Question for Everyone

[Sammantha]

Most of you know me and know that i am undiagnosed.... I had another occurrence where laughter caused me to have trouble breathing and this time alcohol was not involved! I was at my moms laying beside my hubby watching a movie with the family, when my sons friend did something really hilarious, EVERYONE was laughing not just me. Anyways i could not get out my laugh so good because its like my chest was going to burst. So it was like a deep down yet silent laugh all at the same time. My chest hurt so bad and i could barely breathe for awhile..... Is there some sort of test that can guage chest muscle weakness, because i do not get morning headaches that would indicate a loss of oxygen...... Does anyone know? Thanks, Sam

 

[awieleba]

I think that a pulmonary doc could tell if your diaphram is weak?

 

[CindyM]

They can do a "Sniff" test. They put you in front of a fluoroscope machine and watch your diaphragm move while you take in short breaths through your nose. It takes about 5 minutes, tops.

 

[tmasters]

Hi Sam,

Could it have been a cramp? I sometimes get cramps when I laugh real hard. It hurts, and can ruin a really good laugh. And it lasts for several minutes. What I feel is more in my abdominal and side muscles but maybe for different people it can be different. I guess no reason a person couldn't have a cramp in their diaphragm muscle.

Could be something else, too. If it worries you, you should have it checked out.

-Tom

 

[crystalkk]

Hi Sam,

The lung specialist will be able to send you for special breathing tests.
Your diaphram is your main breathing muscle, but the other muscles in your chest,
your intercostal (muscles inbetween your ribs) and your stomach muscles all help with breathing also.

Are you having shortness of breath when you do normal everyday things?

Cindy- Did you have your sniff test already?

 

[rose]

Sam, I think that Tom could have a point. I've had many cramps and spasms in the diaphragm area, and could see how a good laugh could trigger one. The way you describe it sounds similar to what I've experienced. .. :smile:

 

[Sammantha]

It is literally from the bottom of the breast bone up until my sternum....... I was thought to have costochondritis by a ER doc over three years ago because i had spasms in my left chest area.. So over the years more added on to include my breastbone and ALL of my ribs including my back and side ribs. I never thought anything of it until i started losing muscle and got the horrible neurology ride. All those years i never had breathing problems until now. I get short of breathe when walking or making beds, and if i swim under water i cant hold the water out of my nose very well and my nose always feels like it is being pinched. I can only breathe good out of one nostril well but believe me it is not the bad because my husband has sinus problems and his nose sounds horrible when he is breathing. Anyways the swimming made my chest muscles and front abdomen hurt real bad....Once i stopped swimming underwater so much it was not as bad. I liked my abdomen being sore as from having children i dont think i have felt the middle muscles in awhile...... I know what you mean about the side abdominal muscles Tom, i used to get sharp pains in them and then the twitching started... My left has a dent right where it meets my ribcage. They never get sore when i breathe or laugh but lately all of my affected muscles are shaking/quivering when i yawn real hard or if i stretch real hard... It feels like a buzzing sensation, even on the bottom of my feet!

 

[Sammantha]

I should have said not it is not a cramp thank god...... I used to get cramps in that area and they hurt so bad, just like someone is taking pliers and ripping open your chest wall! This feels like someone is putting a huge boulder on my chest, and it makes deeep down laughing and breathing hard.......It subsides a lot quicker than a cramp.

 

[lovelily]

Hi Sammantha...This would be a stab in the dark, but I have a small 'Hiatal Hernia'. When I laugh to hard or move the wrong way, it can cause me to lose my breath, but it also causes pain. If it were to be larger, people could have difficulty swallowing, and have obstruction of the esophagus.

Just a thought.

 

[ladyk]

Sammantha

The symptoms you described are exactly what is happening to me. Sometime even just walking causes my intercostal muscles to twitch like crazy. I have a "lump" of muscle under my left arm and big indentation below it. I'm all swollen in the ribcage all around on the left and all over the sternum. I also had been given costochondritis diagnoses when there was just pain and swelling...now they don't even know what to tell me. I'm getting shuffled around and have had more tests than I could possibly count. I have emg scheduled for nov 4 but they can't test any of the intercostals they say because it would probably collapse my lung. Anyway, take good care and please keep us/me posted on any further info. Karen