My first Botox shot (2.5 units) only lasted about 1 month too.

In my experience subsequent shots lasted a lot longer. I've had over 40 shots over a 12 year period and currently get a dose of 10 units in one vocal cord only. I wouldn't claim my voice is perfect all the time, but it sure is better and less effort that untreated SD!

We'll look forward to reading how you get on.

I'm about one treatment ahead of you and I can say, even at this point, that there is light at the end of the tunnel! I suffered for several years with a deteriorating voice and was turning into a nervous wreck trying to deal with it socially and professionally. As SD is not a common thing for MD's to encounter, my condition was (mis)diagnosed as being everything from allergies to anxiety. (I'm not slamming the medical profession here, I'm actually quite sympathetic about the lack of SD information out there- I really feel that any doctor I dealt with was genuinely doing his/her best in order to help me!)

I was fortunate enough to be able to have an extremely astute Speech Pathologist working at the voice clinic that I attended. After extensive therapy, she recognized that I had "hit a brick wall" as far as progress went. An equally competent ENT doctor was in charge of the clinic. When the MD heard my voice and saw the way that my cords (mal)functioned during a scope exam, she referred me to another doctor who deals with SD and other voice disorders a great deal of the time.

In January of this year I had bilateral injections (per side) of 3.5 units . That was my first treatment and the injections were done without a scope to guide the MD to the exact point at which to place the doses. Because my Adam's apple is very thick and quite calcified, the doctor had a great deal of difficulty in getting through it and being able to hit the precise injection spot with the needle. The results were much like you described- short and sweet. I went back in March and had a repeat treatment- this time with the MD using a scope to be able to pinpoint the exact desirable injection site. The dosage was increased to 4.5 units per side. I experienced a breathy voice for about three weeks and then things really improved! My voice, although far from being perfect, is the best it has sounded in the last decade! It is still quite limited, in so far as pitch range and volume are concerned, but the constricted "strangulation" voice is gone and people are remarking that they can at least understand most of what I am saying.

The latest treatment has left me feeling so much more confident and relaxed. I can honestly say that I have not felt better in many years and I'm being reacquainted with what the feeling of relaxation is like!!!

Remember, Amelia this is a long term thing, and it's bound to take some time until you get the dose that's right for you. Hang in there- and always say to yourself "It could be a lot worse- it's only a non life- threatening voice condition and there's someone else out there suffering with a more difficult problem". It's working for me!!