Heavy breathing

[iLoveSugar]

My heartbeat is always annoying. It's hard to describe but heavy, sometimes flutters, etc. I always get out of breath doing absolutely anything. Things such as rolling over in bed, laying down, etc, I get out of breath, heart pounding, etc. It's so annoying and destructive to my life. I've had numerous ekg, different heart monitors, echos, etc., all to no avail. I desperately could use advice here as it's so scary being out of breath non stop, missing heartbeats, and just flat hearing my heart pound non stop.

 

[brightside]

Does it sound particularly heavy on the exhale?

This sounds like POTS and potentially lactic acidosis. Both of these are inter-related, and can cause the other.

Hearing/feeling your heart beat is often due to depleted potassium, which is usually caused by acidosis. On the other hand, if you have poor circulation/low pressure, you can enter anaerobic glycolysis simply due to low oxygenation.

Other random things can cause heart palpitations, such as a low choline diet, while heavy breathing can be gut irritation. However, since you are describing these two together, its more likely that its what I mentioned first.

First move would be to try thiamine

 

[LadyRae]

My heartbeat is always annoying. It's hard to describe but heavy, sometimes flutters, etc. I always get out of breath doing absolutely anything. Things such as rolling over in bed, laying down, etc, I get out of breath, heart pounding, etc. It's so annoying and destructive to my life. I've had numerous ekg, different heart monitors, echos, etc., all to no avail. I desperately could use advice here as it's so scary being out of breath non stop, missing heartbeats, and just flat hearing my heart pound non stop.

Georgi mentioned breathlessness as a symptom of excess lactic acid in a recent podcast.

A few drops of methylene blue can help, bag breathing or anything to increase CO2, K2 supps, aspirin

I get this too sometimes. Do your legs feel heavy later in the day?

 

[Peachy]

I really feel this is Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome aka Dysautonomia. Mitral valve prolapse runs in my family - the mitral valve is leaky allowing a little blood back flow with each heartbeat.

I had symptoms like you describe when I was in my teens and twenties, but heart tests have never shown a prolapse.

My understanding is that the prolapse isn’t the root cause. It’s the nervous system imbalance that’s at the root and it can either include the prolapse as a symptom or not.

I don’t have symptoms any longer unless I’m really stressed, and even then it’s rare.

Important things are balancing minerals, resting more than others need to, finding activities that calm/integrate the nervous system.

 

[Jessie]

Temps and respiration are literally the only two things I watch. Because when either one of them get out of whack, that's always when things are going south for me.

What's your temps running at?

 

[iLoveSugar]

Does it sound particularly heavy on the exhale?

This sounds like POTS and potentially lactic acidosis. Both of these are inter-related, and can cause the other.

Hearing/feeling your heart beat is often due to depleted potassium, which is usually caused by acidosis. On the other hand, if you have poor circulation/low pressure, you can enter anaerobic glycolysis simply due to low oxygenation.

Other random things can cause heart palpitations, such as a low choline diet, while heavy breathing can be gut irritation. However, since you are describing these two together, its more likely that its what I mentioned first.

First move would be to try thiamine

I definitely have a life long history of gut issues that have been all but impossible to figure out, with years of attempting a magnitude of things. My circulation does seem poor as well despite lots of moving around daily.

 

[exile]

Georgi mentioned breathlessness as a symptom of excess lactic acid in a recent podcast.

I’m pretty sure I’ve heard him say red eyes can also be a symptom of excess lactic acid.

Temps and respiration are literally the only two things I watch.

What should respiration be?

 

[iLoveSugar]

Georgi mentioned breathlessness as a symptom of excess lactic acid in a recent podcast.

A few drops of methylene blue can help, bag breathing or anything to increase CO2, K2 supps, aspirin

I get this too sometimes. Do your legs feel heavy later in the day?

Not necessarily heavier in the legs. I do take aspirin often. Bag breathing doesn't help either as this is a chronic issue that never subsides.

 

[iLoveSugar]

I really feel this is Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome aka Dysautonomia. Mitral valve prolapse runs in my family - the mitral valve is leaky allowing a little blood back flow with each heartbeat.

I had symptoms like you describe when I was in my teens and twenties, but heart tests have never shown a prolapse.

My understanding is that the prolapse isn’t the root cause. It’s the nervous system imbalance that’s at the root and it can either include the prolapse as a symptom or not.

I don’t have symptoms any longer unless I’m really stressed, and even then it’s rare.

Important things are balancing minerals, resting more than others need to, finding activities that calm/integrate the nervous system.

Balancing minerals is tricky for me as I do my best to cover my daily macros. I also have toned down any excess activities and mostly just do lots of walking on the golf course.

 

[iLoveSugar]

Temps and respiration are literally the only two things I watch. Because when either one of them get out of whack, that's always when things are going south for me.

What's your temps running at?

Temps are typically all over the place, but typically 97s. My teeth often hurt, cold feet, and always lightheaded which worsen with my other symptoms.

 

[Jessie]

What should respiration be?

Well if you're wanting to get a technical analysis you'd probably need a capnometer to measure the CO2. But in a general sense most people can tell if they're breathing is normal. Do you feel comfortable? Or does it feel like you're having to take in more air than what's needed at rest?

