Lung paralysis...no further forward

john-e89 · Post by **john-e89** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 10:43 am

Hey,

Just keeping you guys that follow my whinging up to date.

Had an EMG nerve study test a couple of weeks ago, hell fire that was damn painful, electric shocks in the neck, they got so severe I nearly had to stop the guy, I don't look forward to any more of those...

Anyway, got the results yesterday, I had hoped they would tell me if the paralysed nerve will recover or not but they don't. They show a very small path of signal getting to the diaphragm, not enough to make it move, it's still static, so all I can do is wait and by the end of the year there 'should' be some improvement in breathing if it's going to recover. What's annoying is we're 4 months in with no benchmark, I don't know if there's been any improvement in that time, certainly my breathing is no better, to my mind an EMG test ought to have been done immeadiately post op giving something to compare to now. The electrophysiologist has just said he's hopeful of a recovery but there's no way of knowing really. The one good thing is he didn't absolutely rule it out, how much experience he has of phrenic nerve paralysis I don't know. I'm going to try to see a prof at the Royal Brompton in the London to get his opinion, he appears to be the top man in his field.

So it's carry on waiting not knowing anything, tbh it's getting a bit depressing, I'm trying my best to stay positive but I'm not in a good place just now, hopefully that's a normal phase and I'll drag my sorry chin off the floor soon..

Sorry for the moan but I feel crap so why shouldn't you bear the brunt of it......

Just kidding, cheers guys.

Marlon · Post by **Marlon** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 10:59 am

Thanks for the update John, you're in a tough place - puts many of our petty little concerns into perspective. Hang in there fella.

slick · Post by **slick** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 11:23 am

Top hospital that John..........I'm a customer there too.......I wish you a full and speedy recovery

raymond.harper · Post by **raymond.harper** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 12:27 pm

Nerve damage can take up to a year to repair which is a long time. I do feel that in the field of medicine that the Americans are ahead of the game. Here is an article which describes a case where removing the scar tissue around the cut ends and using a donor nerve fibre to repair the nerve. https://connect.uclahealth.org/discussi ... ids-story/

john-e89 · Post by **john-e89** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 12:40 pm

raymond.harper wrote:Nerve damage can take up to a year to repair which is a long time. I do feel that in the field of medicine that the Americans are ahead of the game. Here is an article which describes a case where removing the scar tissue around the cut ends and using a donor nerve fibre to repair the nerve. https://connect.uclahealth.org/discussi ... ids-story/

The difference with David though Raymond is his trauma is in his neck, where the surgeon can get to the damaged nerve and do a bypass from the heel. As far as I can find out, which is very limited, you can't do a bypass in the thoracic area where my damage is, be that from it being too deep or risky as it's directly behind the superior vena cava, I don't know. Hence I want to go to the Brompton to get some info from someone that might know.

Thanks for the post though.

Cheers Marlon and Slick.

markplant · Post by **markplant** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 12:45 pm

You'll get there John, soon be out blasting around peaks

gannet · Post by **gannet** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 1:10 pm

Can't imagine how that feels or what you are going through.

Nerves are funny things - my tongue hasn't recovered from wisdom tooth surgery several years ago, but I can put up with mild tingling if it stays mobile!

Hopefully things will start to improve for you soon, fingers crossed for you.

dr_john · Post by **dr_john** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 3:40 pm

Marlon wrote:Thanks for the update John, you're in a tough place - puts many of our petty little concerns into perspective. Hang in there fella.

Well put Marlon.

John, I'm sure you will emerge from the other side of this soon.

mr wilks · Post by **mr wilks** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 6:26 pm

dr_john wrote:
John, I'm sure you will emerge from the other side of this soon.

New Pink Floyd album

Darren Slone · Post by **Darren Slone** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 6:34 pm

Hey John chin up buddy

I'll pop in for a cuppa soon that'll cheer you up !

maxman · Post by **maxman** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 6:57 pm

Sounds like you are having a shocking time ,I have this picture in my head of this

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JustCruzin · Post by **JustCruzin** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 7:22 pm

Blasted nerves are very unpredictable. Have seen in my career that just like you say, no one is prepared to commit to a decision as in truth no one really knows what the outcome will be. One thing I am sure of though is that sleepy nerves need 'rebooting'.

Did the electrophysiologist suggest any exercises that may help?

Finger crossed for you old friend.

Cheers Arif

Nanu · Post by **Nanu** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 7:49 pm

Marlon wrote:Thanks for the update John, you're in a tough place - puts many of our petty little concerns into perspective. Hang in there fella.

I'll second that

Chris_D · Post by **Chris_D** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 8:10 pm

I've been secretly working on something that might facilitate your unfortunate predicament john, at least from a mobility perspective. It has the m52tuB25 engine from benny, my dearly departed e36 coupe, as well as flybywire throttle input, incontinence-compliant seats, auto gearbox and a radio permanently tuned to radio2.
We'll need your input at the concept development gate stage 1 meeting however. How's your agenda looking for the coming weeks....?

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Grumpyowl · Post by **Grumpyowl** » Tue Mar 28, 2017 8:17 pm

Easy to say I know, but keep your pecker up John, you've been so positive up to now.
One day at a time

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