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Phrenic Nerve damage and paralyzed diaphragm: Anyone else have this?
Phrenic nerve on the right side was destroyed due to radiation for breast cancer. Diaphragm is now paralyzed & taking away lung capacity. Anyone else experience this?
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Your poor brother. I'm so sorry he is going through all this! After damage to the phrenic nerve, most doctors recommend waiting up to 2 years to see if the phrenic nerve will repair itself before thinking about doing anything else. If the damage occurred a year ago, it still might heal itself. He is lucky to have you in his corner. Best wishes to you both!
I wasn't very clear in my previous post because I was thinking about the present, ie what doctors could do for your brother's paralyzed diaphragm now. After waiting 2 years to see if the phrenic nerve heals itself, there are a few things he can investigate that can be done if his symptoms are causing huge problems: diaphragm pacing, plication surgery, and nerve grafts onto the phrenic nerve. The main doctor who is doing the nerve grafts has an age limit for his patients, which I can't remember at the moment -- maybe 69? Hope this helps.
How do you know your phrenic nerve was damaged? Did they test and tell you?
I had video assisted thoracic surgery for lung cancer 3 days ago and I lost my voice immediately. I have no volume and can only speak in a whisper and it is hoarse. I have never lost my voice before. I asked the attending surgeon of the day who only replied she was not worried but offered no information on it, or how long it would take for my voice to get back to normal. I live alone and it is now hard for me to communicate with others on the phone.
I had apneumonectomy in November. My surgeon said he had to sacrifice my vocal cord. I was scheduled to get a surgical implant to fix my voice but it came back in its own After 5 months. Thank God. Living without a voice is hell. Maybe you’ll catch a break.
Thanks for your prompt reply. Did your surgeon tell you up front or after?
Was it as I describe? I can only whisper in measured words. But my throat is not sore. I am not talking much but it is not getting better.
Living without a voice can be a real handicap. I am happy you got yours back. Is it normal?
I think he told me after. My voice was hoarse and i couldn’t get more than three or four words out without stopping to take a breath. It was weak. I spoke to a voice and swallowing clinic at Oregon Health and Science where i live. They offered me different temporary treatments which didn’t last more than several days. I opted to have an implant but my voice started to get better a month before the surgery. At first i couldn’t tell the difference but more and more friends told me my voice was getting better. It’s pretty much normal now. I know what you’re going through, it’s awful.
It took about four or five months to get better and I’ve heard some have to wait a year.
Thanks for the info ...that helps
My doctor said it was my recurrent nerve which ties into the Vagus nerve.
yes in Nov 2018 brain decompromission , and now in June 2023, I have left side paralyzed diaphragm and I am in the hospital constantly without prednisone I can't breath it is horrible. Doctors want to tack the diagram but I want someone to look at the nerve and put the device in. Not sure why so many doctors are scared of this procedure. This is a horrible quality of life in my case.