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Shortness of breath

Messages
48
Just wondered how many people experience shortness of breath just laid in bed? I feel like I can't breathe despite laying still and doing nothing. I've had it for years but nothing seems to help and I still have no idea what is causing it, it seems to come along when I'm at my worst though and when my exhaustion is at it's worst too (having to be in bed 90% of the time).

Does anyone have anything I could do that could help it? I have the usual relaxation cds but it doesn't really help. I had severe B12 deficiency which I've been treated for for the past 5 years but still get this uncomfortable symptom. I'm dx with POTS too but although my heart feels uncomfortable currently, it's not particularly fast (around 70-80 laid down).

Any ideas?

Thanks.
 

lansbergen

Senior Member
Messages
2,512
Just wondered how many people experience shortness of breath just laid in bed? I feel like I can't breathe despite laying still and doing nothing. I've had it for years but nothing seems to help and I still have no idea what is causing it, it seems to come along when I'm at my worst though and when my exhaustion is at it's worst too (having to be in bed 90% of the time).Any ideas?

Mine improved a lot with overall improvement. I think part of the problem is that the breathing muscles are impaired.
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,092
For me it was something I self-diagnosed as a "pre-acidosis" state. I tested my urine pH at home in the evening and it was 4.5. Then I started supplementing with magnesium oxide (other forms like Epsom salts or Mg glycinate, citrate didn't seem to help at all) and sodium bicarbonate foot baths and baths helped a lot. I haven't had it again since September :balloons:

Blood tests showed highish uric acid and urea, high potassium, sodium and magnesium - but magnesium was very low in urine, so I inferred high magnesium mobilisation and low excretion = magnesium deficiency.

I am not a health practiotioner - I am a patient. WHen I finally saw a good neprhologist in September (I was already better) she said I might have been right.
 
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MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
Just wondered how many people experience shortness of breath just laid in bed? I feel like I can't breathe despite laying still and doing nothing. I've had it for years but nothing seems to help and I still have no idea what is causing it, it seems to come along when I'm at my worst though and when my exhaustion is at it's worst too (having to be in bed 90% of the time).

Does anyone have anything I could do that could help it? I have the usual relaxation cds but it doesn't really help. I had severe B12 deficiency which I've been treated for for the past 5 years but still get this uncomfortable symptom. I'm dx with POTS too but although my heart feels uncomfortable currently, it's not particularly fast (around 70-80 laid down).

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Does it come on when you get into bed and wear off after a while? There are some threads on this, including this one.

It might be pH-related, as @Gondwanaland suggests, or autonomic, or vascular (e.g. low endothelial nitric oxide levels).

I get the pounding pulse much less now, along with general improvement, thanks to a low-sugar, low-grain, gluten-free diet. Any breathlessness is milder now.

I wonder whether it can happen (partly) due to the exertion of things like going upstairs, undressing, getting into bed and any pre-bed activities like cleaning teeth. Some people go over their anaerobic threshold with very minor exertion.
 

justy

Donate Advocate Demonstrate
Messages
5,524
Location
U.K
I have this also and air hunger. I also have chlamydia pneumonia chronically which can cause breathing problems and inflammation. Have you been tested for any infections like Lyme or chlamydia or mycoplasma pneumonias? Babesia can also cause breathing issues I believe.
 

rosie26

Senior Member
Messages
2,446
Location
NZ
I get this. You really notice how exhausting it is to talk when lying down with this.
 

Rlman

Senior Member
Messages
389
Location
Toronto, Canada
I sleep with lots of pillows so my upper body is at 45 degree angle which helps me. IN my case Im guessing its bc my heart is too weak to pump when I lie flat. Also lying on my side makes breathing easier.
 

melamine

Senior Member
Messages
341
Location
Upstate NY
I also get this when my other symptoms are at their worst, and at those times I can breath somewhat better when sleeping on one side than another (can't remember which one). Prolonged stress is one trigger. I have some autoimmune issues, which can be associated with this kind of symptom: autoimmune/ CFS-ME - maybe probably same thing, different way of looking at it. @Gondwanaland's advice is worth trying.

Mine has improved since December, when it was quite bad. I can't say whether any of these helped but for what it's worth - I had started taking magnesium again, All In One (Yasko) multi, olive leaf extract for a few weeks, zinc, Kyolic garlic, B12 and folinic acid. My heart was thoroughly checked out last week because of another symptom and it is in excellent health. I do not have POTS.
 

