I think my lack of muscle tone in my throat which causes blockage in my airway started when I was an infant to three years old. My parents rushed me several times to the ER...I was choking with a rhythmic gasping for air sound in my throat...horrible feeling! I was put into oxygen tents multiple times for days...isolated from the world and scared to death! My mom couldn't hold me or touch me! MD's in the mid 1960's diagnosed me with asthma. Now, I am 46 yrs old...I have been awaken by these same episodes of gasping for air...choked on a peppermint while driving, pulled onto the shoulder wondering if I am going to suffocate to death in my car. I have had only one episode of choking brought on by stress in my life. My PCP says that I am having panic attacks not asthma attacks contrary to the earlier prognosis. My PCP has prescribed Ativan for these episodes. How can you swallow a pill when you are choking? My CPAP has helped me with a few episodes during the day time hours! I do have sleep apnea confirmed by a sleep study, BUT do I have a birth defect causing my sleep apnea?