Posted by: wilma p myers ®
11/19/2005, 22:30:47
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Hi Kim,
I went thru that for many years. Just go and smile alot! Let them talk. Wear a fancy name badge with ' where you work, WHERE DO THEY WORK OR WHAT DO THEY DO? You have Spastic Vocal Cords,hard to talk,, or you can write.: 'Vocal cords will not let me talk.' something Amusing!
I used to point to friends, and say introduce yourselves, if they were not acquainted.
Figure out new ways to let everyone know you are very aware, but have a voice problem. Pass out tri fold SD brochures, discreetly, if any one is interested. Enjoy!
Let me know how it goes?
Keep the faith,
Wilma in Sahuarita, AZ wpm7@cox.net
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Posted by: kitten ®
11/19/2005, 22:51:58
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I went through that with my friends, but started using a dry erase board to "talk". They have been very accepting of my limitations, but we still have fun. I don't even have to get their attention any more when they see me writing, as they know I am quite a jokester. Sometimes they stop and saywith a laugh to each other, look out Karen is writing another note!
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Posted by: daniel ®
11/19/2005, 23:47:44
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Kim,We all feel your pain on this one. Anxiety and SD seem to go hand in hand and it's no wonder. There are many ways to deal with anxiety that I have found to be helpful. When my initital diagnosis was MTD, I was taught to breathe diaphragmatically, instead of shallow 'chest' breathing. You can tell when you are chest breathing because your shoulders will rise. Correctly using your diaphragm muscle to breathe is a MUCH more efficient way to breathe in oxygen. Babies naturally use their diaphragms to breathe, you will see their little tummies rise and fall with each inspiration/expiration. Deep slow breathing really helps with anxiety. Also, I will not hesitate to reccommend sparing use of benzos ie xanax, klonopin, valium etc, for these types of situations. Talk to your doctor. I have been taking klonopin (3 mgs) daily for a year now since my SD symptoms started and have successfully and easily tapered off the drug. Used accordingly you should not have any addiction problems; your doc will fill you in. You probably know this, but exercise and meditation also do wonders for anxiety. Approach the situation objectively; if you met someone with a voice disorder, or really any kind of disorder, I'm sure you would be patient and understanding. So much of anxiety is what we project people will feel toward us: really no one cares that we have voice disorders, they like us because of who we are! Good luck, you will do fine:)
Daniel
ps know that I am not making light of your anxiety, I have had crippling panic attacks and generalized anxiety in the past.
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Posted by: Vici ®
11/20/2005, 06:23:40
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Hi Kim! Your husband is your biggest advocate, especially in this case. Maybe he's told his co-workers about your voice problem already. If he hasn't, maybe you'd want to ask him to. Then when the party comes stick to him like glue:>) Let him do the talking for you, like introducing you to others. I know what you mean, though. I noisy restaurant and a big group of people can be a nightmare for us. Try to relax and enjoy yourself. Best wishes,
Vici (ABSD/Illinois)
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Posted by: kim ®
11/20/2005, 14:43:43
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Oh thank you all so much!!!!It's so nice of all of you to write back to me, it helps more than I can say. Just knowing that you have been through the same experiences helps me relax in realizing that I'm not the only one whose had to deal with situations like this. I'm good at smiling and laughing a lot, so I'll do this. Also I was thinking about sticking to my husband like glue, or maybe hiding under his arm, he is good at protecting me. Also he's always making jokes and is the center of attention, so usually everyone else is listening and laughing at his jokes, so this helps too. I showed him all your reply's and he thinks you are all so nice, just like I do. I hope he tells his co-workers about my voice condition, I think he will. Also, I'll do the deep breathing through my diaphram, because I notice that I do the shallow breathing through my chest a lot. I have to be more conscience about my breathing. And yes, my SD has caused me a bad anxiety problem and pancic attacks from time to time, I hate them, its so embarrasing. Well, thanks again all of you. I'll be thinking about everything you said when I'm at the party. I'll try not to worry so much about it. I worry a lot, and need to work on that too. Take care everyone, and bless you all. Sincerely, Kim
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