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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Difficulty In Breathing?

I ve had trouble breathing for awhile now. I am a 15 year old female and I might have precordial catch syndrome, but I am not 100% sure. I get the occasional stabbing pain in the left side of my chest. It last for a few minutes and it sometimes feels better if I apply pressure. other times, the pain is not intense and it hurts for a longer period of time. another problem I experience is trouble breathing. I find myself taking a deep breath every few minutes. I do this because I feel like it is impossible to get air without taking a deep breath. It almost feels like there is a huge bubble in my chest, keeping me from breathing, and when I take a deep breath, it allows enough air to satisfy me for a few minutes. Then the same problem happens again. This is really annoying, painful and kind of scary. I feels like my chest will suddenly close up, making it impossible to breath. Please help!
Mon, 22 Jun 2015
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Pulmonologist,  's  Response
Thanks for your question on Health Care Magic.
I can understand your concern.
By your history and description possibility of stress and anxiety related breathing difficulty is more.
But at your age of 15 years asthma can also cause similar symptoms. So we need to rule out asthma first before stamping anxiety as a cause.
So get done PFT (Pulmonary Function Test) to rule out asthma. If PFT is normal then no need to worry for asthma.
Stress and anxiety appear more in your case.
So better to consult psychiatrist and get done counseling sessions, try to identify stressor in your life and start working on its solution. Sometimes only counselling and discussion with psychiatrist are sufficient to relieve stress and anxiety.
You may need anxiolytic drugs too.
So avoid stress and tension. Be relax and calm. Don't worry, you will be alright.
Hope I have solved your query.
Wish you good health. Thanks.
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What Causes Difficulty In Breathing?

Thanks for your question on Health Care Magic. I can understand your concern. By your history and description possibility of stress and anxiety related breathing difficulty is more. But at your age of 15 years asthma can also cause similar symptoms. So we need to rule out asthma first before stamping anxiety as a cause. So get done PFT (Pulmonary Function Test) to rule out asthma. If PFT is normal then no need to worry for asthma. Stress and anxiety appear more in your case. So better to consult psychiatrist and get done counseling sessions, try to identify stressor in your life and start working on its solution. Sometimes only counselling and discussion with psychiatrist are sufficient to relieve stress and anxiety. You may need anxiolytic drugs too. So avoid stress and tension. Be relax and calm. Don t worry, you will be alright. Hope I have solved your query. Wish you good health. Thanks.