Stiff lungs 9 months after talc pleurodesis

[adamtki]

My son had a dextrose pleurodesis followed by a 5g talc pleurodesis the following week because the dextrose didn't hold up.  He had a tough recovery because of muscle spasms in his lower chest.  9 months later, he hasn't fully recovered.  He still has a tough time feeling comfortable doing basic stuff like watching a movie or drawing.  He's constantly take deep breath because his lungs feels stiff and needs to lay down about 10x a day.  His volume is good and he can actually do some light running so I know he's getting sufficient amount of oxygen.  The stiffness in the middle of his chest on the left side (where the lung collapsed) makes him feel he's not getting a refreshing breath of air.  What's causing this and is there anything that can be done for him?  His quality of life has drastically gone down and he's not the same 17 year he was prior to all this.  His doctor just says he xrays look good and his body just needs more time to heal (to me, he couldn't care less).  Thanks.