Thursday, March 13, 2008

.(don't) take my breath away.

I am having breathing problems again. Basically, if I eat or drink anything more than a bite or a sip, it's at its worst. But I really have the problems all the time - whether I eat or not. In fact, if I am feeling really hungry (with stomach pains, growls and all that), my chest usually really burns then, too. But anyway, I alternated between Zantac and Prevacid for a few months and it helped a little - at least to where I was usually able to breathe. But now it's back and it's worse. I stopped taking the acid reducers for a little while, because the box says that you shouldn't take them over two weeks. I've started back on the Prevacid (since last weekend), but it isn't doing a whole lot. I feel as if I have something constantly stuck in my esophagus. At night, I find it hard to get to sleep because of this. At work, pushing around book carts winds me. But even at the office job, I've sat in my desk chair gasping for air. Having dealt with asthma and other respiratory issue much of my 30 years, I know that caffeine helps for breathing ...but coffee has started to give me heartburn, especially if it is strong. And the heartburn may be agitating the whole respiratory issue. I think that any anxiety whatsoever also agitates it. Maybe eating tiny portions throughout the day would help, but I have very specific periods of time that I can eat - the rest of the time I am working. This is affecting every aspect of my life. I really don't even feel like carrying on a conversation for very long since I can't breathe enough when I speak, so you can imagine the strain on personal relationships. I am trying everything: herbal remedies, sitting up straight, eating less spicy stuff (but I never ate anything *that* spicy in the first place - just a little garlic and onion here and there), trying to consciously take deep breaths, trying not to wear anything confining (bras included) longer than I have to. Nothing has helped. I SHOULD be able to breathe without thinking about it the way I used to, right? That is what normal folks do, right? I really can't go on like this, but unfortunately, I can't see my doctor until next Thursday. I'm completely open to suggestions.

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