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Posted by: larry smith ® 09/08/2002, 12:10:36 Author Profile Mail author |
I recently posted about improvement I am having with my voice due to eating less, which has reduced acid reflux and discontinuing medication for migrane headaches. Can't find my post today, so I am posting again. My voice is still greatly improved. Has anyone else had improvement due to these factors or other factor? Please post your experience. I have heard from a couple of people that they have had a similar experience. SD/AD. |
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Posted by: Frances Jordan ® 09/08/2002, 16:08:02 Author Profile Mail author |
Wow, that's great! I keep trying to eat less in order to lose weight, but I mess up as the day wears on. Maybe now I will be more motivated to continue. I am on very little medication - just Synthroid for my thyroid. I doubt that has much effect on my sd. I say, if it works, do it. I'm glad it's working for you. Fran Jordan |
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Posted by: Bridget ® 09/08/2002, 23:01:51 Author Profile Mail author |
I haven't noticed an affect on my voice due to my eating habits. But, I do have a strange story. I went to Destin, Florida (on the ocean) last year and noticed that my voice cleared up immediately; the humidity levels were high. I was there about 3 days. When I got back to Texas, my voice worsened. This past week I went to south Louisiana because my father was sick. While there, my father died suddenly which put me under a tremendous amount of stress having to make funeral arrangements, etc. However, the weather there, although rainy, was somewhat cool and very, very humid. My voice cleared up immediately, even under the stressful situation. I have tried using a humidifier (even put salt in it) but my voice was left unaffected. I have to wonder if natural, high humidity levels have a positive affect. I'll keep everyone posted about the affects of other high humidity areas I will be visiting this year. |
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Posted by: larry smith ® 09/09/2002, 05:52:00 Author Profile Mail author |
That is interesting that the humidity has had such an impact on your voice. Another thing I thought of that seems to affect my voice is drinking coffee. When I gave up coffee my voice was better. When I started back, my voice got worse. I am not drinking coffee now and my voice is relatively good. Thanks for sharing your situation. |
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Posted by: Linda S. Adamson ® 09/09/2002, 05:56:16 Author Profile Mail author |
I can't say I have found any voice benefit from ditching my coffee habit, but I certainly see a positive effect in my acid reflux. One way or another, more healthy habits are good for us. Linda AB Annapolis MD |
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Posted by: Mary B ® 09/09/2002, 07:56:02 Author Profile Mail author |
Hi Bridget, I just posted about three weeks ago b/c my story was the opposite. The doctor told me I needed another botox shot and then the humidity level dropped and suddenly my voice improved. Since then the humidity has been up and down but my voice is still doing okay. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few months. This is my first year with SD. Mary B |
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Posted by: Bridget ® 09/09/2002, 17:21:53 Author Profile Mail author |
Mary, please keep me posted on your situation. My husband works overseas and I sometimes get to go with him. I will be going to central Africa later this year and will see what happens while there since it will be the rainy season and humidity levels are high. I live not far from Dallas, and it has been pretty humid since I got home from Louisiana 2 days ago - I have noticed that my voice remains improved so far. We'll see what happens when the humidity level drops. I don't get the botox injections because they haven't worked for me - just made things worse and it took about 3 months to get back to my "before Botox" voice. |
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Posted by: Micki ® 09/23/2002, 12:52:48 Author Profile Mail author |
I just read that negative ions lessen mucus in the lungs and take out air pollution. Negative ions are produced by pounding surf, falling water, thunderstorms, etc as well as by negative ion generators. Could this be why your voice was better on the coast but doesn't respond to a humdifier? |
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Posted by: Micki ® 09/23/2002, 12:57:23 Author Profile Mail author |
I just read that negative ions lessen mucus in the lungs and take out air pollution. Negative ions are produced by pounding surf, falling water, thunderstorms, etc as well as by negative ion generators. Could this be why your voice was better on the coast but doesn't respond to a humdifier? |
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Posted by: John Brenner ® 09/09/2002, 07:58:22 Author Profile Mail author |
Larry great to hear success stories. Have to wonder though if you really had SD in the first place? Having a bad case of acid reflux can cause voice problems similiar to mild SD. Since you seem to have altered your diet to take care of the acid reflux, it may be the reason for your improved voice. Either way, I hope the good voice quality continues. John |
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Posted by: larry smith ® 09/09/2002, 09:03:03 Author Profile Mail author |
