paralyzed diaphragm

[sewing]

My brother was diagnosed in 12/2005 with a bilateral paralyzed diaphragm.  They have found no cause.  The left side went in 2001 (on chest x-ray) though and the right in 2005. He is only on oxygen at night and also has sleep apnea (on CPAP).  He has to sleep in a hospital bed with the back of the bed raised to 45 degrees, consequently his head falls forward.  Does anyone know if Zyprexa could cause this?  He has been on this for years.  Does anyone know how we can help him keep his head back when he sleeps?  Is there anything we can do to perhaps "jump start" the diaphragm.  His phrenic nerve is firing, maybe not as strong as others, but it is firing.  He is only 45 years old. We are in the process of disabling him as he cannot even bend over and gets short of breath easily, but he does not have any hobbies and is bored.  He sleeps a lot which I believe is because of the diaphgram.  Is there a diet he should be following so he does not gain too much weight?  Any suggestions or help that anyone can give us would be most appreciated.

[Rosie49]

There are some breathing exercises taught through Tai Chi which concentrate on the diapragm.  They are very gentle. This would be unlikely to heal the situation but it might do some good. The exercises are learned slowly and done slowly and are very relaxing. And they can be done at any time and can give a person something to do while lying in bed.  If you are in the Boston area, call Brookline Tai Chi. The exercises are called Longevity Breathing and have to be taught by an experienced practitioner.

[National Jewish]

This is a terribly difficult problem.  The use of CPAP during the day as well as at night might be helpful.  Bilateral diaphragmatic paralysis can be caused by multiple sclerosis, thoracic and cervical spine surgery, muscular dystrophy and various diseases of muscle called myopathies.  If the phrenic nerves are still "firing", some type of muscle disease would be likely.  This would be consistent with his inability to support his head.  You should talk with his doctors for suggestions about how to deal with the problem of inadequate head support.  You could try using some type of head harness or simply a broad band around his forehead and attached to the head of the bed.

There are no reports of Zyprexa causing this type of problem.

[Rosie49]

You are most welcome.  If the nerve is firing, then these exercises will help him maximize the function he does have. I learned them as part of a medical study re asthma. If you are having no luck on line, please call Brookline Tai Chi in Brookline MA(recently changed name to Water Way Arts or something like that). They may be able to help you find someone in your area. Best of luck.

[sewing]

Thank you Rosie for your feedback.  We live in Wisconsin.  I will look this up on the internet and see if there is someone in the area that can teach this to him.

Thanks again.