Hi. I was wondering if some of you could share your experience
on what a "breathy" voice sounds like.I had botox for the first time one month ago (2.5 units bilaterally)
and I experienced no breathiness whatsoever. I started having
a decent voice 2-3 days after the injection and was quite
happy to have not experienced this (or any other) side effect!
However, it's been only one month and I have recently noticed
in the past 6 or 7 days that my voice is getting gradually
worse. I saw my ENT yesterday and he said that he wants to
increase the dose next time (probably in mid-October), as he would
like my voice to sound better than it does at this point. He
said that with an increased dose I will most likely experience breathiness
but that hopefully the injection will last longer (which
I would prefer!).
Since this is all very new to me, I'd like to know what a
"breathy" voice is like and some idea of how this affects
your ability to speak in public settings.
I'm supposed to do a presentation in late October (probably
a few days to a week after botox!) but somehow wonder how
difficult that will be. I could probably change the date,
but that is something I would have to arrange now and not
just "wait and see" and cancel the day before! My presentation
partner (also a friend) said "now don't go losing your voice
on me before this presentation!" (as if i have any SAY in the
matter!!!)
Anyway, I have difficulty projecting my voice in a classroom as
it is (I'm a grad. student) and am not even fond of the
whole presentation idea when my voice is as "good" as it
is now... takes WAY too much energy & straining. So I imagine doing
it with a breathy voice would be a heck of a lot more
difficult!
I know this is all *very* unpredictable and no one can
tell me if I will experience breathiness, or how long it
will last, etc... but any general comments on
how difficult it is to communicate through a breathy voice would be appreciated! "Breathiness" is a word tossed around a lot
without much explanation (as I'm sure once you experience
it you don't need an explanation!) but I'm still a bit
confused by what it is (whispery??? high-pitched??? just
hard to talk in general???).
Thanks,
Laurie
Re: breathiness explanation
Hi Laurie.I have had 2 botox injections so far and after each of them I have gone through a stage where I could only manage a faint whisper and even that was very tiring. For me this stage lasts a week or so and then my voice gradually gains in strength. But while it is improving, it feels very uncomfortable if I try to increase the volume. There is no way I could make a presentation when I am going through this stage, even one-to-one conversations are difficult enough. As you say, everybody responds differently and maybe I am giving you the 'worst-case' scenario - but if I were faced with the options you have, I would either have to bring the botox forward or cancel the presentation. I really appreciate the difference botox makes to my voice once it has taken effect, but I find the first 2 weeks after the treatment really difficult to cope with, definitely one of the times when I wish life was like a video recorder and you could use a fast-forward button!! Judy
Re: breathiness explanation
As an example, Marilyn Monroe had a breathy voice. Marilyn's breathiness was mild compared to the effects of botox, but it's similar. You will try to talk, and it seems like whooosh, all the air is gone. I wouldn't recommend giving a presentation after an extra big botox shot, especially since you can schedule it for another time. I would recommend 5-6 weeks after the botox shot, and I base that solely on the fact that my botox injection that I had, I was breathy for 6 weeks, which is an uncommonly long time. At 6 weeks post-botox, you should be at the quality of voice you'd be proud of.
-Kristina
--modified by Kristina Gomez at Thu, Sep 14, 2000, 18:18:38
Re: breathiness explanation
Laurie. I like the comparison to Marilyn Monroe. Breathiness is an exaggerated Marilyn Monroe voice. For me, that means that I don't have volume, so you can call it a whisper, but you also don't have the air that it takes to get the sounds out well, so it's a whisper that is difficult to maintain more than a few seconds without inhalation. I have found it almost impossible to teach during this period, and have learned to be very creative with a class since it's hard to be heard, even with amplification. There is a correlation between the length of breathiness and length of "good voice" in my case, and others have substantiated that as well. And both stages are dependent on the amount of botox injected, which can be manipulated over time to produce the optimal experience, and also on the potency of the serum, which no one has much control over. My worst experience of breathiness was in the first trials years ago to determine the most effective dosage and that lasted eight weeks, followed by a really good voice for four months. My experience is that public speaking will be too difficult for you physically and mentally and taxing on your audience as well, so best to either postpone the injection or postpone the presentation. As time passes and experiences grow, you will get very good at knowing what you can and can't do, and will effectively arrange what you have to do around what you are capable of doing. That's life with SD. Make the best of it! Gene
Re: breathiness explanation
Hi Laurie and others,I was just recently diagnosed with abductor SD and I am always breathy now:) I am a teacher and I just say I am Mariln Monroe. I am having my first Botox the first part of October. I understand it only works in a small percentage of the people who have abductor SD, and my doctor said I would have no side effects. Is that because I have abductor rather than adductor?Katrina
Re: breathiness explanation
I typically illustrate this process by comparing my pre-botox, post-botox to a guitar string. Initially, my vocal cords are like an overly taught guitar string. In that condition, it takes a great deal of "plunk" (air) to make the string produce sound. After the botox, it is as if the string has been loosened to the point that it has no tension in it. In this condition, no amount of "plunk" will make sound. Over time, the tension returns to the guitar string until it is "normal" - at least for a period of time.
