having trouble breathing, only 18yr old male. need some help

Hey dude...I know exactly what you're talking about when it comes to the shortness of breath and labored breathing...I've dealt with constant anxiety and panic attacks since freshman year of high school...everybody experiences anxiety to a certain extent....some more than others and with me (very similar to you) the panic attacks can leave me drained and also feeling lightheaded...I played sports in high school also and football was my passion...but the anxiety and panic attacks would come and go depending on my mood...severe anxiety can lead to emotional distress...trust me I've been there and experienced all the negative parts of it...but lately I've been feeling the same way...the shortness of breath has returned but I now know that its caused by my anxiety...I have a family member that has had the same problems and she suggested that I try getting my thyroid gland checked for any abnormalities...but I have yet to try that since I didn't have medical insurance for quite sometime but now that I'm back in college I can and have already setup an appointment with my physician for high-blood pressure check and thyroid check...I've just turned 23 years old this past May...and ever since I've been stressed out from college and work I've had breathing problems all the time...and I THINK about the breathing all the time which sometimes makes me feel worse about the situation but I have found ways to deal with it...you say that you're afraid to exercise but I think jogging/running/and swimming (especially will definitely help)...trust me...my anxiety started again after I tore my ACL when I played in a local arena football league...trouble breathing, stress, panic attacks every so often...tightness in my throat and a constant gagging feeling when I wake up in the morning made things worse...so I'm hoping that my thyroid is the root cause of all of this since in all of my years living with this problem I've yet to check into that...but on the bright-side this breathing doesn't last forever...it only happens during/after major anxiety attacks...sometimes we emotional dwell on it and it can feel worse and actually become something of a physical disorder...I know what you're talking about when you say that you want to feel normal again...you feel abnormal inside right?...but like I said at the beginning of this reply...EVERY one feels anxiety and stress to a certain extent...some more than others...if you can't talk to your dad about it talk to a your doctor about the anxiety and stress...if not speak with a guidance counselor in school about it...talking definitely helps a lot (especially in my case)...you just have to bite the bullet and go tell somebody that can help you out...please google: thyroid conditions or overactive thyroid for more information about this...its hormonal and sometimes a stress-filled event can trigger this to happen to our bodies...I hope you get this and give me a reply on how things are going...I'm feeling better already

I had similar symptoms but found out it was brought on by acid reflux. Prilosec and Zantac helped a ton.1

I have mabye a similar issue. I'm also an 18 year old male and for the past year and a half mabye i've had trouble breathing. I have always been in good shape and i've run cross country the past three years. Then over the summer I decided to run to get in shape early so I go out to run run and I can barely go half a mile. My chest hurts a little but the worst is this gagging I feel in my throat, once I stopped running I had this insane urge to throwup and it took me a full 10 minutes to recover. Even now a year later I have the same issue. I'm afraid to run but even when i'm totally realaxed doing nothing I still get the same urge to gag, sometimes more so than others. I haven't asked a doctor but i guess I should. Any help is really appreciated.

I occasionally have the same problem last week I had a lot of trouble during a run I had to stop to get my breath. I also went and had a lung function test and all was normal just lucky for me that I have a psychologist at a school where I work who told me not to think of purple spotted oranges while I run and all I could think of was those damn oranges and not my inability to regulate my breathing. If everything has come back normal and you are otherwise fine start out slow and whilst not thinking about purple spotted oranges your focus will move from your breathing and your body will just do it's job. Worth a try....fitness makes you feel great and certainly helps ease the anxiety....which I too suffer from hence the need for me to run.

Hi to make u feel better I'm 30 and I have bad panic attacks had them for 10 yrs I feel I have to fight for my breath a lot your over thinking it I promise I have had every possible test done and I'm fine it's just anxiety I get them so bad I get them in my sleep I think I'm going to die almost everyday but I found the Midwest center tapes which show u a diet and yoga help a lot I don't take meds as it is part of my anxiety to so I had to find other things to help so just remember your in control the battle is your mind and you need to fight it the more u understand panic attacks the more u can control it an stop it

I am writing to offer a few ideas for exploration for football4life and others. I work in the field of energy medicine, including Healing Touch. I have a client who appears to have similar symptoms to those described by many of you.  We haven't figured it out yet, but we're still exploring options. Here are some ideas you may want to consider in more depth: (1) allergies, radon (if you live in areas with it), (2)a medication, (3) ribs or diaphragm,  (4) diet, including food supplements, (5) trauma, (6) past emotional issues,(6) iron deficiency,(7) hormonal imbalance and (8) a condition affecting muscles. Some of these suggestions may pertain primarily to breathing; some also may relate to anxiety. To keep this short, I will not elaborate on the eight ideas I've shared. However, If you're interested in more information, please let me know and I'll add to my response. 

I will elaborate just a bit on my last post. It relates to diet, or in this case, what you are ingesting with your food and drinks that you may not know is harmful. If you are consuming any products with aspartame or artificial sweeteners such as those found in diet sodas, consider eliminating those, and see what happens. Check out the effects of aspartame on the body, especially as related to breathing. 80% of the complaints the FDA receives relates to aspartame and its other names.