I am constantly aware of my breathing and try to control it. Please help me.

Question

Hello doctor,

I want a permanent solution for my manual breathing problem. I am 16 years old. Recently, I had UTI, and my brother thought that I just imagined a problem where I cannot void my bladder completely. So, he told me to pay attention to my breathing. So, I started doing that while urinating and pooping. I was all right for the next 10 days. But, I was studying once, and I had to breathe on my own manually. I get conscious about my breathing. I am fine when I am engrossed in watching the television, hanging out with my friends or busy at class. But, when I am alone studying, urinating or pooping, I am aware of my breathing, and I have to breathe on my own manually. Due to this, I cannot strain even a little while pooping as I have to take deep breaths and push. As a result, I can hardly empty my bowels. Even while urinating, the flow gets interrupted sometimes. The last bit of urine remains in my urethra as I have to breathe manually. If I stop, I will not be able to relax, and I cannot void my bladder then. Please help me out. And yes, I sleep fine and I wake up fresh. I was living a quality life before. I did not harm any one, but still, this keeps happening to me.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

It is good that you have elaborated your problem. Now, let me start from the beginning. You said that you had a urinary tract infection (UTI). That causes an incomplete emptying of your bladder. If your urine emptying is not complete even now, then I suggest you take tablet Norflox 400 mg, two tablets, one in the morning and one at night after food for a week.

Now, coming to the breathing problem, you have got yourself used to it. I advise you to play loud music in the adjacent room when you visit the loo for urinating and pooping. For the time being, to reduce your anxiety, I suggest you use tablet Anxit (Alprazolam and Sertraline) 5 mg at night.

Now, coming to the improper emptying of bowels. Firstly, visit a proctologist to see if your canal has shrunk, thereby preventing the complete passing of stools. Then take syrup Cremaffin (milk of magnesia and liquid paraffin), half a tablespoon before bedtime. It will allow you to pass stools well.

You only develop the breathing problem when alone, which is a clear indication that you are just anxious about it. Hence, I gave you tablet Anxit 5 mg before sleep for a week. For more assurance, you can take counseling from a psychologist who will provide you the necessary anti-anxiety therapy. You can get a chest X-ray and a laryngoscopy done. In the meantime, if you feel too breathless, take tablet Asthalin (Salbutamol) 2 mg once a day for five days.