Three Years Ago A CT Showed Bronchiectasis . Two Years

Posted on Wed, 19 Aug 2020

Question: Three years ago a CT showed bronchiectasis. Two years ago the CT showed no BX and last year the CT showed totally clear lungs. However, for the last few weeks i have had intermittent bouts of shortness of breath. i would get out of breath sometimes from just talking. But that would only be at night. Sometimes it interferes with sleep. During the day I feel mostly fine and have no problem going for an hour on the treadmill. Going quickly up and down stairs was no problem. But around 5 pm i would start to sense the SOB and as the nights goes on it would get worse. I am not gasping for air, it is just uncomfortable. My O2 saturation generally is 96 to 99, and oddly, when I feel the SOB, it is frequently 98 or 99. Anything I can do to alleviate the night time feeling? Thanks.

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (31 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Take anxiolytic drug at night.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your question on Ask a doctor forum.
I can understand your concern.
I have gone through the detailed history you have given.
By your history and description, possibility of stress and anxiety related breathing problem in night is more likely.
So better to consult psychiatrist in person and get done counselling sessions.
Try to identify stressor in your life and start working on It's solution.
You may need anxiolytic drug too.
I don't think your night time breathing difficulty is due to lung problem.
Any allergies?
Any smoking habit?
Any PFT (Pulmonary Function Test) done in the past?
Please reply me answers of above asked questions so that I can guide you better.
Wish you good health. Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj