Worrisome symptoms (respiratory)

[teebee123]

Hello, I have been experiencing some worrisome symptoms that have led me to go to the A and E multiple times.

It started a few months ago with shortness of breath which I thought may be heart related. I got a workup and nothing was wrong there. Regarding the actual breathing and how it feels, i feel like i am not getting enough air, my diaphragm just doesn't seem to push out and give me enough air, lying down is torture since I can't breathe and I had a chest x-ray which came back clear. Additionally, I've noticed my left arm becoming weaker when lifting things, and my throat muscles also becoming a bit weaker.

Originally I thought I may have sleep apnea because my dad has OSA, so I went to the doctor and they said that I'm only 20 and it's probably nothing. The thing is, I'd love to ignore it but I genuinely can't breathe well. My diaphragm feels like it can't expand and contract enough. I really want to get an emg for my left arm weakness, and an ABG test or sniff test to see if my diaphragm is working alright. I had childhood asthma and did an exhaled nitric oxide test 2 weeks ago hich came back normal.

Additionally, I've noticed that I start to get more irritated/ have more mood swings easier. I really doubt this is anxiety.. because again my diaphragm muscles don't seem to give me enough power to get in a deep breath. I have to try a few times and sometimes it feels like I can't breathe right until I try a few times with my diaphragm. My pulse oximeter also drops when I sleep and I wake up short of break and shaking, leading me to think I may have OSA. I'm also aware that that the respiratory onset of ALS is uncommon in people my age.

Maybe this is all anxiety but it's very hard to breathe properly and I'm not even sure if its my diaphragm but it sure feels like it, especially the fact that when I breathe my throat feels like its narrowed and trying to get air but can't because my diaphragm won't expand properly. Lying down just makes it worse and sleeping on my side helps just a bit.

If anyone can point me in the right direction that would be great. I guess my main symptoms are left arm and hand weakness and extreme difficulty breathing (air hunger and difficulty moving diaphragm as well as forceful/voluntary breathing which never seems to get me enough air). 2 weeks ago I started to get twitches in that same arm if it makes any difference.. Thanks a lot again for any advice!

 

[Nikki J]

Advice ? Stop googling and trying to self diagnose. Go to your gp and let them workout a plan. Multiple trips to A&E are not helpful to you as you have found and you are putting undue stress on an overwhelmed medical system. A&E is not there to address ongoing issues

I highly doubt you have respiratory onset ALS or ALS of any kind. Your description doesn’t sound a bit like it. Pulmonary function testing would show if you have diaphragm issues of any kind perhaps your gp can order one

 

[lgelb]

Younger people can have sleep apnea, especially but not only if obese. If you use a Fitbit or smartwatch to track your sleep, you can see if your sleep architecture such as stages and awakenings is normal over time, while also tracking pulse throughout the day. Agree with starting with the GP and showing them the data.