The past few days I've noticed a slight out-of-breath feeling when I sit at the computer for a while, or when I'm lounging in front of the TV. It's weird.
I have no trouble at all during the day (that I've noticed so far), when I'm active. I swim and get out of breath, of course, but that's because I'm really exerting myself, and I am able to catch my breath just fine if I pause for a few minutes.
In yoga class, I don't have any problems with the controlled breathing we do as we move from pose to pose. Have I mentioned how fantastic the yoga instructor is? She continues to amaze me, tailoring the class to the varying abilities of the students, and always challenging us with new poses. I come out feeling relaxed and taller (heh). There's a good sense of earned fatigue, too: I'm tired but it's OK to be tired because I just worked hard.
Today I did not much until about 1-ish, when I finally got off my butt and did all my housework, then took a quick shower. Did the school pickup and then took the kiddos to B&N, it's closer and Border's cafe won't be open until tomorrow (well, later today, now.) Read to DD and DS2 for at least half an hour, letting them choose books in turn: Corduroy, Spongebob, Curious George, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles... can you guess which child chose which books? DS1 read Captain Underpants and I have to admit, those books are pretty funny if you're 9 years old. I guess it's a good thing that I can still appreciate humor targeted at 3rd graders.
So I did some stuff today, but it wasn't all that much, and why can't I just feel decent, huh? I want my air back. I don't know whether to feel better or worse about the most likely cause of this feeling: panic attacks. I don't feel like I'm freaking out, but I'm not sure that's relevant. I certainly have no other symptoms of the typical causes of shortness of breath, including heart failure, chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, arhythmias, or any of that crap. I have low blood pressure, an excellent lipid profile last time I checked, and I'm scrawny. Plus I've been working out regularly for 5 weeks now, and have definitely developed increased aerobic capacity and stamina over that time.
Ha! A thought just popped into my head, and what do you know? Hyperthyroidism can produce breathlessness. Since I'm in a permanent state of TSH-suppression (that is, I'm literally always hyper), this is most likely just the latest lovely side effect of my thyca treatment.
This trip to Houston can not come soon enough.
And isn't it possible that panic fuels what may be a low-grade breathlessness? There were years where I had this idea that I could not catch my breath. The more I thought about it, the worse it felt. There was probably some organic cause (though like you, I have no obvious indicator and am fit as anything), but there was also me, thinking about it.
ReplyDeleteYou have so much going on that you're sifting through. I would not be surprised if it all sort of overwhelmed you every now and then. Especially when you are sitting still.
Of course, I have ten medical degrees and I specialize in pulmonary disorders and that's on top of my degree in psychiatry so I can sound off.