What could this be? Shortness of breath, and rapid breathing?

Question

Hi,

Last night when I laid down to go to sleep, I had trouble breathing. I laid there for awhile, and it got worse as I laid there, so I sat up, and it got a little better, then I was thirsty, so I got up and got a drink. I laid back down and eventually I fell asleep. This morning, I woke up and I was breathing fine, then I sat up, and I started breathing rapidly.

I have a disability called cerebral palsy, I can't walk without crutches. I also have acid reflux. I'm not lightheaded, and I can eat and communicate with those around me. I just feel as if I'm not getting enough air in and out of my lungs. No one in my family has asthma.

School starts next Thursday, and I'm super excited to go back, but I don't know if that could be a factor in this or not. I had a grand mal seizure in May of 2008. I had blood work done afterward, and they ruled out anemia, low blood sugar, high blood sugar, and diabetes. So, it's not that.

I also used to get headaches every day. I had glasses and I didn't wear them because they made the headaches worse. I went to a new eye doctor, and it turns out that my prescription was too strong, so I have a new pair of glasses, and the headaches have stopped.

I'm 14 years old. I really am hoping that this breathing problem will subside, I don't want to go to the hospital because I don't want to go through tests, which will most likely be a scope, or an EKG, and I really don't want to go through those because I've had a fair share of medical tests due to my disability alone.

When I had the seizure in May of 2008 I had to have an EEG and an MRI, and they both said that everything was normal. They didn't put me on any medication because I only had one seizure, they said that if I were to have another one at any time, that they would put me on medication. I am against medication, it's bloody h**l to get me to take liquids or pills.

Does anyone know what this could be and how I can treat it? If it were heart failure or something, I would have probably fainted by now or something.

Thanks in advance,

Bella

Answer 1

Panic Attacks are often described like that. The problem with a panic attack is that it gets worse if you worry about it, and it makes you worry...

Learning to control your breathing is always a good idea (for sufferers of Panic Attacks and anybody else). Breath control allows you to do a lot of things more confidently, and when you're good at it you can use the same techniques to control anxiety.

Your CP might affect the way you need to learn breath control, and how quickly you progress. A physiotherapist can probably advise you, or refer you to another physio with specialist knowledge of CP.

Yoga involves special breathing techniques. You can learn these from a private yoga teacher, in a class, or from a book.

Learning to sing usually helps with breath control. Some of the exercises will only help to make your singing better, but some will improve your posture, confidence, and energy levels by encouraging your body to take in more oxygen all of the time.