My symptoms (shortness of breath) began about a year ago. I was snorkeling in the warm waters of the Caribbean, lost my breath completely, and had to be rescued. Very scary. I immediately saw a Pulmonologist in NJ, and he did some tests, including a Sniff Test, and a CT of the Cervical region of the spine. Sniff Test was positive. He referred me to Dr. Kaufman in New Jersey; he also performs surgery at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, CA. He apparently ONLY does this surgery, using his own developed technique. I am 77 years old, in good health, but I was rejected because his protocol only accepts patients less than 67 years old. Apparently, the success rate decreases with age. I then became my own advocate and sought information on this condition. I found Dr. Mar Ginsburg at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, who specializes in this kind of surgery (plication). I also contacted the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Both concurred with wait-and-see to determine if the nerve will/can repair itself. I just saw my medical Pulmonologist this week, and, since it has been 6 months since my first Sniff Test, he is repeating it. Conclusion: we are still on the proverbial fence with only 60% of lung function.