Have you found a way to breathe better?

G

GP44

Member
I can tell that I have less lung capacity all of the time and that if I don’t do something soon I will be in trouble as far as breathing.
I just ordered some green tea and an infuser with a glass container because I saw where drinking green tea is supposed to help.
My older brother died while on oxygen and it still wasn’t enough to keep him alive.
I think he had a terrible time trying to breathe near the end.
I don’t want to wait until I have to struggle that hard before I try to see if I can improve my breathing capacity.
 
When I came out of hospital in April 2020 after a nearly terminal bout of Covid-19, my lung capacity was about 60% and they said it would not recover as lung tissue had been destroyed by the virus.

1.5 years ago I took up Tai-Chi and much of our practice involves deep and regular breathing. I couldn't take a full deep breath without inducing a coughing fit. It took about 18 months for the NHS to discharge me from regular chest X-Rays etc. as my lungs seemed on the mend. The Doctors cannot explain what happened.

Now my lungs are fit and healthy and I easily manage the various online lung capacity tests where you take a full breath and hold it while waiting for a dot to move from A to B.
 
-Oy- said:
When I came out of hospital in April 2020 after a nearly terminal bout of Covid-19, my lung capacity was about 60% and they said it would not recover as lung tissue had been destroyed by the virus.

1.5 years ago I took up Tai-Chi and much of our practice involves deep and regular breathing. I couldn't take a full deep breath without inducing a coughing fit. It took about 18 months for the NHS to discharge me from regular chest X-Rays etc. as my lungs seemed on the mend. The Doctors cannot explain what happened.

Now my lungs are fit and healthy and I easily manage the various online lung capacity tests where you take a full breath and hold it while waiting for a dot to move from A to B.
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Well done! @GP44 you might ask your Doc about it.
 
GP44 said:
I can tell that I have less lung capacity all of the time and that if I don’t do something soon I will be in trouble as far as breathing.
I just ordered some green tea and an infuser with a glass container because I saw where drinking green tea is supposed to help.
My older brother died while on oxygen and it still wasn’t enough to keep him alive.
I think he had a terrible time trying to breathe near the end.
I don’t want to wait until I have to struggle that hard before I try to see if I can improve my breathing capacity.
Click to expand...
I am very serious when I say this... GO TO YOUR DOCTOR.... before it gets worse....

I have just watched my ex husband and father of my daughter struggle for every solitary breath... only in his 60's... in awful agony with COPD... and ultimately die from it just a few weeks ago .....because he was too late going initially to get help... and too stubborn when he was ill to insist on better help...so please don't let that happen to you, go and talk to your doctor immediately . This could be something easily remedied.
 
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Both the @That Lady in PA and @hollydolly are spot on. See a doc. You need a DX before you go all blind testing questionable fixes.

I developed asthma from Covid. It clears after a few months but let me contract Covid again and the asthma returns. I know this because of my doc. I also have an inhaler when it's needed.

Just because a sibling had breathing issues that may have caused an early demise does not mean you will too unless it's genetic. Without some idea of the cause for the breathing issues for your sib, you shouldn't be screwing around and not getting the needed information from your doc.

I know I'm being pretty blunt but as a former Respiratory Therapist I can be quite concerned about subjects like yours.
 
-Oy- said:
When I came out of hospital in April 2020 after a nearly terminal bout of Covid-19, my lung capacity was about 60% and they said it would not recover as lung tissue had been destroyed by the virus.

1.5 years ago I took up Tai-Chi and much of our practice involves deep and regular breathing. I couldn't take a full deep breath without inducing a coughing fit. It took about 18 months for the NHS to discharge me from regular chest X-Rays etc. as my lungs seemed on the mend. The Doctors cannot explain what happened.

Now my lungs are fit and healthy and I easily manage the various online lung capacity tests where you take a full breath and hold it while waiting for a dot to move from A to B.
Click to expand...
Tai-Chi & Qigong focus on the breath, and practicing the forms(movements) helps strengthen the lungs. Yoga is beneficial as well, Chair Yoga offers physical toning at a lower exertion level, designed to "keep moving" in a gentle way.
 
