Common symptoms of breathlessness include distress and fear, laboured and fast breathing, frustration, depression, anger and ultimately fatigue.<\/p>\n
Breathlessness may often occur after an operation. Below are some strategies that may be used to help ease your breathlessness.<\/p>\n
Preparation<\/strong><\/p>\n It is important to take some time in preparation for your breathing exercises.<\/p>\n Position yourself in a comfortable chair in an upright position with your hands resting on your lap.<\/p>\n Fully relax your shoulders and the muscles around the neck. Wear loose fitting clothes and ideally have a quiet environment in which to begin your breathing exercises. TAKE YOUR TIME!!<\/p>\n Breathing Re-education<\/strong><\/p>\n Abdominal breathing Concentrate on your breathing and try to slow your breathing down. Place one hand on your abdomen which should move in and out. There should be a gentle flow between breathing in and out. If this is too difficult, try a\u00a0short hold between breaths. Make sure your shoulders are relaxed throughout.<\/p>\n Remember….. You are in control of your breathing. Do not give up if changes do not appear immediately. It will take some practice and time to achieve the best results.<\/p>\n Anxiety Management<\/strong><\/p>\n Anxiety may increase your breathlessness. Remember to try and relax as much as possible throughout your breathing exercises.<\/p>\n Drug Management<\/strong><\/p>\n Try to ensure when and in what order drugs or inhalers should be taken, as many of them if taken correctly can help to ease your breathlessness.<\/p>\n Counselling and advice<\/strong><\/p>\n Physiotherapists, ward nurses and Specialist Lung Nurses are available if you need any advice or reassurance.<\/p>\n \u00a9 The Oesophageal Patients Association<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Common symptoms of breathlessness include distress and fear, laboured and fast breathing, frustration…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":16075,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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