feeling breathless

breathlessness

Breathlessness can be linked to some cancers and some cancer treatments. This information is to help you understand why it happens and what can help.

causes and treatment

Your doctors will do different tests and scans to find what's causing your breathlessness so that they can give you the most helpful treatment.

• Cancer in the lung - treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy can help to make the tumour smaller so that it's easier for you to breathe.
• Pleural effusion - this happens when fluid builds up between the 2 membranes that are around the outside of the lungs (the pleura). The fluid then presses in on the lungs, leaving less space inside for air. You can have treatment for this.
• Radiotherapy and chemotherapy - these can sometimes cause scarring (fibrosis) inside the lungs. A chemo drug called bleomycin can sometimes cause fibrosis. Your doctor will keep an eye on you and do regular tests to check your lungs. The fibrosis can’t be fixed but you may be given some oxygen or medicines to help.
• Chest infection - antibiotics or antifungal medicines can help to cure the infection and help you breath more easily.
• Inflammation in the lungs - you may have steroids and bronchodilators (medicines to relax the muscles in and around your lungs) to make it easier to breathe.
• Anxiety - light sedatives (anti-anxiety medicines).
• Anaemia - a blood transfusion may make you feel less breathless.

treatment

While you're in hospital, you may have some oxygen any time that you start to feel short of breath. It's kept in a tank and you can breathe it in through a mask.

Your GP can arrange for an oxygen tank to be delivered to your home if you need it. Sometimes, feeling like you can't breathe is made worse by strong emotions. It may be helpful to talk to a counsellor or psychologist. They are specially trained to help young people to understand and deal with the emotions that cancer can cause. Also, some people find complementary therapies helpful. They help to relax you which might make your breathing easier.

If the breathlessness is caused by a pleural effusion, it can be eased by draining the fluid away, through a small tube between the pleural membranes. Your doctor puts this tube in your side, between 2 ribs. People usually have this done while they are awake and the doctor will give you some local anaesthetic to numb the area. It can be quite painful but you will be given painkillers for it. The fluid normally takes a couple of days to drain away and then the tube is taken out. Something called surgical pleurodesis can also be done. It is when the doctor irriates the outer pleura so that the pleural effusion doesn't happen again.

If your breathlessness is caused by infection, it can sometimes be help to have chest physiotherapy. The physio can help you cough up some of the mucus in your lungs that could be causing the breathlessness. They can also give you breathing exercises to do that might help you.

What might help?

• Try sitting down when you're doing your daily activities.
• Keep things that you use often in easy reach and wear loose clothing around your waist and chest.
• Try not to have baths or showers that are too hot.
• Spread your activities out throughout the day to save your energy.
• When going up stairs or a slope, breathe in on one step, on the next step breathe out and then wait a moment. Then repeat.
• Have a massage to relax you.
• Tell your hospital occupational therapist if you struggle to walk long distances. They might be able to arrange for you to hire a wheelchair.
• Try stacking a pillow or two onto a table then, while sitting in a chair at the table, lean forward and rest your head and arms on the pillows.
• Use lots of pillows to support you so you can sit up in bed without using too much energy.