I'm new to this site, as of about an hour ago. I've struggled with anxiety and panic attacks for many years, and right now my primary treatment is counseling, prayer, breathing/relaxation, and the occasional Ativan. My panic attacks always start out with uncontrollable shaking and hyperventilating, so I'm used to that. But unless I was having an attack, I never struggled with shallow breathing or that sensation of not being able to catch my breath and not being able to talk because I need to gasp for air every 3rd word. That is until about a week ago. Now, all of a sudden, out of nowhere I'll just be out of breath, and no matter how much I concentrate on relaxing my chest and breathing slowly and deeply, I feel like I just can't get enough oxygen. It's not relieved completely until I finally break down and take an Ativan. From reading here and elsewhere I know that's common for many of us, so I'm not necessarily worried about it from a medical standpoint (my doctor insists it's simply anxiety, though I do have an appointment next week with a cardiologist just to be safe). What I am, however, is frustrated. Just when I thought I'd started to get a good idea of what anxiety and panic "look like" for me (my own particular set of symptoms, in what order they usually hit, etc.), new ones started cropping up. Like this shallow breathing business. And tightness right in the center of my chest. And shaking, lightheadedness, and that out-of-body feeling even when I'm not experiencing the emotions of being anxious, worried, or stressed. These symptoms themselves are annoying enough, but the fact that new symptoms like this can crop up at any time and without warning can sometimes make me feel so hopeless. And confused. Can anyone else out there relate to what I'm talking about?