Anxiety?

[Wiped Out]

For about the last week and a half every night when I go to bed my chest feels weird, kind of, like I am having a hard time breathing. I'm not though, my pulse seems normal, I'm just taking in deeper breaths. I've had a hard time getting to sleep because of it.

Until yesterday it happened only at night. Yesterday it happened in the afternoon and today it's felt that way the entire day.

I'm guessing this is anxiety the only thing is I don't know where the anxiety is coming from. I've never dealt with anxiety like this before. Usually if I'm anxious about something I know what it is and then can deal with it.

Also, today I'm in a mood with difficult child that everything he does is driving me nuts. He is being himself but I'm snapping much more than I usually would.

Anyone experience anything like this? Mostly I'm trying to ignore it but it is so constant right now which makes it hard to ignore. I try taking deep breaths and just relaxing. I'm guessing I should make an appointment with my therapist but if I can't place the anxiety I'm not sure how much that will help.

Any thoughts?

 

[buddy]

i always felt like if I did know what my anxiety was about it was managable. It is when I have tons of little things...can't put my finger on any one, that is when I can't figure out how to calm. Maybe then it would be good to talk to someone to help sort thru (if it is like that...) Are you overwhelmed (silly question). when I forget to take my pain medicine (not a narcotic, but can cause a kind of dependence) I get a feeling like I just can't get enough of a breath, not like I dont have enough air, just uncomfortable feeling like I need to breathe deeper for and I get uncomfortable all over...r u on any medications your body has gotten used to and you need more of?

 

[buddy]

hey, didn't someone say thyroid issues can feel like anxiety???

 

[klmno]

I'd suggest that you go to get a physical. This could be early signs of future health concerns, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), or as you say- as simple as anxiety/stress.

 

[Hound dog]

I 2nd the physical. Rule out the physical before assuming it's something else.

You blood pressure could be elevated by the time evening rolls around.......and it could explain the moodiness with difficult child. I know when mine is high because I start breathing like that, and I get annoyed easily. No clue why the annoyed part....but even husband did it and I've had lots of patients do it.

Could be lots of things. Best to let fam doctor rule anything out before assuming it's anxiety related.

Hugs

 

[HaoZi]

I third getting a physical first. There's so many things that could be, the start of a lung infection or heart issue were my first thoughts. We're so used to dealing with difficult children and psychiatrists that sometimes we forget that a malady can be purely physical in nature.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Go get a physical before the rest of the board ends up saying the same thing!
I'd be concerned about heart problems... the classical symptoms are very different in women than in men... and you can have a "silent" heart-attack that actually feels like anxiety...

NOT to get your ANXIETY up with that, but...

The board doesn't want to lose you, and the rest of "your" crew can't afford that either.

 

[InsaneCdn]

p.s. if you read all of our advice and it makes everything feel WORSE, then... maybe it IS some form of anxiety attack... but I'd still do the physical first.

 

[Wiped Out]

Thank you for all of the suggestions. I did just have a physical in July and everything was fine but I guess something could have crept up since then. If this continues I will call my doctor. (Interestingly when I told my sister, a nurse, she also went right to heart issues.)

Something Buddy said made me wonder. I'd been on pain pills for my back for about two weeks. I only took them at night (other than the weekend when I took them twice during the day). Since Thursday I had stopped them altogether because my back has been doing better and ibuprofen is enough now. I'm wondering if it could be that it was at night at first (since I had stopped the daytime dose) and then when I stopped it took a few days to go to day time?

 

[keista]

If the medication stop coincides with the "anxiety" issue, then it's certainly plausible.

Any other changes in diet or routine?

Took me forever to make the connection in myself, but about a year ago, I found I had a very difficult time breathing at night. It wasn't every night, but only at night, and after a while of it going on, I noticed it was on the nights that I ate ice cream. Oh yeah! Hagen Daaz Carmel Cone! The whole pint, all at once! YUM! So, turns out, that much dairy, fosters congestion, which makes me not able to breathe well. Bummer. No more Hagen Daaz nights