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Paralyzed Diaphragm

Lung Health | Last Active: Apr 9 7:23am | Replies (333)

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@nla4625

I was recently diagnosed with a right paralyzed diaphragm and really appreciate reading about your experience. The doctor recommends plication surgery; but I read a journal article that said people get around
35% improvement in breathing. I'm wondering if I could get that from learning how to breath more efficiently. A different problem that makes me think I should have the plication surgery is my stomach is moving into my chest cavity because the diaphragm isn't holding it back. I will have a followup appointment with the doctor soon. He wants me to lose weight before the surgery, which I'm working on.

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Replies to "I was recently diagnosed with a right paralyzed diaphragm and really appreciate reading about your experience...."

I question whether a doctor should recommend plication surgery, as opposed to a consultation with a plication surgeon. In my case, notwithstanding the debilitation I felt, the surgeon’s assessment was that I might benefit as much from “physio, a personal trainer, some form of exercise, it doesn’t really matter.” I was a bit put out at the lack of direction but, fortunately, I held out a false hope that my phrenic nerve might recover, and plication would have “sewn” my diaphragm down, permanently. So I undertook to research my options. In the meantime, daily activities that frustrated me helped strengthen muscle groups that “cope” with breathlessness. Gardening, for example. I gradually became less distressed.

I suggest you try living with it for a year. FYI, I’ve since enrolled in cardio rehabilitation (resistance/aerobic training), pulmonary rehabilitation (yoga-ish) and “Singing to Breathe” two years after my paralysis - primarily to re-engage socially. Good luck!

@nla4625 @randolph I wanted to let you know that there is a surgeon who does nerve transfers to replace the phrenic nerve to the diaphragm. I don't have experience with this condition. Another member had shared a doctor's name who does graft surgery to repair a phrenic nerve. Here is the website where you can find the information. https://www.advancedreconstruction.com/ That may give you another option to consider.