Trouble Breathing

History - Massive heart attack June 2013 with significant damage. V tach episode four days later resulting in ICD implant. Have Congestive Heart Failure.
I walk the treadmill every day for 30 min. Start at 3 incline and go up 1/2 level every minute until I get to 10 and stay there for 3 minutes. Head back down same way and stay on 7 for 2-4 minutes. Pace - 3.6 km/hr (or 2.2 mph). No problems with breathing.
As an additional duty at work, I am a training officer. I have my first trainee since HA. As these are management positions, I have to give long detailed explainations on policies and procedures. People want to know "the why, where, what" of most things. If I talk for more than five minutes, I get short of breath and tightness in chest. I almost feel like I have to go the higher ups of my job and tell them I can't do this. Once I get short of breath, it seems to last all day. Is it because you take shorter breaths when talking? I can't understand why treadmill is ok and hardly breathing heavy but talking is hard.
I realize this is mostly a PM/ICD site but just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

11 Comments

Can walk and talk

by Marie12 - 2014-01-13 08:01:04

I can walk on the treadmill and talk. Even at top incline. I think it's because I breath deeply while walking but not when training. I know I will never be 100%. Can't happen when you have CHF and an EF of 30 but just curious as to the difference between the two.
Unfortunately, some of our policies and procedures are not written anywhere that someone could read. Believe me, if there is an option, they are reading. Not interested in being a quitter after 34 years with the organization but I don't like feeling bad all day either.

Lung issues?

by Bostonstrong - 2014-01-13 08:01:08

Have you had pulmonary function tests? I folded and saw a saw a dr for the first time in years a couple of years ago when I was too short of breath to talk to my patients without getting winded. Got hooked up with a wonderful pulmonologist who changed my life. You have a lot of years invested in your job. I hope you find out what's causing this and a way to improve it.

Me too..

by Duke999 - 2014-01-13 08:01:26

I also at times experience that too. I can run 3 to 4 miles everyday, no problem. But, at times, when I talk for a few minutes, I feel like I'm out of breath. I don't know why. I don't have an answer for you, but just to let you know that I experience the same thing. Have a nice day. I wish you well.

Duke

No breath, part 2

by Theknotguy - 2014-01-13 08:01:48

My second guess is your breathing during talking. I used to sing in a choir before TMJ screwed up my voice. Had to do a lie detector test and I messed up the test because of my breathing. I felt the belly band and would unconsciously hold my breath. Then when I ran out of air I'd start taking deep breaths. The tech couldn't get a good reading because the needles were going everywhere.

Question in my mind is if you are unconsciously not taking a breath. So you push the conversation, which makes you have even less air, then get into a cycle of not breathing.

What if you did a video? Or is the information too sensitive to be committed to a video?

Another option would be to time your talking. Cut down you talking to 80 words (or less) per minute. It would be slow, but maybe you won't run out of air.

Have you done a practice talk (at home) with a pulse/ox meter. It would show you when you start to run out of air.

While in recovery the pulse/ox readings for other people would be 98/99 and mine would be 94/95. Busted rib, collapsed lung, and all that. It's better now but a collapsed lung doesn't come back 100% right away.

Theknotguy

Six months

by Theknotguy - 2014-01-13 08:01:49

Six months and you think you'll be at 100%??? The treadmill is great but now you've got to work on stamina. They're telling me six months to get to somewhat normal and a year for almost normal.

My Dad was in an accident. Died five times in the ER. It took him over two years to get back to almost normal.

I had a busted rib and a collapsed lung. I still run out of air at 93 days. You had the massive heart attack so the pump isn't working as good as it should - hence no air when talking.

Ohm by the way, when you were on the treadmill were you talking with someone while walking? I have to back off my speed. Even then my heart rate goes up and I start running out of air.

Maybe you need to have people in training read the policies and procedures instead of you lecturing.

Theknotguy

Sparrow: You sell yourself...

by donr - 2014-01-14 06:01:07

...SHORT.

That was no guess about panic attacks - it was experience talking. And it was spot on.

