NP and just tossing this out there; are you in dcumlandia area or perhaps a high altitude location?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m out of breath walking up hills and a flight of stairs and always have been. Have never been able to figure out why (did the treadmill test once upon a time, lung function test, lung ct scans etc). I am fairly active and this happens even in periods of my life when I’m exercising cardio regularly. I’ve just accepted this is who I am, at 45. I work through this and yes have a hard time conversing while walking uphill.

OP here again. Yes, I've always been like that too. Years ago, for something unrelated, I had a stress test done and it was normal, but perhaps it was too long ago and I need to have it done again. I've been hiking in the mountains and walking all my life, but I do get out of breath quickly. It's only just dawned on me that some other people aren't like this.

I will ramp up exercise intensity and see if I can get better.

OP, I would get checked out BEFORE you change exercise intensity. I'd also get checked for exercise induced asthma, another possibility for your symptoms.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/exercise-induced-asthma/symptoms-causes/syc-20372300

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was getting out of breath all the time and thought I just wasn't in shape, but I was having heart failure and ended up getting 3 valves replaced. I'm skinny and very active, too.

Go get checked out by a doctor.

Can the pp please come back and elaborate on this? I sound just like u (I’m the thin and “in shape” pp who had always been winded walking up one flight of stairs and have ruled out everything obvious, asthma, anemia, vit D, lungs, treadmill test etc). Help! This is a lifetime issue and annoying. Plus my extremities go numb in like ten minutes in 50 degreee weather, I don’t think my heart is pumping blood well enough to get to them in mild cold weather.

Have you seen a cardiologist?

Anonymous wrote:I was getting out of breath all the time and thought I just wasn't in shape, but I was having heart failure and ended up getting 3 valves replaced. I'm skinny and very active, too.

Go get checked out by a doctor.

This. My mother had similar symptoms that turned out to be cardiomyopathy. Go to your doctor. You need a stress test, ultrasound, etc.

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

It's a suburban walk, there are some roads with inclines because one neighborhood is higher than the other, but it's not steep terrain.

I'm 44, my recent lipid panel and blood pressure were normal, but I've never been a hard exerciser. I don't run or do high intensity training.

It's also allergy season - so this could be impacting your lungs. Are you doing this in high temperatures? Are you dehydrated? Exhausted? If the route is mainly flat, are you equally winded on the flats and uphills? Do you wear a fitbit or apple watch to see what your heart rate is during these walks? I would be concerned once you rule out or determine a few more pieces of the puzzle.

Do you have allergy induced asthma?
Try this. Walk alone but keep talking to yourself. Put a phone bud on so you look like you are on the phone.
Are you out of breath at the end?

Also, do you not take water with you? Are you dehydrated?

So I’m the pp who was enlightened by this threat to get my heart checked out. I shouldn’t have read the results of the echo on a Friday night as now I’m wondering what the heck “mild to moderate aortic insufficiency” means! I have the full trans echo as well as the stress echo earlier today. The trans echo resulted in the quote from above, plus some mild regurgitation. I’m not sure what the results of the stress echo mean, but it says my hearts capacity with exercise is “average” (I’m a high achiever who lives a healthy and active life this makes me sad!!)

Anonymous wrote:I was getting out of breath all the time and thought I just wasn't in shape, but I was having heart failure and ended up getting 3 valves replaced. I'm skinny and very active, too.

Go get checked out by a doctor.

Can the pp please come back and elaborate on this? I sound just like u (I’m the thin and “in shape” pp who had always been winded walking up one flight of stairs and have ruled out everything obvious, asthma, anemia, vit D, lungs, treadmill test etc). Help! This is a lifetime issue and annoying. Plus my extremities go numb in like ten minutes in 50 degreee weather, I don’t think my heart is pumping blood well enough to get to them in mild cold weather.

Anonymous wrote:This is beginning to concern me. I walk the dog alone or with a friend/husband/kid. The walk is 3 miles and takes an hour. If I'm by myself and don't talk, I come home perfectly fine. If I talk with someone on the way, I get so out of breath that I need time to sit down and drink something when I come home.

Is this normal, or am I terribly out of shape?

I replied the other day re: allergies and had another thought for you.

Sometimes it really is just how you talk & breath while in motion. Things can get out of sync. It could be sometjing as simple as your posture while in motion that causes the sense of breathlessness.

If it is nothing medical (heart, lungs), I'd consider seeing a speech langue pathologist. They can work with helping you learn to keep your airway open during exercise.

Talking may cause you to breathe less, especially if you speak quickly and don't pause.

Anonymous wrote:Get a check up, OP. Is it possible you might have asthma?

You can get a finger meter to check oxygen level very cheaply on Amazon. That might be good data for your doctor.

This is an excellent suggestion. Check before activity and when you start to feel a bit breathless.