Marv Malone said:
Do you use an inhaler like a advair or trelegy for asthma ,and shallow breathing? A disk .Prescription only, expensive.
Ask your doctor or look it up.
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Here in the Province of Ontario seniors pay from $4 to $6 for a prescribed medication, including Advair or Trelegy. That shows just how badly you Americans are being ripped off by the drug makers down there. Read this link that explains how the Ontario drug benefit plan works.

Google Search

JIMB>
 
I would recommend you speak to your Dr. about having an X-ray or even better, a CT Scan of your lungs, to rule out any number of lung diseases. This is the starting point you need in order to treat your declining breathing ability. If you don't have a lung disease then your issue should be easily treated with diet & lifestyle adjustments. Again, your Dr. can help you out with that.
 
IrishEyes said:
I have a deviated septum on right side, I tried those nose strips but they never worked for me.
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Those didn't work for me either. Nor did a wire nor a plastic nasal dilator I tried. I think my problem is that those strips and dilators open things up near the opening of the nose; I think I need it opened up way up near my eyes and that's why the menthol inhaler works better.
 
-Oy- said:
When I came out of hospital in April 2020 after a nearly terminal bout of Covid-19, my lung capacity was about 60% and they said it would not recover as lung tissue had been destroyed by the virus.

1.5 years ago I took up Tai-Chi and much of our practice involves deep and regular breathing. I couldn't take a full deep breath without inducing a coughing fit. It took about 18 months for the NHS to discharge me from regular chest X-Rays etc. as my lungs seemed on the mend. The Doctors cannot explain what happened.

Now my lungs are fit and healthy and I easily manage the various online lung capacity tests where you take a full breath and hold it while waiting for a dot to move from A to B.
Click to expand...
That should say 3.5 years.
 
jimintoronto said:
Here in the Province of Ontario seniors pay from $4 to $6 for a prescribed medication, including Advair or Trelegy. That shows just how badly you Americans are being ripped off by the drug makers down there. Read this link that explains how the Ontario drug benefit plan works.

Google Search

JIMB>
Click to expand...
seniors pay nothing here...all prescriptions are free before 16 years old... .... and for seniors after 60 years old...automatic eligibility....
 
GP44 said:
I can tell that I have less lung capacity all of the time and that if I don’t do something soon I will be in trouble as far as breathing.
I just ordered some green tea and an infuser with a glass container because I saw where drinking green tea is supposed to help.
My older brother died while on oxygen and it still wasn’t enough to keep him alive.
I think he had a terrible time trying to breathe near the end.
I don’t want to wait until I have to struggle that hard before I try to see if I can improve my breathing capacity.
Click to expand...
is there a reason for your shortness of breath? do you have a lung disease? or do you not know? it depends on what the cause is. if it's a lung disease like copd you can go to the pulmonologist. they offer different medications. also there videos on youtube to help exercise your lungs and increase your breathing capacity. if it's sleep apnea you will need cpap therapy or whatever you decide to go with. if you haven't been to the dr yet for it then i suggest you go see someone about it.

because i have copd i am on roflumilast. it has helped increase my breathing capacity immensely compared to where i was as before that.

if it's due to covid then i suggest looking for the youtube videos. they will help if you do them every day. hope you feel better soon.
 
officerripley said:
This is the only thing that helps me breathe better:

View attachment 497204
I've tried everything else, including $100,000 worth of surgery to open up my nasal passages--thank goodness for insurance--and this is the only thing that's ever helped.
Click to expand...
I will try that! Thank you!
My breathing gets better and worse at times. I went outside today because it was one of our first 78 degree F days and I had a worse time breathing to start with than I did later but I still had to keep stopping to breathe. I have had good experiences with other Vicks products so I will try that too!
 
