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Sunday 30 October 2016

COPD and left Paralized Diaphragm

The night before I had surgery for ulna nerve decompression and transposition plus carpal tunnel I had phone call from GPS.  My latest spirometry confirmed sitting lung function of 53%. He has diagnosed me with stage 2 COPD. This on top of my raised left hemi diaphragm and left Paralized Diaphragm makes it tough to breath especially walking a while. Cpap helps a lot at night. Ventolin doesn't help enough so he has put me on Spiriva 18 Mcg daily.  All this gave a huge problem the following day as I was having surgery at the Nuffield and it doesn't have all the right facilities if I had major respiratory failure. I have been told now by my anesthetist to have future surgeries at nhs or facilities with such care capability.

Spoke to my ortho surgeon and he said I need to see specialist about the diaphragm.  The degeneration c3 c4 c5 may have caused this as that it where the Phrenic nerve is that controls left and right diaphragms.  Have already lost my left. Don't want to lose the right .

Will update blog when I find out more.

In meantime. Now have slow recovery from ulna nerve surgery.

Wednesday 26 October 2016

4 Years On since Surgery

Well its 4 years now since my surgery and time for my PSA test. Its going to have to be delayed until November as I have to have surgery.

Those problems I had with my neck and nerves following the Prostatectomy have come back. A new MRI was done and electrical tests. The MRI has shown I have problems from C3 to C7 , also I have problems in both arms and hands but my left arm is the worst. Before they can look at doing anything with the neck and C Spine I have to have Ulna Nerve Decompression of the left arm and Carpal Tunnel of the left hand. This is taking place this week.

So PSA will have to wait a few weeks.

This has also got me thinking and doing a lot of reading. I still have the paralysed left diaphragm and no one has explained what has caused this. All they have said is its not Lung cancer. However I am now reading that Phrenic Nerve damage can cause this - that's in the neck. Also compressed nerves caused by secondary cancers can cause this. The MRI didn't show cancers but I will mention all this to my specialist when I see him next month - it did make me think about the Perineural Invasion of the Prostate that was on my biopsy, but this would be hugely rare at 4 years post surgery.  Also going to have a word with GP about this - I sense a visit to a respiratory consultant. Am concerned that the degeneration of the spine has got worse in 4 years. If this is the phrenic nerve and then the other right nerve gets impacted then I will be in a medical emergency scenario breathing wise. Not too good. Need to get to the bottom of it all.

Life goes on.