Yeah, it's a pain and embarrassing and frustrating and can really become a cuclical kind of self-pity, anger, frsutration, resentent, etc. At least for me it did - along with all sorts of oher problems in my life. But a few things have helped me get a a it over it and move on. First, gotta accept it. I say the Serenty Prayer a lot oremind myself to accept the things I cannot change. Second is thinking about people who have thigs a lot worse than me. It helps to talk to and be around people who need help to remind yourself of what you do have going for you. It also helps to be around people who are positive and who have problems that they are dealing with. You have to accept that life has now given you a problem you can't really fix flat out and you have to make do. And finally go easy on yourself. I'm yonug and single and can worry too much about how the opposite sex perceives me and that I am now a freak (or more of one than before) or just a pathetic person who can't speak right. But that's only true if I believe it myself. And yes, part of me wants to sit down and just feel sorry and ashamed of my shortcomings. But SD like all my other shortcomings (that aren't necessarily a disease even) are just to prove yet again I'm human and should be a little humble.

And a guy being a jerk in a bar isn't necesssarily due to your voice. He could just be a jerk or trying to be cool, etc. These things happen in bars. It's more him than you.

Finally, if normal means being more or less able to conceal your weaknesses and seemigly have no problems, than yes, you are no longer normal. It is quite obvious to everyone that you have a tough thing to deal with that can make them uncomfortable out of not understanding it, or afraid that you are hurting yourself by trying to talk, etc. But s a wise person told me, unfortunately life can be tough and you've got a difficult disease to deal with. But you have to either deal with it or let it control you. It's nothing to be embarrased about b/c it's a disease. People will respond to you even wit it by how well you deal with it. If you can accept it and make sure it does not control or dominate your other good qualities, you appear even stronger. There's n reason to hide. If someone makes fun of you or puts you down for it, well then there the a-hole and doens't deserve your time or needs to be put in their place (a few people have expressed how they have some snappy retorts to insensitie people). So, no, your not nrmal anymore. You are being foced to be unique. If you accept the challenge, youare going to learn to be n even sornger, more resilient person.

So keep venting when needed but try to overcome. I'm working on it myself. And generally I stay away from noisy bar myself now,o. I tried for a year or so okeep the good times rolling, so to speak, but it really is a pain in the buttwhen nobody can hear you. There's other places to have fun and meet people. And it might even be more meaningful.

Take care.

People at work treat me as if I don't have a voice problem. Which is good, I started there a year ago, so they don't know my real voice.

I have good and bad days. It all depends on how the day is going. It's very frustrating and I still ask myself the question, "how did this happen to me?" "Why?" "Why can't be cured?"

Hang in there!!

But what iritates you about the confusion of the 2 terms?

There are all sorts of 'disorders' that make a person different, but don't necessarily need to be 'fixed'. When people think of 'disease' they think of something that needs to be fixed, and cured, and that 'shouldn't be'... to call a disorder something that by necessity needs to be fixed means that it's inherently bad, and that it shouldn't exist (and by definition, people with such conditions are 'defective' somehow ...again because they're not 'normal'. Personally, this attitude drives me NUTS!! Never mind infuriates me!! Just because I'm disabled (in multiple ways) does not mean that I need to be 'fixed' or 'cured' or 'made more normal' in order to be acceptable to the narrow-minded, self-righteous, hypocritical majority of neurologically typical/non-disabled people/society I find myself surrounded by!)

Anyways, my rant for the day. {:~)

Wow - that's some anger there! I found it interesting b/c my reaction to those 2 words is the exact opposite. I think of disease as omething that just happens, that isn't by nature bad, it's just an ailment that hopefully could be fixed. I think of the term "disorder" as a wordimplying I didn' do something to keep order, or that order cold be restored if I just did the right things. It makes me feel like it's my responsibility.

So I guess this is an example of how we each perceive things differently. I know I perceive my voice to be very bad and I'm very self-conscious about it when others don't often think it's a big dealand don't get why I'd be so worked up. My new thing is to announce to peope who don't know me that I have it if I'm getting into a conversation with them and not only does that help b/c it decreases my anxieties by not hiding but I also have found most people don't care too much and overlook it already.

By the way, don't let others narrow-mindedness get you down. It's not representative of everyone fortunately and maybe you're just around the wrong people. I speak out of my experience b/c I was.