paralyzed diaphragm

[kate6983]

My sister just had surgery where a tumor was taken out of abdomen.  Now she has Pneumonia, her Right Inferior Lung is collapsed, and she has a paralyzed diaphragm.  What could have caused this?  The doctor's say it is not from the surgery, but maybe from an underlying condition she already had.  She's been 6 weeks and has not received an answer from the doctors as to specific treatment, or what may have caused it.  Any suggestions?

[Sunny602]

There are many causes for a paralyzed diaphragm ranging from surgical to viral. Did your sister have problems before her surgery? One sided paralysis will show up on a xray as an elevation of the affected side. Your sister must have had xrays prior to her operation, did her doctors mention if they were abnormal in any way (did they see an elevation of her diaphragm)?
If so, then she had this condition prior to her surgery and something else caused it, perhaps a viral infection. Often times, a paralyzed diaphragm is diagnosed incidentally with a xray of the chest. There usually are no symptoms but sometimes there will be shortness of breath especially when bending over or lying flat.
If your sister hasn't seen a pulmonologist, she should do so, especially if she is having breathing problems.
I have severe diaphragmatic problems on both sides of my diaphragm as a result I have significant problems with breathing. Your sister's problems hit home with me, I hope she finds relief. As far as treatment goes, if there aren't symptoms, doctors just monitor you. If there are symptoms, especially severe, there is a surgical intervention called plication where the surgeon tacks down the affected side so that it doesn't drift upwards into the chest cavity thus preventing the lung from collapsing.
I hope this helps, Sunny

[rhodo]

Kate l3 years ago I had to have two thirds of my right lung remove due to pneumacochial pneumonia, Since then my diaphragm has been paralyzed, the doc said when I was breathing in it was breathing out., My doctor told me that sometimes it comes back mine came from nerve damage,I use a inhaler and that is it for breathing Thank God, I am allergic to steroids , they throw my into pneumonia real fast, also I pulled my own vent and feeding tube and my vocal chords was damaged. Sorry to hear about this .
rhodo