Mij

Messages
2,353
Viral reactivation and magnesium deficiency for me. I don't have POTS. My organic acids test showed below low normal in the energy production section and I was asked during my consultation if I felt out of breath a lot.
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
Viral reactivation and magnesium deficiency for me. I don't have POTS. My organic acids test showed below low normal in the energy production section and I was asked during my consultation if I felt out of breath a lot.

Which acids are tested for that? Do they test serum?

@alex3619 has suggested that we may be over-acidic after exertion and over-alkaline at rest. (I think I remembered that right - hopefully he will correct me if not!)
 

Mij

Messages
2,353
Pyruvate 9 (<60)
Lactate 46 (10-100)
Citrate 263 (400-2000) ***
cis-Aconitate 156 (25-400)
Isocitrate 37 (50-300) ***
2-Ketoglutarate 1 (5-80)***
Succinate 102 (41-447)
Fumarate 2 (1-14)
Malate 60 (36-194)
Oxaloacetate 337 (950-2800) ***
 

Gingergrrl

Senior Member
Messages
16,171
Viral reactivation and magnesium deficiency for me. I don't have POTS. My organic acids test showed below low normal in the energy production section and I was asked during my consultation if I felt out of breath a lot.

@MeSci they test urine. I'll post them.

Pyruvate 9 (<60)
Lactate 46 (10-100)
Citrate 263 (400-2000) ***
cis-Aconitate 156 (25-400)
Isocitrate 37 (50-300) ***
2-Ketoglutarate 1 (5-80)***
Succinate 102 (41-447)
Fumarate 2 (1-14)
Malate 60 (36-194)
Oxaloacetate 337 (950-2800) ***

@Mij This is totally new for me and I was wondering if you could explain (in the dummies version) for me what this organic urine acids test is and how it connects to shortness of breath? As far as I know, I have never been tested for any of these things. What do they mean, how do they relate to SOB, and what is the treatment? Thanks!
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
I wasnt short of breath but I had a funny chest, like something wrong there and like very heavy feeling happening at times within my chest esp at night. A doctor told me she believed it was asthma so put me on puffer thou i didnt believe it was that. Turned out she was correct.

Ive since come to see that I ME can trigger off asthma when I crash. Consider asking the doctor if you can trial some ventalin when you are feeling breathless.
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
@Mij This is totally new for me and I was wondering if you could explain (in the dummies version) for me what this organic urine acids test is and how it connects to shortness of breath? As far as I know, I have never been tested for any of these things. What do they mean, how do they relate to SOB, and what is the treatment? Thanks!

I think that the issue is that if the blood is too acidic it may not be able to carry enough oxygen. There is some info here that may be helpful. For example it says:
The lungs provide a faster way to help control the pH of the blood. The increased-breathing response to exercise helps to counteract the pH-lowering effects of exercise by removing CO2, a component of the principal pH buffer in the blood.

I'm not 100% sure about my interpretation - there are lots of feedback mechanisms involved in physiology including pH control, but I was thinking that it might be broadly analogous to the acidification of the oceans by excessive atmospheric CO2. The acidified water cannot hold as much oxygen, so that animals dependent on oxygen in water can't survive.

I'm not sure how much can be gleaned from urine acidity, but maybe it can provide clues.
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
pH alters what is called the oxygen dissociation curve. Initially acidity increases oxygen dumping in acidic areas, so leading to more oxygen where it is needed. Prolonged acidity alters production of a substance needed for oxygen dumping, over hours and days, and leads to lowered oxygen dumping capacity, and hence hypoxia.

Alkaline states do the opposite. Initially the oppose oxygen dumping, then finally they boost the substance (2,3 bpg) needed to dump more oxygen.

I do not recall the exact effect all this has on total oxygen carrying capacity. All these things are response curves, and various factors effect them. They are not linear either.
 

Sherlock

Boswellia for lungs and MC stabllizing
Messages
1,287
Location
k8518704 USA
The acidified water cannot hold as much oxygen
Yes, there is this related concept: breathe deeply several times to get your blood more alkaline, then see how long you can hold your breath. Then pant (aka do shallow breathing) to be more acidic and compare.

I'd suppose that being anxious makes one more acidic.