Come to think of it, PANIC can be a sub set of PTSD. I know a soldier who was in Iraq & the lead man at kicking in doors (He was 6'4"+ and over 300 lbs wearing body armor & gear. No door stood up to him when he threw himself against it.

His FIRST symptom was exactly what Marie has described - inability to breathe to the point he thought he was suffocating.

Panic syndrome can hit anyone w/o it being a symptom of PTSD. Symptoms are the same, cause different.

Untreated, PANIC can become disabling.

Don

Not Panic Attach - Had Those

by Marie12 - 2014-01-14 07:01:01

I appreciate the thoughts, however, It's not panic. I've been doing this job in a management level for over 25 years. I am confident in my skills and abilities. I stand up to speak in front of many people every day and love doing it. I could be considered a stage hound. I never have fear of public speaking and I've been training for years without a problem. I admit, since everything that has happened, I've had a couple of panic attacks even ended up ini the ER and this isn't the same. I analyzed it with my husband last night and I know I breath in a very shallow manner when talking. I need to take deeper breaths and to slow down. I am french and italian and tend to speak very fast. Thanks to everyone for their advice. This group makes you think of all possibilities and is such a comfort.

Get checked out...

by jenny97 - 2014-01-14 10:01:36

Anytime you are having trouble breathing and it's a new symptom, you should get checked out. I had similar symptoms and it turned out it was a PM setting that was causing the problem. At the same time, a friend of mine experienced similar symptoms. He refused to get checked out, saying he was just out of shape, but it turns out he had a pulmonary embolism. He was hospitalized for a few days and put on blood thinners but fully recovered.

So you can see that it could be minor or it could be major but you should get checked out.

Once you get the physical ruled out, then definitely consider the mental aspects.

But again, if this is a new symptom of sudden onset and you are breathless speaking, you really should get checked out.

Boston is attacking the physical...

by donr - 2014-01-14 12:01:37

...I'd like to approach the mental.

You said you were concerned about this issue - at least you are including mental into possible explanations.

As I read between the lines of your post, there is a significant fear of failure that does NOT exist when you are treadmilling it at a rate & for a distance I could NEVER accomplish.

First off, you treadmill in private, so if you fail, no 0ne but you knows about it. That removes the mental part from contention while walking.

Perform this simple TWO step test for yourself.

1) Grab a book; read for the requisite amount of time that you have to talk at work assuming the same position as at work. Do this alone in a room somewhere.

2) Sit your husband, child, friend down in private & start reading to them. See if you have the same problem. Are you talking at work while sitting or standing? Assume the same position for this test. Read for 5 minutes (Or whatever length of time it takes at work for you to feel it.) If you succeed at this test, it will tell you the problem is MOST Likely mental - fear of failure.

I can give you one plausible explanation - when walking, you are full of confidence & relax so your lungs get a better fill of air. when training, you are now apprehensive & scared. You unconsciously constrict your abdominal muscles & do not breathe as deeply as otherwise. Doing this for a long time will leave those muscles tired, stiff & uncomfortable all day.

As a closing argument, I give you what has become my favorite quote - from Napoleon: "In Battle, the mental is to the physical as three is to one." That's also true in recovering from cardiac events.

IMNSHO. there's no PTSD involved - just plain old anxiety & stress. Both of them can do this to you.

Don

Followed donr's advice

by Marie12 - 2014-01-15 02:01:31

So I took the time and and did as donr suggested. I read outloud to my husband for five minutes. I was going to continue but he asked me to stop because he could hear I was struggling with my breathing. We realized that when I talk for long periods of time I tend to breath in small pants. I don't even feel like I am drawing air from my lungs, just my throat. Someone mentioned slowing down and I think I need to do that plus be conscious of taking a deep breath every minute or so. Thanks to everyone.

breathing

by manaman - 2014-01-15 08:01:48

You say it's not panic attacks BUT it just may be.I had identical problem myself.
I didn't think anxiety or panic attack . I could walk the belt off thread mill and could walk/run many miles per day. Had same people around me every day for many years but as I aged things got worse.
What I found worked for me was a daily dosage of 100mg of a "!B" COMPLEX vitamin. It worked wonders for me!
Cecilgjpj

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