Learn the Pursed Lip Breathing (PLB) technique and practice it until you do it automatically. That should stop your hyperventilation in its tracks. If you consciously do it all the time, especially when you're exerting yourself of doing something requiring concentration, you shouldn't have any problem. You can google the term, but basically, it's an inhale either through the mouth or the nose (it really doesn't matter, no matter what people tell you, just inhale however!) and then exhale by pursing the lips as though you are blowing on hot soup. Don't exhale hard, just exhale, and try to exhale for at least twice as long as you inhaled. Some people can do a 1,2 inhale and a 1,2,3,4 exhale....some do more some do less, again, it doesn't matter, just exhale for twice as long as you inhaled.

What the pursed lip part does is create a bit of back pressure, making it easier to exhale for longer and to blow off the CO2 (which is what the hyperventilation isn't allowing and what's causing you to be lightheaded and dizzy). This breathing technique should be taught to every person with COPD at their first visit to the doc......unfortunately, many docs don't know the technique and don't teach it. It you have a pulmo, even if she doesn't know the technique, her RT ought to.

yyes described whats happening to me,i get a panic attack,then get hot,then start to hyperventale.I have oxygen tank and i use it with ventalin inn my nebulizer,if someone is there put a wet cool cloth on your neck and take a adavan,it slows down your breathing but takes a few minutes to kick in,its terrifying but try and purse lipped when exhaling if you can so you don not get a co2 buildup in your blood till you stabilize,i notice if you can stand in front of a fan it helps,good luck,if anyone else has these please post how you manage.

I believe mine is caused by over breathing because most of the time my oxygen level is good when it happens. I have an elevated respiratory rate most of the time, and catch myself inhaling and exhaling with no rest between either one. I constantly have to tell myself how to breathe because something subconsciously is telling me to breathe deeper than I should. I know better but it's like I can squirrel oxygen away for future use, but all I'm doing is upsetting the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Yes.Mine is panic driven.Takes paramedic equipment & paramedic to talk me down.Has not occured since trilogy machine(in-home vent)

I found that having a panic attack wasn't as bad as worrying about having one.