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Discussions
marsrocket Check-In 11/07/2025
Hello friends. For the past two weeks I have been experiencing all-day breathlessness, at rest and with exertion, a new symptom. Normally I rarely experience SOB at rest, and with exertion it usually clears up a minute or two after the activity ends. To help with breathing I have been doing breath stacking where I take 3 or 4 short inhalations to build one full inhalation, then I breathe out slowly through my mouth. Also, one of my lungs docs prescribed a trial of prednisone to see if it helps, start low and build to a higher dosage if needed. This is within the palliative care realm, where most of the focus is on comfort and symptom relief. Here is some info on breath stacking. Peace and blessings to all.
https://youtu.be/S9thwqIeuv0?si=f7V_sDFDuEop4UeK
Replies
How’s the Stack Breathing working out for you? Really appreciate you sharing that video — it might be exactly what someone needs to spark their own eureka moment.
Stacked breathing is helping quite a bit. Besides lessening SOB, it also reduces my anxiety.
I’m so glad to hear that. It must be tiring coping with such a persistent cough — I hope the prednisone helps ease things without too many side effects.
Marsrocket
Hello ,I am sorry to read your update. I have done stack breathing , it does help. I hope that the prednisone helps since it works rather quickly. Doctors usually order a higher dose abd taper down? Some doctors just order 10 mg for 5 days; there are several options based on the individuals specific needs. Was this ordered by your Pulmonologist who understands your condition?
Thanks, Katie. It was ordered by the BE specialist's assistant, a PA. Said I could start at 5 mg and increase the dosage every five days, or start at 20 mg and slowly taper down. I started low-dose since I don't have much experience with steroids. Low-dose morphine is Plan B, though my main lung doc thinks it might worth considering as Plan A. Will chat with her next week.
Marsrocket,
Hello! I am not allowed to give detailed medical advice. However, based on my personal experience- I started with 10 mg many times that helped me,5 mg is a low dose. The higher dose with tapering down may provide you with relief faster. Please communicate with your health care provider if the prednisone is not effective or if it results in any issues. Wishing you to breathe and to feel better soon
Thanks for posting the video! Good luck marsrocket✌👍
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