I'm at a loss. My 82 yr old mother recently started panting or getting severely short of breath on exertion in the last two weeks. She thinks perhaps it is a normal transition of aging but it was a sudden difference... one day breathing well, next day huffing and puffing on movement. This has been keeping her up at night as well. Her lungs sound clear, yet she wheezes when she has to walk as far as the bathroom. (20 ft) Her back was bothering her quite a bit right before this happened. She says she feels like she doesn't have enough room to breathe.
It's been going on for two weeks.
She refuses to go to a doctor as her arthritis is really painful and she no longer walks too well... she hasn't the strength to wait 1 hour in a dr's office waiting room and doesn't tolerate the formalities (getting weighed, etc) well.. not to mention she has no insurance and no family dr.
She takes 800 mg Ibuprofen 3 times a day for arthritis pain for the last bunch of years.
Can anyone perhaps list some possible causes for this so I can maybe talk her into going to the doc.

This is extremely serious.

Take her to the emergency room.

Taking her... thanks for all who answered.

The first concern is that this may be her heart - a heart attack or heart failure.

She needs to be medically evaluated asap.

BTW 800mg ibuprofen three times a day in an elderly person can:

- cause stomach ulcers - blood loss - anemia - shortness of breath

- cause renal failure - fluid retention - heart failure

- for someone with a history of heart failure, ibuprofen may cause an attack of heart failure

- for someone with high blood pressure ibuprofen may make it difficult to control blood pressure.


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Overall tyelenol is safer - until she sees a doctor.

Although this is not a recent post, maybe it will be helpful to put this into the archives:

With an 82 year old, the number one worry would be pneumonia. Pneumonia can kill an elderly person in one or two days.

Also worth some mention: immobile people are also at increased risk for DVT and Pulmonary Embolism - though that would usually imply chest pain

Thank you to all who answered and I apologize for not returning sooner. My Mom died shortly(2 days) after, it was her heart. The cardiologist who eventually examined her after admittance to the hospital said he had never seen a heart so bad in his 30 years of practice at the hospital. She was in heart failure.
After quoting all the test results, etc. the doc said to us "of course I am sure you have heard some of this from your cardiologist" We both laughed. She had no idea she had a bad heart and had avoided Drs. All her life. She was going to let the surgical team evaluate her for surgery and was ready to fight for what she thought might be a decade more of life but of course she never got stable. So perhaps those of you with an aging parent - especially the strong willed doctor avoiders - will take heed. I know my Mom wouldn't have wanted to linger in a state without quality of life, so I am grateful she went quickly. But I can't help but wonder if we would have had her longer had I taken over her health care.
Again, thank you all for your expertise and responses.