Paralyzed Diaphragm

I love the idea of cards and balloons...Memorial day is coming soon and @usccman absolutely deserves them and more... I'd be willing to kick in and have paypal. Just let me know.

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@john @terri @merry @thankful @alamogal635 @teresa @jenniferhunter @thankful

Thank you, everyone, for all of your good wishes, thoughts, and prayers. It is easier for me to post at this hour as there is less traffic in here and sort of quiet. I have a few inspirational ideas but cannot do anything currently until I stabilize a bit more but just give me some time and I will get them posted for you. I have one lobe that has inflated but not the other one, so am still on massive treatments and eggshells. Hopefully, things will get better but it will take some time so to speak. Wishing everyone a good weekend and am sending all you hugs and prayers and good thoughts. Ciao.

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Hi John, Randolph here: recently diagnosed, exact ditto for me your first two posts of 2018 (second in reply to lisagillier). Set numerous (Canadian) Masters Swimming records twenty years ago in my 40s, and swam hard “recreationally” until two years ago. Thought my times were just slipping with age and swam distance-per-stroke hypoxic drills for a year, until an April 2019 ambulance respiratory emergency and follow up brought on by flu. Now faced with “plication” surgical procedure if I still exhibit “dyspnea” in July. The surgery is NOT offered, if physicians‘ opinion is that I do NOT still exhibit symptoms, and their definition of “exhibit” is geared towards couch potatoes not athletes. So that’s a catch 22, because as you probably know by now, plication sutures the diaphragm down flat, disabling it.

Notwithstanding, I’m working out to fix that muscle, but can’t even finish a fifty without standing up. We both used to “swim into” the pain. But we only have one diaphragm left. I share the panic you feel when immersed, and want to know if it’s safe to “swim into it” in the hope of stimulating some latent elasticity in the atrophied diaphragm.

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@randolph I wanted to share our discussion about Myofascial Release in case that is something you think could help you. I struggle with physical issues in my breathing from fascial tightness where one side of my chest restricts proper rib movement, and I don't move my lungs enough. I work with my physical therapist on this, and when we get things loosened up, I breathe a lot better. I also have asthma and allergies. My chest tightness extends from my neck to my pelvis, and that tightness between the rib cage and hip does affect my diaphragm movement a bit. I have thoracic outlet syndrome which is a nerve entrapment of the bundle that passes through the chest between the collar bone and rib cage, and it can frequently cause my first rib to be elevated which makes it difficult for me to breathe. I know that MFR has helped patients avoid surgery by getting things moving again and back in better alignment. Here is the link to our discussion which has lots of information. There is a provider finder on the MFR website. https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

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Thank you Jennifer: I’m struggling with (blog?) navigation - and followed the link to MFR website which is enlightening (always assumed it had something to do with the “face”) - but don’t see the “link to our discussion”.

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@randolph This is the link I mentioned for myofascial release.

This is a discussion on Connect where I listed a lot of information which is mostly at the first pages.

Here is the MFR website. https://myofascialrelease.com/

Here is the provider search. http://mfrtherapists.com/

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Hi John, Randolph here: recently diagnosed, exact ditto for me your first two posts of 2018 (second in reply to lisagillier). Set numerous (Canadian) Masters Swimming records twenty years ago in my 40s, and swam hard “recreationally” until two years ago. Thought my times were just slipping with age and swam distance-per-stroke hypoxic drills for a year, until an April 2019 ambulance respiratory emergency and follow up brought on by flu. Now faced with “plication” surgical procedure if I still exhibit “dyspnea” in July. The surgery is NOT offered, if physicians‘ opinion is that I do NOT still exhibit symptoms, and their definition of “exhibit” is geared towards couch potatoes not athletes. So that’s a catch 22, because as you probably know by now, plication sutures the diaphragm down flat, disabling it.

Notwithstanding, I’m working out to fix that muscle, but can’t even finish a fifty without standing up. We both used to “swim into” the pain. But we only have one diaphragm left. I share the panic you feel when immersed, and want to know if it’s safe to “swim into it” in the hope of stimulating some latent elasticity in the atrophied diaphragm.

Jump to this post

Hi John, Randolph here: recently diagnosed, exact ditto for me your first two posts of 2018 (second in reply to lisagillier). Set numerous (Canadian) Masters Swimming records twenty years ago in my 40s, and swam hard “recreationally” until two years ago. Thought my times were just slipping with age and swam distance-per-stroke hypoxic drills for a year, until an April 2019 ambulance respiratory emergency and follow up brought on by flu. Now faced with “plication” surgical procedure if I still exhibit “dyspnea” in July. The surgery is NOT offered, if physicians‘ opinion is that I do NOT still exhibit symptoms, and their definition of “exhibit” is geared towards couch potatoes not athletes. So that’s a catch 22, because as you probably know by now, plication sutures the diaphragm down flat, disabling it.

Notwithstanding, I’m working out to fix that muscle, but can’t even finish a fifty without standing up. We both used to “swim into” the pain. But we only have one diaphragm left. I share the panic you feel when immersed, and want to know if it’s safe to “swim into it” in the hope of stimulating some latent elasticity in the atrophied diaphragm.

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Hi my name is Brian. I have been reading posts here about being diagnosed with a paralyzed diaphragm and the procedure to help. I was diagnosed with unilateral diaphragm paralysis of my right side after being struck by a large tree branch that crushed the right side of my chest.
About 2 months after the accident I started physical therapy and that’s when I noticed that I couldn’t catch my breath after exerting myself. I was referred to a pulmonologist and was administered a breathing test and my outputs were very low. From there I was given sniff test and that’s when I was diagnosed with a paralyzed diaphragm of my right side. The procedure was quite quick. It took the doctor about 15 seconds to diagnose my problem.
I was given the option to go see a thoracic surgeon at the University of Iowa Hospitals to discuss a procedure called diaphragm plication to help me breath.
Since I was a healthy 50 year old man prior to the accident I decided to go through the procedure because I couldn’t even climb a flight of stairs without being completely out of breath.
I had the diaphragm plication surgery about 5 months after my diagnosis and I would like to share with those my experiences after having the surgery.
The first thing I remember when waking up after a 4 hour surgery was the sever pain I was in. Thankfully they placed something in near my spine (which I can’t remember the name) that helped numb the surgery area. I had a chest tube inserted into my back to drain the chest cavity and I am so glad that they had placed a catheter in to drain urine. It was 3 days of severe pain and getting up a couple times a day to walk wasn’t fun. I had the chest tube removed and they took me off the pain reliever drip to my spine on day 4. I believe I was released on day 6. Just have a nice riding vehicle and avoid bumps on the way home. It took me at least 6 weeks to recover.
That surgery was 3 1/2 years ago and I am still debating whether it was worth it. I did gain some lung capacity back, but I still am breathing hard when I climb a flight of stairs. I still deal with pain everyday in my lower chest area. It feels like I have a rolled up towel under my rib cage that runs from the front to the side. I have a hard time bending over to pick something up or to even put on a pair of pants. I don’t want to scare anyone off from having this type of surgery but I felt I needed to share my experience. I researched this surgery myself and there just isn’t much out there to help you make a decision.
I hope this information is helpful to anyone who is considering this type of surgery. I am willing to answer any questions that may come up about this condition. Good luck to all of you in the posts before me. I wish I consulted the Mayo Clinic for a second opinion.

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