Conversation: The conversation between human and AI assistant.
[|Human|] Can Cervical DDD of C6-7 cause breathing issues? After a sinus infection in Feb and again in May, had difficulty breathing. Both times dr thought pneumonia, but xrays were clear. The first time, I was off work two weeks and eventually the shortness of breath went away. This time, it persists. I have psoriatic arthritis boarding on lupus so Doc though might be related to that and scheduled apt with pulmonary medicine, but they can t get me in till July 21st. Ended up in er yesterday, thought was having heart attack, as heart was beating hard, couldn t breathe, tingling down the arms, but heart is fine. Today I had CTScan of lungs to check for possible PE, but can was good. My o2 sats have remained good throughout at 98-99. I get the numbness down the arms, pain in shoulders (right is worse and got shot in it), can t lay on by back cause arms go numb, sometimes feel like fire ants are biting me. Oh, and I sound like I have laryngitis...have since this started. Based on an xray back in Oct 2013, I have DDD with narrowing of C6-C7. It s my understanding that the nerves from that area go to the lung area and throat. Since pulmonary keeps coming up negative, is it possible it s actually related to the spine instead, and I should have that checked out further?
[|AI|]  Thanks for your question on Chat Doctor. I can understand your concern. No, I don't think your breathing difficulty is cervical spine related. Diaphragm is the strongest respiratory muscle. It helps majorly in breathing. It is supplied by Phoenix nerve (C3-C4 nerve roots). So any pathology at C6-C7 level won't cause any abnormality in Phoenix nerve functions. Since all your reports including CT thorax are normal, and you are maintaining oxygen saturation (98-99%), no need to worry much for your breathing difficulty. Possibility of stress and anxiety related breathing difficulty is more likely. So avoid stress and tension, be relaxed and calm. Don't worry, you will be alright. Hope I have solved your query. I will be happy to help you further. Wish you good health. Thanks.