Read article Signs and symptoms
This page is about the symptoms of breathlessness. You may have
- Difficulty catching your breath
- Noisy breathing
- Very fast, shallow breaths
- An increase in your pulse rate
- Wheezing
- Chest pain
- Skin that looks pale and slightly blue, especially around your mouth
- Cold, clammy skin
- Flaring nostrils when you breathe in
- To use your shoulders and the muscles in your upper chest to help you breathe
- Anxiety or panicky feelings
If you are becoming breathless, you may notice this at first when you are climbing stairs or just walking around at home. If you become more breathless, you may notice it even when you are sitting down resting.
Other illnesses, apart from cancer, can cause these symptoms. So always tell your doctor if you are worried about any symptoms that you think your cancer is causing. Or if you think your symptoms are getting worse.
Having difficulty breathing can be quite frightening. You may feel very panicky. But it is important to understand which comes first. Sometimes, people having anxiety attacks will ‘over breathe’ and become breathless. But in this case, it is their anxiety making them breathless and not the other way round. If you do have shortness of breath and you get panicky, calming down will help you to feel more in control of your breathing.
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