Dealing with shortness of breath, constant yawning, and air hunger

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For the past week, I’ve been struggling to catch my breath—like, I constantly feel like I can't get enough air in. I just finished two weeks of physical therapy for some issues with my cervical and thoracic spine. About three weeks ago, I saw an internist who checked everything out; he did an EKG and listened to my lungs, and everything came back totally normal, including my breathing sounds. But now, I’m spiraling, terrified that I might have lung cancer. I don't smoke, though I do deal with pollen allergies, especially when ragweed is peaking. Two years ago, I had a spirometry test and X-rays for my lungs and heart, and those were fine too, aside from some slightly pronounced bronchovascular markings because I was dealing with some viral thing at the time. I know lung cancer mostly hits smokers, but lately, I keep hearing about non-smokers getting it too. Given how much of an anxious person I am, I'm basically in a state of total panic right now. I've been battling anxiety for 14 years (including episodes of shortness of breath before), but this whole lung cancer fear is hitting me hard again. Also, two weeks ago, a piece of ham went down the wrong way, so I ended up in the ER where they performed an endoscopy. They found nothing wrong with my upper respiratory or digestive tracts, just some slight redness in the mucosa from where the food scratched me. What do you guys think I should do? Should I go in for more tests, or is there actually something to worry about regarding cancer? Or should I just chalk the whole thing up to my anxiety?

Had my chest X-ray done yesterday—lungs and heart look totally fine... but I’m still feeling off

Why not try finding a hobby that actually helps dial down that anxiety? Honestly, when it comes to dealing with mental pressure, nothing beats getting your body moving. You should find some kind of sport or exercise and just go at it until you're completely wiped out—I mean, sweat through your shirt, right? If hitting the gym isn't really your thing, maybe just try walking more or even running if you can manage it. You'll see that it truly makes a difference; all those stories about meditation or seeing various specialists and experts just don't seem to offer any lasting relief.

Regarding that lung cancer thing you mentioned: there’s really no point in wasting your energy worrying about it. Unfortunately, lung cancer is a terminal diagnosis regardless of when it's caught or what kind of treatment you get. The reality is that it's simply always too late. Even if someone did have it, wouldn't it be better to skip the doctor and just spend the time you have left living in blissful ignorance instead? (I'm joking, obviously, I'm 100% sure you don't have it.) You might run into people claiming lung cancer is curable, or they'll tell you about someone they know who beat it, but just know that it isn't possible. You know... sometimes people working in the healthcare system mix things up or misdiagnose a healthy person, and suddenly they've "cured" them. 🙂

Don't let these dark thoughts weigh you down; just focus on enjoying life, because we only get one shot at this. 🙂

Thanks for the reply, and I totally agree with everything you said.
It was winter, I got lazy, and then I actually wiped out on some ice, so I just stopped being active altogether. But I’m definitely getting back into it now... honestly, you feel so much better once you start moving again..

brightviper29 said:Try finding something that actually lowers your anxiety. When it comes to mental pressure, nothing works better than physical activity. Get into a sport or whatever, work out until you're absolutely exhausted—sweat through your shirt, basically. If you aren't really a "gym person," just walk as much as possible or try running if you can. You'll see that this actually works; all that talk about meditation or seeing therapists and experts doesn't provide lasting results.

Regarding that lung cancer thing you mentioned: don't waste your time stressing over it. Lung cancer is unfortunately incurable, regardless of when it's caught or how you treat it. The reality is that it's simply always too late. Even if you did have lung cancer, it would probably be better not to go to the doctor so you could spend what little time you have left living in blissful ignorance instead. (I'm joking, I'm 100% sure you don't have it) There are people who will tell you lung cancer is curable, or even claim they know people who beat it, but just know that's impossible. You know... sometimes people working in healthcare mix things up, misdiagnose someone, accidentally "cure" a healthy person, and boom—there's your cured patient.🙂

Don't weigh yourself down with dark thoughts; just enjoy life. You only live once.🙂

Chloe Garcia10, are you on any meds for anxiety?

You did your research, and the results look fine. But then you mentioned how that sudden panic attack hit you out of nowhere—like a total freight train—and it sounds like that one moment just spiraled into everything else.

melloworca6 said:Chloe Garcia10, are you on any meds for anxiety?

Look, you did your homework and the info you found seems solid. But honestly? You mentioned how a sudden panic attack hit you out of nowhere and basically trashed your whole vibe for the day—you clearly got spooked by it, and now you're just spiraling because of that initial shock.

I've been on Brintellix for about six months, and then I'll take an anxiolytic if I need it—usually something like Xanax 0.25 mg once a week.

Ever tried what happens when the Xanax just hits you all at once?

melloworca6 said:Did you ever try taking valium when you’re feeling totally wiped out?

I try to avoid it... but I did it once and honestly, I think it actually helped a little.

So, I finally went in for that chest X-ray and heart scan, and everything came back totally fine.

The thing is, I still feel this tightness in my chest every now and then—it comes and goes depending on whether I’m obsessing over it or just trying to ignore it...

I've been trying my hardest to stay off the anti-anxiety meds, but I ended up taking them again for two days.

Chloe Garcia10 said:Anyway, I went in for chest X-rays and an EKG, and everything came back clear.

I’m still dealing with this intermittent shortness of breath; it fluctuates quite a bit depending on whether I’m hyper-focusing on it or just letting it be..

I am trying my best to avoid taking any valium, but I ended up taking it for two days straight.

If I were in your shoes, I would head back to the psychiatrist immediately, because it seems quite obvious that your current antidepressant dosage isn't hitting the mark—it likely needs adjusting or perhaps a complete switch to a different medication altogether. To me, this looks like a textbook relapse of anxiety and its physical symptoms. There is no reason to fear an anxiolytic; you can certainly rely on one during periods of high stress. The reality here is that your primary antidepressant simply isn't doing its job effectively enough.

redranger2 said:If I were in your shoes, I’d head back to my psychiatrist ASAP. It sounds like your antidepressant dosage is totally off, or maybe you just need to switch to a different med altogether. To me, this looks like a textbook anxiety relapse and all its symptoms. Honestly, there's no shame in taking an anti-anxiety med when things get heavy—it's not some scary thing. But clearly, your current antidepressant isn't doing its job properly right now.

You might be onto something. I've got an appointment on March 30th, so I'll see what the doctor says.