There is something wrong with my lungs and I dont think its Asthma.

It seems like Ive had this somewhat odd condition since I was a teen. 
Or maybe it was longer.  Im not sure.  Ive always been in great
cardiovascular shape and extremely athletic.  The other day I ran a
5:39 mile.  I push myself hard.

Ive never been diagnosed with Asthma.  I dont hyperventilate.  I dont
have allergies.  Ive never smoked and didnt grow up in a polluted
place.

But sometimes Im occassionally out of breath when excercising.  I was
doing kick boxing later in the day when I had to stop because I felt
like I couldnt get enough air.

This condition is more likely to occur if Im playing a running sport. 
It will be like I dont have the lung capacity and am forced to go to
half speed.  Its like I have gas caught in my chest.  But there seems
to be a way to stop it.  I can voluntarily burp before the athletic
event for 15 minutes or so.  I can burp really at any time I want to
by bringing my stomach in.  Often I will forget about this before
doing a cardio vascular event such as playing soccer and thats when I
will get the lack of lung capacity.

I dont hyperventalate, it just feels like I am in horrible shape when
I know Im not.  I can also feel light headed.  Strangely if I play a
game and this condition occurs, if I rest the next game Im usually
fine even without having to burp.

No doctor has been able to tell me much about this.  One trainer said
that she thought I had some sort of gas bubbles in my chest but didnt
have much of a reason why.  The effect seems to also happen if I drink
water.  Often I willwork out and feel like if I dont get some fresh
air Im going to throw up because Im light headed.  So I think it is
gas but have no idea why or what it means.

Dear superkav-ga;

Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. I
presume you have read our disclaimer, which indicates that it is not
our policy to provide medical advice in this forum, and that such
advice is best left to a medical professional. Therefore I must assume
that what you are asking is a matter of opinion based on research
information. Having said that let me make some suggestions that you
might consider bringing up when a physician examines you:

First, it is possible that you have an allergy ? not to strenuous
exercise (obviously), but to something in your environment (dust,
pollen, food, etc) that is exacerbated by exerting yourself. Allergies
can be discovered through a relatively simple process of elimination.
A physician will expose you to minute amounts of certain stimuli and
check for reaction. If no reaction occurs that particular exposure is
eliminated as a potential allergen. If a reaction does occur, a
physician may prescribe an antigen that you can take to prevent you
from having the undesirable symptoms.

Secondly, your dyspnea (the medical term for shortness of breath) can
also be the result of spasms of the diaphragm, the large frontal
abdominal muscle involved in breathing Introduction. When the
diaphragm muscle contracts, it pulls the bottom of the lungs downward,
causing them to fill, while the ribs flare outward to the sides. If
you are experiencing spasms you may have a painful sensation or
perhaps a sensation of excessive gas that can interfere with your
breathing capacity. A spasm of the diaphragm can also cause you to
retain excessive carbon monoxide that deprives the blood of its
ability to carry oxygen. This might be relieved somewhat by expressing
gas (burping) which could explain your unorthodox remedy.

PUBMED
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12412695&dopt=Abstract

There are tests that can measure the strength of your diaphragm:

?There are two tests that can be done to determine the function of
your diaphragm muscles. The first indirect measurement is a mean
inspiratory force maneuver. This is done by inspiring against
resistance that is measured by a manometer. A measurement less than
-60 cm H2O is abnormal and may indicate a weak diaphragm. The other
test is a direct measurement done with fluoroscopy called a SNIFF
test. In a sniff test the patient "sniffs" while being observed under
a fluoroscope. This test is a very accurate way to observe diaphragm
function.?
MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY ASSOCIATION
http://www.mdausa.org/experts/question.cfm?id=4173

Thirdly, you may also have an undiagnosed diaphragmatic hernia. A
diaphragmatic hernia is an abnormal opening in the diaphragm that
allows part of the abdominal organs to migrate into the chest cavity.
This can also be exacerbated by exertion and when it happens a
persons? lung capacity is decreased because the organs pushing at the
opening interfere with the proper filling of the lung(s). While this
condition is most often a congenital anomaly it can also be caused by
other factors later in life, usually in the form of an injury to the
diaphragm tissue whether you realize you have been injured or not (i.
e. injuries are not always the result of trauma, rather some injuries
just simply ?happen?).

RC JOURNAL
http://www.rcjournal.com/contents/04.99/04.99.0437.asp

MEDLINE PLUS
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001135.htm

SPONTANEOUS DIAPHRAGMATIC HERNIA
http://www.bhj.org/journal/2004_4602_april/html/spontaneous_229.htm


Finally (though there may in fact be many more causes that a qualified
physician can probably educate you more about) you may be experiencing
other problems associated with your lungs:
-- Spasms of the bronchial tubes leading to your lungs ? similar to
asthma but caused by something else.
-- Eventration of the diaphragm - an abnormal elevation of the
diaphragm at a site of weakness. Broadly defined as an abnormally high
position of part or all of the diaphragm.
GOOGLE
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=Eventration+of+the+diaphragm
-- Undiagnosed tumors of the large intestine, spleen or liver.
-- A hiatal hernia  - when the stomach protrudes into the chest cavity
(this might also explain the relief you notice by burping)
GOOGLE
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=hiatal+hernia&spell=1
-- Atelectasis  - a collapse of part or all of a lung by blockage of
the air passages
GOOGLE
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=atelectasis
-- Excessive levels of carbon dioxide (inability to expel CO2 due to a
variety of reasons)

I am not a physician but as you can see by my research I tend to
believe that if you are in otherwise good health that you ?might? be
experiencing problems related to your diaphragm muscle rather than
your lungs. I highly recommend that consult a doctor armed with this
information and have your condition checked.

I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

Defined above


SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

Google ://www.google.com


SEARCH TERMS USED:

DYSPNEA

SHORTNESS OF BREATH

LUNG CAPACITY

EXERTION

BURPING

GAS

CARBON MONOXIDE

CARBON DIOXIDE

Thanks for all the info.  I doubt that this is something of a hernia
or that I have internal organs that have migrated but this may be
something related to my diagphram.  It causes me no pain but I think I
should have this checked out and when I do so I will print out your
research to help.  Thank you for the diligent research.

Great work... this is somewhat like what i've been feeling lately...  
shortness of breath, associated with a spasm of sorts, etc... I will
be checking into spasms of the diaphragm as the cause. Possibly
allergy related ??(I have a post nasal drainage as well).  Anyway,
thanks
AP