 

[Jessie]

Temps are typically all over the place, but typically 97s. My teeth often hurt, cold feet, and always lightheaded which worsen with my other symptoms.

The teeth hurting is interesting. Do you know what your PTH and serum calcium is? Seems like something that may be pointing to high prolactin. Prolactin will cause calcium dysregulation and effect your teeth, bones, nails, hair, etc. High prolactin is also a sign of serotonin and estrogen toxicity. Both estrogen and serotonin can directly stimulate hyperventilation. The estrogen will also cause the body temperature to drop.

 

[Jessie]

Not necessarily heavier in the legs. I do take aspirin often. Bag breathing doesn't help either as this is a chronic issue that never subsides.

Have you tried "bathing" in CO2? Hop into a trash bag (a clean one, lol) and fill it up with CO2. Close it off so it won't leak out and just sit in it for about an hour. Very relaxing, and will warm you up.

Alternatively you could soak in a bath filled with baking soda to increase your bicarbonates and thus your CO2 levels.

IMPORTANT EDIT: Leave your head outside of the trash bag. I think this is a given, but just wanted to stress that point.

 

[iLoveSugar]

Have you tried "bathing" in CO2? Hop into a trash bag (a clean one, lol) and fill it up with CO2. Close it off so it won't leak out and just sit in it for about an hour. Very relaxing, and will warm you up.

Alternatively you could soak in a bath filled with baking soda to increase your bicarbonates and thus your CO2 levels.

IMPORTANT EDIT: Leave your head outside of the trash bag. I think this is a given, but just wanted to stress that point.

I often do get a bath will about 2-3lbs of baking soda dumped into it. I've never felt any effect, negative or positive.

 

[iLoveSugar]

The only calcium test I had done is attached. I do drink lots of milk and eat lots of cheese.

 

[exile]

Well if you're wanting to get a technical analysis you'd probably need a capnometer to measure the CO2. But in a general sense most people can tell if they're breathing is normal. Do you feel comfortable? Or does it feel like you're having to take in more air than what's needed at rest?

I see what you mean. I initially interpreted it as respiratory rate.

 

[brightside]

I definitely have a life long history of gut issues that have been all but impossible to figure out, with years of attempting a magnitude of things. My circulation does seem poor as well despite lots of moving around daily.

Me too. Its all connected more or less.

Gut irritation -> SE release -> increased respiration
Gut irritation -> inflammation -> low CO2, high lactate -> acidity -> increased respiration
Gut irritation -> gut swelling -> reduced blood volume -> bounding heart

Acidity -> K+ loss -> bounding heart

Low CO2/high lactate -> Gut dysfunction -> gut irritation (lack of energy to the cells)
Low CO2/high lactate -> demyelination -> Gut dysfunction (lack of stimulation from vagus nerve)
Low CO2/high lactate -> demyelination -> autonomic dysfunction -> bounding heart

I mean, pick a random point, and you can easily travel in a circle, with one pathology reinforcing the other. This is exactly why you should try high dose thiamine, which interjects at many points of this cycle.

Its not only an energy booster, but also a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, and also stimulates ACh synthesis which reinforces gut function.

It is a band-aid, though, but it’s probably the most realistic to use band-aid with the best results IMO.

 

[Jessie]

I often do get a bath will about 2-3lbs of baking soda dumped into it. I've never felt any effect, negative or positive.

Take a 300mg dose of B1 next time before jumping in. Carbonic anhydrase may be preventing you from utilizing the bicarbonates effectively.

 

[LadyRae]

Me too. Its all connected more or less.

Gut irritation -> SE release -> increased respiration
Gut irritation -> inflammation -> low CO2, high lactate -> acidity -> increased respiration
Gut irritation -> gut swelling -> reduced blood volume -> bounding heart

Acidity -> K+ loss -> bounding heart

Low CO2/high lactate -> Gut dysfunction -> gut irritation (lack of energy to the cells)
Low CO2/high lactate -> demyelination -> Gut dysfunction (lack of stimulation from vagus nerve)
Low CO2/high lactate -> demyelination -> autonomic dysfunction -> bounding heart

I mean, pick a random point, and you can easily travel in a circle, with one pathology reinforcing the other. This is exactly why you should try high dose thiamine, which interjects at many points of this cycle.

Its not only an energy booster, but also a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, and also stimulates ACh synthesis which reinforces gut function.

It is a band-aid, though, but it’s probably the most realistic to use band-aid with the best results IMO.

I second this high B1 recommendation. I've tried high dose HCL, bentothiamine, allithiamine (Thiamax...but I won't buy it anymore because of gut-irritating fillers). Finally settled with Idealabs' Energin, which has a form of allithiamine that crosses the blood brain barrier. Also I take 1 or 2 bentothiamine (300mg each) across my mornings... Bento is good for everything but the brain.

I noticed a quick improvement in glucose tolerance, better sleep, slower breathing, calmer mood, less water retention later in the day, and better digestion. Increased transit time without diarrhea. (Went from 24 hours down to 16/18 hours)

 

[Peachy]

Balancing minerals is tricky for me as I do my best to cover my daily macros. I also have toned down any excess activities and mostly just do lots of walking on the golf course.

Which ones are trickiest?