hi everyone i am new here and have some questions. i had heart surgery in march of this year, had my aorta replaced (st. jude) and dissecting aorta repaired. about a month ago my surgeon told me that i have a elevated diaphragm (left) and it would probably fix its self in a year. last couple of weeks it is getting more painful in my chest to take deep breaths and sleep at night (no more than 2 hrs at a time). is there anyway i can find out if my nerve to the diaphragm is cut or just damaged, and could it take longer than a year to repair its self. I have lost confidence in my surgeon since the news of my diaphragm, he did not let me know of this until 5 weeks post op event though i took 2 other xrays before.

Thanks

Keep in mind that x-rays are notoriously hard to read. Is that little shadow scarring, or a fold in the blanket? Is it blurry because it's full of fluid, or because the guy moved? Is his heart looking huge because it's actually enlarged or because he's too close to the X-ray machine?

The painful breathing should be taken to your doctor, since nobody here can give you the diagnosis you need.