GP44 said:
I will try that! Thank you!
My breathing gets better and worse at times. I went outside today because it was one of our first 78 degree F days and I had a worse time breathing to start with than I did later but I still had to keep stopping to breathe. I have had good experiences with other Vicks products so I will try that too!
Click to expand...
please see a dr
 
MarciKS said:
is there a reason for your shortness of breath? do you have a lung disease? or do you not know? it depends on what the cause is. if it's a lung disease like copd you can go to the pulmonologist. they offer different medications. also there videos on youtube to help exercise your lungs and increase your breathing capacity. if it's sleep apnea you will need cpap therapy or whatever you decide to go with. if you haven't been to the dr yet for it then i suggest you go see someone about it.

because i have copd i am on roflumilast. it has helped increase my breathing capacity immensely compared to where i was as before that.

if it's due to covid then i suggest looking for the youtube videos. they will help if you do them every day. hope you feel better soon.
Click to expand...
I was prescribed Trellegy quite a while ago and have used it every morning and for a while it seemed to help but then it got to where it didn’t do as much for me.
I think that I should start doing those breathing exercises.
One reason why I mentioned my brother was because we shared so many experiences when we were younger.
Like stacking hay in dirty hay barns when we were highschool age.
I spent the last 35 working years breathing grinding dust as a die barber and my brother inhaled fumes from melting lead for his fishing lure business.
Of course we took safety precautions but that only takes care of 90 % of anything.
I feel like I’m not doing too bad considering everything I was exposed to during my lifetime.
One of my biggest problems is being 82 years old.
When my back doctor was discussing what my options were for my fractured vertebrae she let me know that I had a lot of arthritis too and I could tell by the way she said arthritis that I can’t expect miracles with my back.
I appreciate all of the advice but I will never be 30 years old again either.
But sometimes you find something that makes you feel 90% better.
 
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I have had breathing issues in the past, and one of the things that has helped me is having HEPA air filters in my house. Years ago, when working at the oncology unit of a children's hospital, I noticed how they had HEPA filters for the sick children. So that's been a staple for many years. It cleans the air around me. When I change the filters every 6 months, they are black. So figure how much we are breathing in without knowing it.

When we lived in Cincinnati, I had breathing issues and went to ER. Later, I found out from the EPA that it was the particulate matter in the air. Going outside made me short of breath. So if going outside is making you have difficulty in breathing, it should be a wakeup call about your area. Do you live near a power plant or any pollution? Just something to be aware of.
 
palides2021 said:
I have had breathing issues in the past, and one of the things that has helped me is having HEPA air filters in my house. Years ago, when working at the oncology unit of a children's hospital, I noticed how they had HEPA filters for the sick children. So that's been a staple for many years. It cleans the air around me. When I change the filters every 6 months, they are black. So figure how much we are breathing in without knowing it.

When we lived in Cincinnati, I had breathing issues and went to ER. Later, I found out from the EPA that it was the particulate matter in the air. Going outside made me short of breath. So if going outside is making you have difficulty in breathing, it should be a wakeup call about your area. Do you live near a power plant or any pollution? Just something to be aware of.
Click to expand...
That is a great idea. I will try air filters in the house to see if it makes a difference.
Now that the weather is better I think I will step outside when my wife vacuums.
For as much as the vacuum cleaners pick up they also blow a lot of particulates around in the air.
 
It depends on the reason i can’t breathe well.
If it’s from a cold I use Vicks Vaporub on my chest throat and nose area
If it’s from having my sinuses blocked up I use Dristan nasal mist ( spray )
If my sinuses are really blocked up I use a face steamer with eucalyptus oil drops in it and peppermint oil
 
My breathing pronlems are heart related. My lungs are pretty good but i am always short of breath With medication i am retaining less fluid which has helped
 
GP44 said:
I was prescribed Trellegy quite a while ago and have used it every morning and for a while it seemed to help but then it got to where it didn’t do as much for me.
I think that I should start doing those breathing exercises.
One reason why I mentioned my brother was because we shared so many experiences when we were younger.
Like stacking hay in dirty hay barns when we were highschool age.
I spent the last 35 working years breathing grinding dust as a die barber and my brother inhaled fumes from melting lead for his fishing lure business.
Of course we took safety precautions but that only takes care of 90 % of anything.
I feel like I’m not doing too bad considering everything I was exposed to during my lifetime.
One of my biggest problems is being 82 years old.
When my back doctor was discussing what my options were for my fractured vertebrae she let me know that I had a lot of arthritis too and I could tell by the way she said arthritis that I can’t expect miracles with my back.
I appreciate all of the advice but I will never be 30 years old again either.
But sometimes you find something that makes you feel 90% better.
Click to expand...
I also think you should talk to a pulmonologist. Doesn't matter if your 30 or not.
 
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