Paralyzed Diaphragm

I’ve had pulmonary breathing test but not sniff test. Says I have a small nodule on lung but not worried since not a smoker. ENT did two scopes and said no lesions or nodules. Gastroenterologist did an EDG and found some bacteria and infection, followed with antibiotics and steroids. Been no change. Go back to UAB in March. Sometimes I know when I will be facing an episode because I will have what I call spasms or fluttering in diaphragm and chest with some sharp pains all day then tightness hits and i can’t speak. Other times I can be having a good day and can get around someone with strong perfume or cigarette smoke and I automatically have an episode. I have a voice if lucky one to two days a week. I work because I have no choice but crash as soon as I’m home.

Thank you

Just diagnosed with right side paralyzed diaphram. No cause found. My breathing tests have been going downhill since 2011. Sniff test showed the paralysis. See pulmologist in one month. Questions and concerns i should cover with him? I have had svt's for years, pulmonary hypertension, asthma, COPD, fibromyalgia, sleep apnea, spinal stenosis and retro spondolthesis. Did show elevated diaphram and nodules along with partial collasped lung several years ago but no treatment was suggested at that time. My breathing is getting worse. Can barely do steps anymore. Walking down the hall in my home winds me. I feel like i am always gasping for air. I use singular, rescue inhalers and nebulizer also.
Thanks.

@labsmom5 In reading your list of diagnoses, there seems to be a lot there that can affect breathing.

Have you been tested for allergies? This certainly can affect how much phlegm is in your lungs obstructing the air ways. I have asthma, and even though I'm treating allergies with shots, it wasn't doing enough for my cat allergy. By making changes at home with using HEPA air filters, and wearing a HEPA quality surgical mask when I'm near the cats, and cleaning/vacuuming to reduce dander, it made a world of difference in my ability to breathe, and I can coexist with my cats. Until I figured out the connection, I would get accumulating phlegm that progressed to lung infections with my heart rate raised. The masks are 3M #1820 Procedure mask with ear loops (not ties) that have >99% Bacterial filtration efficiency and > 99% @ 0.1 Micron particles. If I can prevent the triggers from getting into my lungs, my lungs don't react by producing the excess phlegm.

The spinal stenosis and retro spondolisthesis might be affecting your breathing too. The phrenic nerve exits the spine from the spinal roots of C3, C4, and C5 and travels down next to the spine before passing near the heart and reaching the diaphragm. if you are having vertebrae slipping and neck muscle spasms, it could be affecting the phrenic nerve through a physical compression somewhere in it's pathway. Have you tried any physical therapy to improve your breathing? I'm not suggesting physical exercise, but manual techniques like myofascial release therapy. I am a spine surgery patient with a fusion at C5/C6, and I also have Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) and that made my neck and chest tight where nerves and vessels were passing through small areas. TOS is common among patients with spine injuries and it affects the mechanics of breathing which I have experienced. Through physical therapy and MFR, I've been able to improve my breathing and get things moving again as they should be. MFR often can help where conventional treatments fail. If you have had long term inflammation, or injuries, the fascia can become tight and restricted. Lung tissue is mostly fascia with blood vessels in it. You can have fascial restrictions into the chest where the nerves are passing. It might be something to look into.

Has anyone offered treatment for your spinal stenosis and retro spondolisthesis? If you have instability there, it's possible this could be a source of phrenic nerve problems from irritation or compression. Are you getting help for the sleep apnea and using a machine to breathe at night? That might help a lot too. One of my friends uses one, and she told me that because she was in panic breathing mode all night, it was raising her anxiety levels during the day, which then again causes breathing using muscles in the upper chest and neck... the same place where tight muscles can affect breathing.

MFR is also treatment for fibromyalgia. It might be worth discussing with your doctor if physical therapy can help. Not all doctors embrace MFR or understand it, but it works, and I have benefited from it a lot. Right after my spine surgery, I did have breathing problems, and the tightness from the surgical path tightened the fascia very close to where the restrictions exists from the TOS, and my pain was worse until we opened up those spaces with MFR work.

I created a discussion about Myofascial Release. There is a lot of information collected there where you can learn about it. There is a provider finder link on the myofascialrelease.com website.

Here are some other links you might find helpful.

https://teachmeanatomy.info/neck/nerves/phrenic/
https://www.painscience.com/articles/respiration-connection.php
https://trainingandrehabilitation.com/how-truly-treat-thoracic-outlet-syndrome/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/thoracic-outlet-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20353988

I have no phlegm and my lungs are good, no breaching problems. I just have discomfort and pain in my chest and diaphragm which is followed by loss of voice

@cathleenmc - good afternoon. I'm butting in because thinking that because you aren't a smoker disqualifies you from getting lung cancer. As the saying goes, if you have lungs, you can get lung cancer.
Since a nodule was found I suggest that you make an appointment with a pulmonologist to rule out lung cancer.
I do hope that your doctor is correct but if you haven't had a CT scan he can't know that.

Ive seen a pulmonologist and CT showed a small nodule but he says its nothing

@cathleenmc I just read your other post about being reactive to perfume and smokers. That is how I am. I have to avoid it or I will have a reaction even an hour after a minimal exposure when I have breathing problems because of increasing phlegm that my body makes as a protective measure to try to clear out the junk. I have allergic asthma, so it's probably an allergy to smoke, and all of it causes inflammation in my airways. I can loose my voice a bit when there is lots of phlegm and airway constriction. When this isn't under control, I can get chest discomfort from it, and the inflamed airways prevent the phlegm from being able to be expelled. It was trapped until I got away from the irritating source and used either asthma inhalers, Mucinex, or cough drops. I do my best to prevent problems, and I'm fine at home, but it's going out in public among other people that causes issues.

@cathleen. Did you ask him what kind? I'm sorry that you are going through this. Why do you think that you have a problem with one side of your diaphragm?

Someone had mentioned it so I was reaching out to those Who have it to see if they suffer with my symptoms