I'd be really happy to think I did not have SD. Funny, it seems to be a guessing game, even with the doctors. But my voice is still not completely normal, its just greatly improved. If it is true that acid reflux can cause problems like mine, I'd be willing to bet that there are other people that have the same problem. If that is the case, botox would not be the best treatment. It was not a very pleasant experience for me. I'd rather clean up my act with my eating habits. Larry. |
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Posted by: Sherry A. Kjellberg ® 09/09/2002, 22:07:00 Author Profile Mail author |
I was smacked by an airbag in a low impact car wreck six years ago. I also have asthma, so at first the docs thought the powder from the airbag had caused my asthma to just worsen. As years and more and more doctors and medications came and went, it was finally determined that I had GERD (reflux), due to the whack to my chest and neck by the air bag. After several months of strong anti-acid medications and awful G.I. tests, they determined I needed a surgical stomach wrap. I underwent a really awful, painful stomach surgery to tighten the top of my esophagus and stop reflux. Everyone was hopeful that would fix my vocal problem. Though it made it better (so that I wasn't constantly and choking on foods and liquids out of the blue), unfortunately it didn't fix my voice. Only Botox seems to help my voice, but it is very good for all S.D. patients to also understand how stomach acid can inflame vocal chords and even cause spasms. I, too, find that everytime I'm near the ocean...on a cruise...in New Orleans...Charleston, etc....my voice is always lots better in the humidity! I never knew that anyone else noticed besides me. Thanks! I live in dry, drought stricken Colorado. On a hot day, if I start to get toe spasms, or leg cramps, my Swedish husband gives me a quick European mix of "half fresh squeezed lemon, 3 scant teasp. salt, 1 teasp. of sugar, stirred rapidly in a pint of water. I drink as much of it as I can stand to...and it stops the spasms in my feet, legs, eye lid twitches, and also temporarily helps my voice within about 15 minutes. Must be something about the SALT that my body needs at times? -Sherry |
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Posted by: micki ® 09/10/2002, 11:14:11 Author Profile Mail author |
Your European mix sounds like an electrolyte fix. Salt affects the conductivity of liquids. Nerve transmission happens in a liquid environment. Sounds reasonable that if your body electrolytes are out of kilter, nerve transmission will be affected. Micki Nellis (former chemist/microbiologist) |
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Posted by: Pat Venneman ® 09/13/2002, 07:18:35 Author Profile Mail author |
Great news that controlling acid reflux is working for some! I've had "ADSD" for almost a year, and like everyone else, I'm trying everything I hear about or can think of to do. I'm inclined to think my problem is tied to acid reflux, and not truly SD, but have been off coke, chocolate, coffee, alcohol, tomato and citrus, and watch my fat intake as well. It's been over a month and no difference. I've heard that dairy products can be a problem too, and wonder if others have found that to be the case. If there are other things in the diet I should avoid, I'd appreciate hearing fom you. A speech therapist once said that the acid can also be a hormonal thing, over which we have no control. I also have asthma and have taken inhalant drugs for that almost 20 yrs. At first, when my occasional raspy, tight voice started 8 yrs ago, I attributed it to the asthma drugs. I've since read that the drugs can cause a weakening of the valve that controls the acid moving into the esophagus. Phlegm was my biggest problem back then, and now that I know more about reflux, I'm convinced that's what I had. I'm also thinking that there's a psychological element because there are times that I'll start talking and my voice is almost normal, but once I think about "it" the spasms begin. Anyone else experience that? |
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Posted by: William Vanderlinde ® 09/13/2002, 13:19:10 Author Profile Mail author |
Hi Pat, Acid reflux alone can certainly cause voice problems, but many of us with SD find that it aggrevates our existing voice problem. If you haven't already done so, you may want to see a GI specialist. There are medications that can completely eliminate acid reflux. You may not want to be on such medications long term, but if you get the acid reflux under control that would give you a better idea about whether there is an underlying problem like SD. Regarding your experience with an "almost normal" voice, it is very common for people with SD to be able to speak a few clear words if they speak suddenly without thinking about it, but then have trouble talking when they are more deliberate. Rather than being a "psychological" thing, this seems to have more to do with the nature of the disorder. Focal dystonias such as SD or writers cramp are triggered by certain activities, but the same muscles may perform normally when used for other acrivities. Thus a person with SD may be able to sing, and a person with writer's cramp may be able to use the hand for other activities but not writing. Perhaps when we speak unconciously we are not using the neural pathways that trigger the spasms. There are also a number of "sensory tricks" which can temporarily decrease the symptoms of focal dystonias. Bill Vanderlinde
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