similar symptoms, lump in throat,weired breathing it felt like I was breathing in hot breatha bit like when your chewing gum! Cobweb feeling at the end of my noise, feelings of creepy dread washing through me,but only a few hot flushes,vibrating in my legs, light sensertivity, exhaustion, which I still get on and off as I have ms as well. Scared to go out weired smells. Brain fog etc.ect etc.
But light is at the end of the tunnel girls! The HRT got rid of most of them , still get anexiety and confidence has been really knocked and I still feel quite ill some days
But no where near like I was before HRT .
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Wow I can't believe all of you with these symptoms !!! I really had convinced mysel that ithe is not anxiet as I don't really get anxioua about anything other than my health
I am due blood tests on Friday which are actually my annual check up for my under active thyroid and the doc has put down for some other tests at the same time as she said it could be anemia related so I will see how it us this week.
I did also wander if it vold be allergy relaged but then I have also wondered if it's my heart or dome kind ofrom heart burnot ir get (courtesy of google !) Last night it was really bad and so scarey I was doe ironing and felt exhausted and had to sit down!! How can that tire me out I used to have that much energy much energy everyone was telling me to slow down bit lately it's not the case
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Hi Cal,
I have underactive thyroid too, and am anemic had lots of tests to find out what the cause could be, all normal however when researching found out that thyroxin itself can cause the body to stop absorbing iron properly! And I don't mean if taken together either as we all know we can't do that!
I have a thyroid appointment with a consultant in November so I'm going to ask him together with a whole lot more questions.
if you start Hrt Cal make sure you get your thyroid tested 3 months after as mine went haywire.
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The interaction between HRT and Thyroxine, as explained by my endocrinologist, was one of the reasons I chose not to use HRT. I had a hard enough time getting stabilised in the beginning and I didn't fancy risking it going unstable again as it makes me very ill. I do not convert T4 to T3 and so require combination therapy which needs to be finely balanced to keep me well
Since the menopause my levels have been less stable and my dose of thyroid replacement has needed to be tweaked from time to time. I am very fortunate to have a consultant who fine tunes the dose to my own personal 'normal' rather than saying you are ok so long as you are in the NHS reference range.
I am glad I did not risk affecting it even more with HRT but I am also fortunate in that I have not had symptoms that have been unbearable or unmanageable.
Sorry Cal, I have digressed from your original post but from what I have read of the replies I agree with what has been said about anxiety possibly causing breathing problems.
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From what I've read (in a paper) it is oral HRT especially that seems to interfere with thyroid medication due to the metabolic processes involved, meaning tweaking of dose would be needed.
I presume there are women on here who are on thyroid medication as well as HRT but of course I can see it needs to be individualised and with specialist care - such as an enocrinologist. Sounds like you have a good one babyjane - I have a friend with thyroid problems and the T4/T3 difficulty who told me about this whole thing about reference ranges which seem to get in the way of proper treatment if rigidly adhered to!
Hurdity x
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You are right Hurdity. I hope your friend also gets good, individual care. I never forget how fortunate I am with my chap.
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Hi all,
I have another update! I have been for my blood test results today, She checked my FBC,Liver, Kidneys, diabetic test, anemic test and a test for inflamation and everything was fine, phew!!
However,
The main test was my Thyroid annual check up and in Feb my level was 2.5, this time it has shot up to 14.9 ??? I think this is the tsh level?? she said I have enough floating around in my system but I think she said its not converting which makes that level high? I didnt really take it in anyway she has increased my dose and I will have it checked again in 2 months. At least this explains why I am tired all the time but I wondered whether this could explain why my breathing is bad?
It is certainly better than it was on holiday and some days better than others, I asked if it could be asthma so I have a breathing tube to check for that
I cant believe all these problems since I became perri!!! :'(
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Hi Cal
Good job you got those tests done!
I hope you soon start to feel better, I hope when I see my thyroid consultant soon he increases my dose, asi think my levels not quite what they should be!
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I am on 125mg of Thyroxine a day and i am also on on HRT patches. I get my bloods checked every 6 months and they always come back normal thankfully. I think the patches are easier on the system than the tablet form, please correct me if i am wrong.