Shortness of breath with normal sats

[Guest guest]

Sher brought up this phenomenon....feeling short of breath and then finding your sats are well above 90. It's happens to me and I think it probably happens to most of us from time to time. As Bruce pointed out there are several things that can cause shortness of breath, I only offer what follows as another possibility. This explanation has been given to me in both pulmonary rehabs I have attended and also by all the pulmonary docs I've seen in the last few years.

Those of us with pulmonary fibrosis have scarring in our lungs. The scarring causes our lungs to be stiff and hard in areas. This means it takes more work for our bodies to move air in and out of our lungs. Just by breathing we're physically working harder than other people have to. Our brains interpret this extra work as shortness of breath. So we feel short of breath, can't catch our breath, can't get a deep breath etc etc because our lungs are scarred. Our sats may be perfectly fine but that doesn't make the feeling go away.

What helps me at times like this is both diaphragmatic and pursed lip breathing. Sometimes just be focusing on the act of breathing the sob feeling subsides.

As I said, just another possiblility. As always keep an eye on your sats and don't ignore symptoms like sob. Check with your doctor and if everything else is ok maybe its just the stiffness of the lungs making it too much work for our bodies to keep up with comfortably.

Beth

Moderator

Fibrotic NSIP 06/06 Dermatomyositis 11/08

[Guest guest]

I saved this post from Beth

she explained the sensation

Pink Joyce R (IPF 3/06) IFA 5/09 Pennsylvania

Donate Life Listed 1/09 Inactive 4/09

www.transplantfund.org---

Subject: Shortness of breath with normal satsTo: Breathe-Support Date: Monday, October 19, 2009, 9:25 PM

Sher brought up this phenomenon.. ..feeling short of breath and then finding your sats are well above 90. It's happens to me and I think it probably happens to most of us from time to time. As Bruce pointed out there are several things that can cause shortness of breath, I only offer what follows as another possibility. This explanation has been given to me in both pulmonary rehabs I have attended and also by all the pulmonary docs I've seen in the last few years.

Those of us with pulmonary fibrosis have scarring in our lungs. The scarring causes our lungs to be stiff and hard in areas. This means it takes more work for our bodies to move air in and out of our lungs. Just by breathing we're physically working harder than other people have to. Our brains interpret this extra work as shortness of breath. So we feel short of breath, can't catch our breath, can't get a deep breath etc etc because our lungs are scarred. Our sats may be perfectly fine but that doesn't make the feeling go away.

What helps me at times like this is both diaphragmatic and pursed lip breathing. Sometimes just be focusing on the act of breathing the sob feeling subsides.

As I said, just another possiblility. As always keep an eye on your sats and don't ignore symptoms like sob. Check with your doctor and if everything else is ok maybe its just the stiffness of the lungs making it too much work for our bodies to keep up with comfortably.

Beth

Moderator

Fibrotic NSIP 06/06 Dermatomyositis 11/08

[Guest guest]

Pink, thanks for sending

Beth's post. It's not SOB so much as a tight muscle pain in the upper

chest.

My GP says that it is muscle related and to take it easy , use Tylenol

and heat ( moist heat).

See you on Saturday.

Z fibriotic NSIP/05

Z 65, fibriotic NSIP/05/PA

And

“mild” PH/10/07

No,

NSIP was not self-inflicted…I never smoked!

Potter,

reader,carousel lover and MomMom to Darah and Sara

“I’m

gonna be iron like a lion in Zion” Bob Marley

Vinca

Minor-periwinkle is my flower

Joyce T Rosenberg wrote:

I saved this post from Beth

she explained the sensation

Pink Joyce R (IPF 3/06) IFA 5/09

Pennsylvania

Donate Life

Listed 1/09 Inactive

4/09

www.transplantfund.org

From: Beth <mbmurtha (AT) yahoo (DOT) com>

Subject: Shortness of breath with normal sats

To: Breathe-Support

Date: Monday, October 19, 2009, 9:25 PM

Sher brought up this phenomenon.. ..feeling short of

breath and then finding your sats are well above 90. It's happens to me

and I think it probably happens to most of us from time to time.

As Bruce pointed out there are several things that can cause

shortness of breath, I only offer what follows as another possibility.

This explanation has been given to me in both pulmonary rehabs I have

attended and also by all the pulmonary docs I've seen in the last few

years.

Those of us with pulmonary fibrosis have scarring in our

lungs. The scarring causes our lungs to be stiff and hard in areas.

This means it takes more work for our bodies to move air in and out of

our lungs. Just by breathing we're physically working harder than other

people have to. Our brains interpret this extra work as shortness of

breath. So we feel short of breath, can't catch our breath, can't get a

deep breath etc etc because our lungs are scarred. Our sats may be

perfectly fine but that doesn't make the feeling go away.

What helps me at times like this is both diaphragmatic

and pursed lip breathing. Sometimes just be focusing on the act of

breathing the sob feeling subsides.

As I said, just another possiblility. As always keep an

eye on your sats and don't ignore symptoms like sob. Check with your

doctor and if everything else is ok maybe its just the stiffness of the

lungs making it too much work for our bodies to keep up with

comfortably.

Beth

Moderator

Fibrotic

NSIP 06/06 Dermatomyositis 11/08