Re: breathiness explanation
Laurie,
I am currently in the breathy stage of my Botox injection. For me it is a little different. I require a larger dose of Botox so my voice is very impaired. People can not understand a word I say. I can not even whisper. My friends say I sound just like a Tella Tubby. I have to use a small caulkboard to communicate and email is my lifeline. I dont know how much your doctor will increase the dose too but everyone reacts differently to Botox. It is a good idea not to schedule anything that requires constant use of your voice for the first few weeks after injection. Some breathy stages are short and others are long. Once your dosage is determined then you will have a better gauge on what to expect with the breathy stage. This is the hardest part about Botox injections. But I would not trade it for the world because Botox has given me complete peace of mind and my life back to a somewhat normal existence.
Re: breathiness explanation
Laurie,I agree with everyone about postponing your presentation. I responded to my first botox injection with a good voice about 2 days after and then breathiness. I didn't have very good results with my first one, but it got better as the doc adjusted my dosage. My results were always different and the breathiness lasted from 4 weeks to 6 weeks for me. I only had short periods of good voice but the breathiness was so much easier than the strained voice especially when I would reach the Marilyn Monroe stage. I worked in a very busy doctor's office as receptionist (not a good job for someone with SD)and I certainly agree those breathy stages were extremely taxing. Being compared to "Marilyn" was amusing. One of the doctors called and asked my boss what did his receptionist look like, she sounds like Marilyn Monroe. Needless to say, I do not resemble Marilyn in any way, but it helped lighten up dealing with a breathy voice while trying to deal with people day in and day out.
Re: breathiness explanation
Laurie,My normal dosage for a 3 to 3.5 month "run" would be 1.5 units divided between the two cords (bilateral). I initially started with 2.5 units (bilaterially) but this caused the "breathy" stage to last much too long. Thereafter, I received 1.5 unilaterally for a period of time. Over the 10 years of receiving injections, I would experiment with dosages. The "correct" amount may well depend on the severity of your SD. Regardless of the dosage or location of the injections, I did not schedule any major speaking obligations for at least 10 days (14 days if my schedule would permit). Because the effects of the injection are just not totally predictable, you really have to plan for the "worse case scenario". After 10 days I could usually handle phone conversations and face to face meetings. Big rooms presented a major problem as the auditory system tends to try to make you project your voice - even if you cannot - resulting in a "blowout" of the weakened cords. I once tried to give a speech to a group of 30 people in a fairly large room, 10 days after an injection. Needless to say, I only made that mistake once. Whispering your way though a speech is a very humbling experience. I sometimes wore an ear plug as this helps you "hear" yourself and makes modulating your voice easier. My speech therapist molded a clear ear plug (making it hard for others to see) and this helped quite a bit. Hope this helps. John S. Beeman
Re: breathiness explanation
The good news is that after you get your botox shot, if you get breathiness, you know the shot worked! I always found that right after a shot I had so much relief from the strain. It just seemed to disappear along with the volume of course. My husband (and kids) always thought the breathiness period was a good excuse to get away with things since they could not hear me. I found out a whistle gets their attention very quickly!! You might also look into an amplifier. I have heard some say it is a great help in a restaurant, etc.
Re: breathiness explanation
Hi Lauri,
I had a couple of injections like the one you spoke of, no breathiness at all but the voice was short lived....
Then when the Dr. hit the right muscle and a larger dose of Botox the breathiness came, and it lasted for about three weeks in my case. Very frustrating! I would describe it like a balloon filled with air, you can squeeze a sound out that makes a silly noise(you know the one I'm talking about) but if you just let the opening loose for all the air to come out, that is the breathiness you will have it's just whooooo, no sound at all, this is because the vocal chords are paralyzed (open) and not closing. It's when the vocal chords close that creates the sound of a voice. When they don't close just air come through, lots of air....
This is part of the roller coaster effect of Botox that people talk about.
Good luck to you!Barb Johnson
Renton, Wa
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