8;20 P M PDL AM BREATHING SO RAPIDLY LAST FEW HOURS IT IS FRIGHTENING ME. IT STARTED TWO WEEKS AGO AND TONIGHT IS THE WORST, STARTED FLOMAX YESTERDAY AND TODAY , AM ON OXYGEN AT MY HOUSE, HAVE EMPHAZIMA, LOWER BACK PAINS, MY FRIEND ON PHONE SAYS TO TAKE LORAZAPAM WHICH I HAVE BUT DONT USE AS I TAKE RX AMBIEN TO SLEEP. bld press; 162/69 pul 63 oxygen level 93. jim
Thanks for your question on Chat Doctor. Rapid breathing is not a good sign for emphysema patients. Since you are on oxygen I give you some causes for your rapid breathing1. Lung infection2. Severe bronchospasm3. High CO2 level.4. Anxiety etc. So I advise you to consult pulmonologist and get done1. Chest x-ray to rule out lung infection.2. CBC and ABG (arterial blood gas) analysis to rule out co2 retention. So don't wait at home, consult pulmonologist and discuss all these.