shortness of breath

[outdamnspot]

I've been having a weird symptom lately and was wondering if anyone's experienced anything like this. I experienced very bad shortness of breath when my condition became severe, but found that regular coffee enemas resolved the issue.

Lately, it's been bad again. The only way I can describe it is it seems like my body has become adjusted to running on adrenaline .. which isn't pleasant per se, but at least kept me alert enough to do some stuff during the day. Now, it's almost like that mechanism doesn't kick in anymore (?) and instead I get spaciness and a feeling that I'm just not breathing properly, especially during a crash. This has also coincided with summer ending here in Australia .. my symptoms/mood have become a lot worse without sun exposure.

I'm reliant on Vitamin C to sleep, which used to actually help with anxiety/shortness of breath. But now things that activate the parasympathetic system or lower cortisol actually seem to make the symptom worse. It's also very bad after I eat.

 

[ChrisD]

I experienced shortness of breath, chest tightness/air hunger for a long time, particularly in the evenings - it has got much better with the ketogenic diet, and recently going relatively Low fodmap too it has become all but non-existent. So my gut feeling is that it is almost certainly and inflammatory response derived from the gut.

 

[outdamnspot]

I experienced shortness of breath, chest tightness/air hunger for a long time, particularly in the evenings - it has got much better with the ketogenic diet, and recently going relatively Low fodmap too it has become all but non-existent. So my gut feeling is that it is almost certainly and inflammatory response derived from the gut.

I'm actually on a strict (<20g carb) Keto diet, which has definitely helped, but I've noticed things getting pretty bad since Summer ended, as I mentioned.

The only probiotic I derived benefit from was Symbioflor 2; I have a bottle left that I was thinking of using, so maybe that will help resolve whether it's gut-based.

 

[outdamnspot]

My shortness of breath actually kind of resolved on its own after I posted this, for about a week, but it's back now. This might be a stretch, but the only real change I've made is consuming more Kale .. because my diet was almost completely lacking in Folate. I've never really had an issue with Kale in the past, and it seems low in Oxalates (esp. compared to spinach) but can it be inflammatory at all? Still haven't tested the probiotic idea but I will soon, especially if it doesn't resolve.

 

[liverock]

I've been having a weird symptom lately and was wondering if anyone's experienced anything like this. I experienced very bad shortness of breath when my condition became severe, but found that regular coffee enemas resolved the issue.

Lately, it's been bad again. The only way I can describe it is it seems like my body has become adjusted to running on adrenaline .. which isn't pleasant per se, but at least kept me alert enough to do some stuff during the day. Now, it's almost like that mechanism doesn't kick in anymore (?) and instead I get spaciness and a feeling that I'm just not breathing properly, especially during a crash. This has also coincided with summer ending here in Australia .. my symptoms/mood have become a lot worse without sun exposure.

I'm reliant on Vitamin C to sleep, which used to actually help with anxiety/shortness of breath. But now things that activate the parasympathetic system or lower cortisol actually seem to make the symptom worse. It's also very bad after I eat.

High adrenaline and stuck in 'fight or flight' can be a problem on low carb diets due to low thiamin(B1), or if thiamin is adequate then inactivated thiamin can also be a problem. Folate is required to activate Thiamin:

https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/116930-overview#showall

Folate deficiency

Thiamine serves as a coenzyme (in the form of thiamine pyrophosphate) in a variety of metabolic processes. In these processes, thiamine pyrophosphate is regenerated via the donation of a proton from the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH).

Folic acid is essential to having enough dihydrofolate reductase to regenerate NADH from its oxidative form. This regeneration allows NADH to continue to be present to regenerate thiamine pyrophosphate without being consumed in the process.

If folic acid is deficient in cells, it causes an indirect thiamine deficiency, because thiamine is present but cannot be activated.

Low thiamin can also cause high cortisol and adrenal burnout if not rectified.

https://academic.oup.com/jn/article-abstract/34/1/1/4725811?redirectedFrom=fulltext

Severe dietary deficiencies of thiamine, riboflavin and pyridoxine were produced in weanling male rats. Weight changes of the adrenals and thymus glands, and cytochemical studies of the ketosteroids in the adrenal cortices show that the lack of thiamine causes stimulation of the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex in 2 weeks and its exhaustion in about 4 weeks in a fashion comparable to that induced by pantothenic acid deficiency (Deane and McKibbin, '46). These changes are attributed to a stimulation of the adrenal cortex by adrenotropin, resulting in an increased production and secretion of the corticosterone-like hormones. The latter hormones in turn produce thymus involution. In a paired feeding experiment it was found that stimulation of the fasciculata occurs earlier in thiamine deficiency than with a comparable degree of inanition.

On the other hand, neither a riboflavin nor a pyridoxine deficiency causes more than a transitory stimulation of the adrenal cortex, although a lack of pyridoxine results in acute involution of the thymus.

This could account for a lot of your symptoms including poor sleep.
Thiamin is also required in forming HCL and low thiamin can affect gut absorption.

Once you get your Thiamine and Folate levels sorted the Acetylcholine level should come backup which will increase parasympathetic CNS and increase the vagus nerve which should also help with gut symptoms.

Edit: Adequate Magnesium is also needed in activating Thiamin.

 

[outdamnspot]

Sorry to bring this up again, but the air hunger issue has been severe for the past week and is really scaring me. I'm too stick to get to my doctor right now, as she's quite far away and only works mornings (I see another GP for scripts etc., who's closer, but he doesn't believe in CFS). It feels like I'm suffocating. The only things that relieve it partially are coffee enemas or cold showers. I feel agitated and suicidal and completely trapped inside my body.

I was taking high-ish doses of Vit D the past few weeks because it's winter here, which may have precipitated a crash, so I've stopped. Someone on reddit said I may have depleted my Magnesium by doing that.

Just not sure what to do. My first concern is whether it's actually dangerous, or just unpleasant?

 

[Wolfcub]

Sorry to bring this up again, but the air hunger issue has been severe for the past week and is really scaring me. I'm too stick to get to my doctor right now, as she's quite far away and only works mornings (I see another GP for scripts etc., who's closer, but he doesn't believe in CFS). It feels like I'm suffocating. The only things that relieve it partially are coffee enemas or cold showers. I feel agitated and suicidal and completely trapped inside my body.

I was taking high-ish doses of Vit D the past few weeks because it's winter here, which may have precipitated a crash, so I've stopped. Someone on reddit said I may have depleted my Magnesium by doing that.

Just not sure what to do. My first concern is whether it's actually dangerous, or just unpleasant?

I am so sorry you feel bad like this, @outdamnspot I'm afraid I haven't enough knowledge to be able to offer a nutritional solution, but I can at least send you my kind thoughts.
It's scary more than anything when things like that happen. Just concentrate on steady breathing.

I find I get a bit breathless sometimes but no way as bad as you describe, but not something I got before. It makes the heat rate speed up too and gives me palpitations. My only remedy is concentrating on slow steady good belly-breathing and listening to soothing music. Yes mine can get a bit worse after eating sometimes though not always. I wonder if there might be pressure on the diaphragm after a meal?
Maybe try eating small amounts more frequently....that might help?

If you get really scared by this call the emergency services. Never mind your clinic doctors.

Anyway I am sorry and hope this feeling passes soon. It's no fun.