Vagus Nerve Damage

Hi there, put simply, my doctor suspects that the Vagus nerve has been damage during heart surgery last October.  They believe this to be the case because I have been left with a high resting pulse rate.  I also have a constant 'buzzing' nervous sensation across my chest and down my arms, that can get almost unbearable at times. I can feel my whole upper body trembling. Can someone tell me if this could also be due to the Vagus nerve damage?  Also, do nerves really heal themselves or not?
Can anyone recommend a herbal or vitamin remedy to help the healing process and / or to relieve me of the 'buzzing'?
I would really appreciate some advice.  Thank you.

[graciouslady]

I have been diagnosed with Gastroparesis and am having a really hard time with the disorder. I have had double by pass heart surgery, lung cancer surgery (an adenocarcinoma) and also removal of my gall bladder. I also have type 2 diabetes and take Metformin daily. Are there any herbal remedies that would help me with this very dibilitating disorder? I was on Clonodine for a number of years to help control my hihg blood pressure and now i'm reading that this particular medicine can be a cause of the disease. I am a 65 yr.old female and really would like to enjoy my food! Are there any herbal answers to my dilemma? I've been thru quite a bit and was brought thru it all and now my food seems to be my enemy! Does anyone have any suggestions? Can the vagus nerve be repaired? Could this nerve have been damaged during any of my surgeries? My symptoms have been really bad since my thoracic surgery Dec. '09.

[Dr Sharma]

Hi there and welcome to the medhelp forum. A severed or damaged vagus nerve will affect the functioning of gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, etc. there could be absent gag reflex, difficulty swallowing, change in voice, heart rhythm disturbances and dizziness, inability to control urine. vagus also supplies the external ear canal and ear drum so there could be partial or complete deafness. Heart rate and blood pressure may increase due to sympathetic predominance. The buzzing across the chest needs a neurological evaluation. It doesnot appear to be related to vagus. Check if you have other symptoms too. It would be inappropriate for me to comment further based on the information available. Best wishes.

[Rhonda959]

Hi,
I was diagnosed with MS in 2004 managed pretty good untill 2008 I lost my hearing in my left ear did not realize it untill I held the phone to my ear no pain no infection at the time hearing was better then great untill that time, the day after I noticed the loss of hearing, I got sever vertigo that had me spinning for 3 months, now I have been diagnosed with gastroparesis with nausea and vomiting dizzy feeling heart palputaion. I am on a event monitor at the present time. My question is, is it possible that the MS has damaged the vagus nerve and so what can that mean for me. I can't seem to get an answers from about is from my Doctors.

[pabs179]

I am a 35 year old male.

I understand my symptoms are not as extreme as others but I am uncertain what course to take.

I recently underwent disc replacement surgery (C6-C7) approx 5 weeks ago.
The surgery itself was successful however I still have very little voice.  
Hoarsness, loss of pitch, volume are my symptoms.

An ENT has confirmed that my right vocal cord is paralysed caused by the vagus nerve being either damaged or severed.  

The ENT specialist has suggested bulk injections to help increase voice volume.  I understand this is a temp fix as the body will eventually "break down" the forgein material.

I am also experiencing a high resting heart rate, anxiety and I constantly have to clear my throat which I presume is related to the vegus nerve.

Swallowing is good most of the time however I have found on 2-3 occasions that it’s difficult to do on command.

How can you tell if the vagus nerve is severed or just damaged?
Any help/advice would be appreciated - Not sure what to do!

Thanks