An Traumatic Experience!

Dear Friends & Relative,

I am back in action again! After a few new challenge that I have to manage and overcome.

I would like to share this traumatic experience we had last week. I had an attack of breathlessness. I was not able to breath normally even after half an hour of gasping for air, I was dizzy, sensation of choking, it was an life threatening experience! After I was rushed to hospital by ambulance, I was put on nebulizer ever 4 hourly and antibiotic drip every 6 hourly for 3 days.
Doctors has advised me to bring along inhaler every where I go and breath correctly when there is an attack. I have to be on nebulizer twice a day until my mucus in the lung is lesser. So far so good, I have been doing well these few days.

The experience that I have learned from this traumatic situation is to stay calm by calling to Lord Jesus God for help, otherwise I will just let go and die within minutes. It was so chaotic when I saw my husband rushing to make phone calls, could not get the person, keep trying another perrson, holding the chest in pain, my son was blank, my daughter was crying, that situation trigger me to be stay strong, calm & assist in managing the chaos while I am gasping for breath, waiting for ambulance to come.

This shortness of breath happened to me is due to the mass of lung tumors that produce excessive mucus that could have block the airways, bronchus or the main windpipe (trachea). When I had this attack I was coughing and there was a patch of mucus blocking my trachea and I felt total block of air going into my lung. The correct way of rescue is to use Ventolin inhaler to puff in then try to do deep breathing, repeat the puff if it did not improve. Once the breathing is improved, switch to do nebulizer using combivent, breath in through the mouth if the blockage is too serious.

I have done some research today to know more about the shortness of breath and how to manage it properly when there is an attack.

Shortness of breath

Shortness of breath happens when you are not taking in enough oxygen and your lungs try to draw in more air to make up for it. About half of all the people with advanced cancer have this symptom at some time during their illness.Difficulty breathing is called ‘dyspnoea’ (pronounced dis-nee-a).

How breathing work?

When we breathe in through our nose or mouth we draw air into our lungs through the windpipe. The windpipe divides into two airways. These are called the right and left bronchus. One goes to each lung. These further divide into smaller tubes and at the end of these are small air filled sacs called alveoli. It is here that the oxygen we breathe in passes into the bloodstream. The alveoli also take the waste gas, carbon dioxide, from the blood so that we can breathe it out.

When we breathe normally, we use the diaphragm (pronounced dye-a-fram) and the muscles around our ribs. The diaphragm is a large sheet of muscle that separates your chest cavity from your abdomen. When we breathe in, it tightens up and pulls downwards, making more space in the chest. The muscles around the ribs also make more space by pulling the ribcage up and out. The lungs expand to fill the space and air rushes into them.If you are short of breath, you may also be using muscles in your shoulders and upper chest to help you breathe. You normally use these muscles for heavy lifting and they tire very easily. So breathing in this way can make you more out of breath and drain your energy.

Who gets breathless

The people most likely to have breathing problems are people with lung cancer, mesothelioma or cancer that has spread to the lung. But other types of cancer can also cause breathing difficulties. Being short of breath can be very uncomfortable and frightening. It can make you feel very anxious and panicky, which often makes it even harder to catch your breath.People with cancer can become breathless for many different reasons. Once your doctor finds out the cause of your breathing problems there is usually some type of treatment that will help you.

How breathlessness can affect you

Being short of breath can have a big impact on how much you can do each day. You may be too breathless to shower, cook, or even take a mouthful of food. People with lung cancer sometimes say they can't do the most basic daily tasks, and find not being able to get their breath very frightening.

Common Symptoms

•Dizziness
•Feeling faint
•Sensations of smothering
•Numbness or tingling sensations
•Sensations of choking
•Rapid heartbeat