Is struggling to get a full lung of breath a bad sign ? Just as a background, I m a 22 year old male in roughly average physical shape for my age. A few months ago I was having chest pains and concerned about it I visited my doctor . He was mildly concerned I may have left ventricular hypertrophy (Based on an odd ECG ) and so sent me to see a specialist. Without doing any real tests, other than another ECG and quizzing me a little about the pains, I was discharged. I have not suffered to badly from chest pains more recently, although quite often I find it difficult to fill my lungs with air. Even when consciously trying to take deep breaths, I struggle to quench my need for air. Is this normal or could it be an indicator for something more serious.