bigfish35
Member
Sometime ago I thought my shortness of breath problem following valve replacement/repair surgery was on the way to being cured. I happily posted here that, following a cardioversion, breathing was markedly better. My optimism proved to be premature.
Shortness of breath continued and seemed to reach a plateau so I therefore sought the help of a pulmonologist. After many questions, some preliminary tests, and a review of my chest x-ray, the pulmonologist tentatively concluded that I have a paralyzed right diaphragm, most likely caused by phrenic nerve palsy. The phrenic nerve controls the movement of the diaphragm when breathing in and out. The right side of my diiaphragm is significantly higher than the left and impinges on the lower part of the right lung. Because of the nerve palsy, the right side of the diaphragm does not move with breathing.
I am now scheduled for a CT scan, a sniff test, and pulmonary function test to help solidify the diagnosis.
Apparently phrenic nerve complications following cardiac surgery, while not common, occur in approximately 10% of cases. I had never heard of this condition and was somewhat surprised that this could be the cause of my continued shortness of breath. Based on what I have read, reversal of phrenic nerve palsy does not look promising.
I would like to hear from anyone who has dealt with this problem.
Shortness of breath continued and seemed to reach a plateau so I therefore sought the help of a pulmonologist. After many questions, some preliminary tests, and a review of my chest x-ray, the pulmonologist tentatively concluded that I have a paralyzed right diaphragm, most likely caused by phrenic nerve palsy. The phrenic nerve controls the movement of the diaphragm when breathing in and out. The right side of my diiaphragm is significantly higher than the left and impinges on the lower part of the right lung. Because of the nerve palsy, the right side of the diaphragm does not move with breathing.
I am now scheduled for a CT scan, a sniff test, and pulmonary function test to help solidify the diagnosis.
Apparently phrenic nerve complications following cardiac surgery, while not common, occur in approximately 10% of cases. I had never heard of this condition and was somewhat surprised that this could be the cause of my continued shortness of breath. Based on what I have read, reversal of phrenic nerve palsy does not look promising.
I would like to hear from anyone who has dealt with this problem.