Phrenic Nerve damage and paralyzed diaphragm: Anyone else have this?

@jwatermann Hello, I wanted to welcome you to Connect. Did you have a question for other members who may be able to help from their own experiences? Did you have some more specific information that you wanted to share in the community? Are you being treated for a condition?

I am getting ready to have a Sniff test done. I have a ting left lung.

We are confirming that my left lung is paralyzed.

I have trouble breathing. Simply laying down is a challenge.

My doctor suspects my Phrenic nerve has been damaged which caused the paralysis. I am hoping to get the test done soon. I really want to try stem cell therapy. Has anyone else tried this?

Hi,
My name is Jim and I would like to know if there have been any cases where the phrenic nerve has been damaged, resulting in paralysis to a lung from having anesthesia during a surgery? This happened to me but I don't know why my left lung is paralyzed.

Do you know what caused the left lung paralysis?

@jimrichards . I don't know the cause of my left paralyzed diaphragm for sure, and it's not something I spend a lot of time thinking about. The damage to my phrenic nerve that caused it to be paralyzed might have been an auto accident, fall down a flight of stairs, chiropractic manipulation, another operation, a virus, immunizations, etc. If you haven't joined, I really recommend you join the facebook group for people with paralyzed diaphragms. There are over 950 people on it with paralyzed diaphragms, which is actually a pretty rare condition. I've learned so much from them about the condition, how to deal with symptoms, etc... and gotten wonderful support. Please let me know if you have other questions. Good luck! Nancy

@watermann. I haven't heard about using stem cells to treat a damaged phrenic nerve or paralyzed diaphragm. Would you please post information about it? Thanks. I'm sure the 950+ on the facebook page for people with paralyzed diaphragms will be really interested in it too. I'll post it there or you might join the group and paste it there yourself if you're so inclined. It's a great group, and I've learned so much about this condition, dealing with symptoms, and treatment options. Using stem cells is a new to me intriguing possibility, and I wonder who is doing it and how it works. Thanks. Nancy

I had cervical spine surgery 5 years ago it failed ! About 1 year ago the left side of my diaphragm got paralyzed. I am wanting to know if my breathlessness might be because my phrenic nerve might be damaged ?

@seniordon09 You may be interested in these discussions where members discuss the phrenic nerve, and also a surgeon who does nerve grafting to replace a a malfunctioning phrenic nerve.

- Lung Health group\ "Mysterious shortness of breath: What has helped you?"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mysterious-shortness-of-breath/

and

- Lung Health\ "Paralyzed right side of diaphragm: How to treat?"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/paralyzed-right-side-of-diaphragm/

Have you discussed a possible nerve injury with your spine surgeon, or if that isn't possible, have you sought a second opinion from another spine specialist or neurologist?

Thanks for the information !

@jwatermann @nla4625
You can stay up to date on Mayo Clinic’s advances in regenerative medicine and nerve regeneration on this website:
- Center for Regenerative Medicine https://www.mayo.edu/research/centers-programs/center-regenerative-medicine/about

Neuroregeneration (stem cell therapy) is a focus area of study at Mayo Clinic. You can read more about it here: https://www.mayo.edu/research/centers-programs/center-regenerative-medicine/focus-areas/neuroregeneration

There is a great deal of hope and a great deal of hype about stem cell treatment. There are many fraudsters out there. That is why Mayo Clinic offers a free consult service. When you call the consult service, they will tell you about the availability of approved stem cell therapy at Mayo Clinic and elsewhere, and for what conditions. They can also tell you about research studies that are actively recruiting participants. Furthermore, you can add your name to a database to be notified when additional studies and information become available. You can learn more about the Consult Service here http://www.mayo.edu/research/centers-programs/center-regenerative-medicine/patient-care/clinical-services/regenerative-medicine-consult-service.
Or call 1-844-276-2003 to speak with one of Mayo's experts.