Suggest treatment for dizziness and difficulty in breathing

Posted on Mon, 25 May 2015

Question: Hi, my daughter has been to see many doctors over the past several years. She struggles with dizziness and difficulty catching her breath. At the moment, the most pervasive problem is that she feels a sharp pain in her chest when she breathes and feels "like I'm suffocating." Her lips and fingertips are pink, so I'm sure she's getting enough oxygen. She's looking for relief from the stabbing pains when breathing. Any suggestions?

Answered by Dr. Baranidharan Kuselan (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Bronchospasm

Detailed Answer:
Hi there,
Thanks for using HCM.
I went through your post about your daughter's symptoms of dizziness and difficulty catching breath and getting suffocated.

Difficulty catching breath could be due to bronchospasm. I would suggest a spirometry test which would help to know whether there is bronchospasm.

The next possibility is a hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux.
If the spirometry is normal, then this second possibility may be suspected and trial of proton pump inhibitor medications may be tried.

You can discuss with her doctor about these two possibilities.

Let me know if you have any more questions.
Regards,
Dr.Barani

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D