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Doctor insights on: I Get Nervous When The Doctor Listens To My Lungs In Case I Get Breathless

No worries: Nervousness during a physical examination is very common. A good physician will be able to separate nervousness from the exam from something other. Some patients even get high blood pressure in the doctor's office - known as white coat hypertension. ...Read more

Sounds ok: A doctor may ask a patient to raise his arms when listening to the chest, if the doctor feels he gets a better exam that way. Raising the arms moves them out of the way, so a doctor can more easily put his stethoscope on the right and the left sides of the chest. A patient may be able to breathe more air into the lungs if his arms are raised. ...Read more

Get checked out: It's always important to check out causes for chest pain, especially if it happens when you exercise. At your age, actual heart disease is unlikely but certainly not impossible. Get to the bottom of it so you can stop worrying about it and exercise without pain or fear. ...Read more

Exam: I advise a comprehensive medical examination and a chest x-ray: cannot be diagnosed online! ...Read more

Very common symptom: I have seen this many times through the years. You might be surprised to hear the commonest cause is poor diet, particularly all the sweet stuff. This results in a vitamin deficiency that affects the autonomic nervous system that controls the normal breathing mechanism. The first thing to do is to get rid of the sugar across the board. ...Read more

If you are: literally gasping for air you need help now. Please be seen at the nearest emergency room now. Call 911 if needed for transport. ...Read more

Ask away!: You should never feel weird or embarrassed to ask your doctor a question or to show you how to use your inhaler (even if shown in the past). Sometimes, we all need a "refresher" on the proper use of medical equipment. Inhalers must be used correctly in order to maximize the amount of medication delivered to the lower segments of the lungs. ...Read more

Anxiety: Stress can manifest in many ways. An over active GI tract can be your problem. You may also have irritable bowel syndrome. See your dr. Fo advice! ...Read more

If you are having : Difficulty breathing associated with chest tightness - recommend er evaluation to be on the safe side. Take care. ...Read more

Wheezing in the morn: Wheezing often has causes like allergy, sinusitis and gerd. Lying down in a dusty bed with scented detergents and fabric softeners, gerd or untreated sinusitis can exacerbate wheezing. Ask your phsician to check out these areas... You may be referred to an ent, gi, allergist or all of these depending on your history. ...Read more

See ENT: Yes, i would encourage you to see an ENT specialist to rule out a foreign body stuck in your throat. ...Read more

This : This sounds like a cardiac issue that needs to be addressed right away. You need an ekg(electrocardiogram) of your heart. .You should also request a treadmill stress test, and possibly and echo of your heart (ultrasound). Good luck. ...Read more

Chest wall or : The problem could be pleuritis that is inflammation of the lining of the lung or chest wall or chest wall strain -- this could be due to infection like pneumonia, coughing or mechanical insults even from sport or work related -- discuss it with your doctor and get proper evaluation including a chest xray. ...Read more

When it gets worse: I agree with Dr Grieve that pulse oximetry is useless in monitoring asthma .The rule of thumb is symptoms . If you are waking up at night from asthma more than 2x/wk, using your rescue inhaler nearly daily, or the breathing is getting progressive worse, you need to see your doctor. Lung function monitoring helps but the readings do not always correlate with severity of your asthma. ...Read more

Workup is not done!: The most common cause at your age would be something called exercise induced asthma. These attacks usually occur when exercising of in cold weather. A good history-taking is often enough to make the diagnosis. Failing that, there are specialized lung function tests which can help. Inhalers used before exposure to cold air or exercise help greatly in these cases. Good luck! ...Read more

Possibilities.....: This could be caused by post-nasal drip. When you lay down, the nasal drip goes into your throat resulting in the tickle followed by cough. There are prescription nasal sprays to help this so see your doctor for eval and treatment as well as smoking cessation. ...Read more

Anxiety: Sounds like you are having issues with anxiety. Anxiety is state of excessive uneasiness and apprehension, typically with compulsive behavior or panic attacks. You feel anxious yet there is not tangible reason for feeling that way. You need to speak with your doctor treatment options. ...Read more

Checkup: It sound like you may have a post nasal drip, pooling into the back of your throat. I suggest an examination and also, ask about the possibility of acid reflux while you sleep. Definitely get a medical opinion. ...Read more

Anxiety: See you are on lexapro (escitalopram) & klonopin. There are a # of ways to address anxiety: Cognitive behavioral therapy, behavior modification, individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, psychotropic medications, Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Acupuncture, Acupressure, Homeopathy, meditation, Yoga, exercise program or Progressive muscle relaxation. ...Read more

Home cuff: Get a good home blood pressure cuff and keep track of resting BP in standard state- sit for at least 5-10 min, feet flat on floor. Bring in pressure log and your cuff to the doctor office. Have your cuff checked with the clinic cuff. Should read within ~5. If your BP is normal at home and your cuff is accurate, should not be a problem. Other method- ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. ...Read more