Posted by: Keith ®
11/24/2007, 10:15:27
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Hi,
I have no experience with laryngitis, but I can speak to feelings of tightness and pressure in the throat and neck area. Sometimes we try to fight our way through the SD by using adverse compensatory techniques that can result in what you are describing. If we tense up in the throat and laryngeal area, this tension often manifests itself in other areas of the body - especially the neck. When I first started with SD, and didn't have any coping skills, I simply tried to use more air and power my way through the spasms. Obviously, this just made things worse. After about of year of excellent speech therapy, where I learned how to work with the SD rather than try to work around it or through it, and even with the improvements I gain through botox, I still find myself sometimes pushing too much, trying too hard, etc. which can create pain in the throat and neck. An excellent SLP once told me that the wisdom of the body isn't always very wise. Hope some of this helps. Regards,
Keith
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Posted by: boycrazyKC ®
11/24/2007, 22:06:19
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Hi Keith, thanks for your response! If you can read the first msg I posted, I explained the whole scenerio. This has occurred 3 times, over 3 years. Two of those times I have gone to the hospital because I was having trouble breathing and was "barking." The first time, they called it "Croup" and laughed that all their croup patients are typically 2 years old. This last time, I actually went to an E.N.T. I was past the breathing problems, but could barely speak. He instantly said he is certain that I have SD because I was hoarse, but my voice would still break with some words being louder than others. Although at that point I barely had any voice. About 4 days later, I actually felt a pressure lift from the area that I was speaking from before. Currently my voice is barely breaking, but some times when I start a sentence the first 2 or 3 words do not even come out, I'm not even sure anyone knows that I have tried speaking. The rest comes out pretty normal. I am panicked though, as I teach an adult education class to law enforcement officers. I have to project my voice throughout a classroom, and sometimes over the noise of 8 printers. I am literally seeing my career flash before my eyes. On the same note, I don't want jump back into to teaching two quickly, as I'm afraid the strain will make things worst. As for the spasms you speak of, I do not feel spasms, only pressure. And a habitual throat clearing thing that I have been doing, which I read is symptomatic of laryngitis. I just don't know how to tell the difference, and the e.n.t. was so "certain." Bye the way, the e.n.t. asked if I had been under a lot of stress...my husband was all over that!!
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Posted by: Mary Salisbury ®
11/28/2007, 07:28:43
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Hi...Just wanted to let you know that yes, I have experienced that pressure thing in my throat before. It's like a tightening or a lump feeling, but it doesn't hurt. Sometimes it increases on a strong inhale or exhale. That feeling is not there all the time, and sometimes when it is particularly bad, I will feel it into my chest. I imagine it has something to do with what Keith mentioned. With SD, people will often compensate for a bad voice by pushing their voices harder to produce sound. That tenses up everything in their throats, and in their breathing. Also, people with SD are particularly likely, I think, to feel the effect of stress. Most people, when under a lot of stress or when very nervous, will experience a difference in their voices and in their breathing patterns...so for someone who already has SD I think that effect can be magnified. (Almost anyone on this bulletin board can tell you that when they experience a lot of stress in their lives, or when they are in situations where they feel nervous, their voice gets suddenly worse.) Whether or not the pressure you feel in your throat is due to
all the bad things we do to try to compensate for our poor voices, or if it's due to stress, or something entirely different, only time will tell. Maybe you could start keeping track (write a little diary) of when that pressure thing happens
or gets worse. Then go see an ENT who knows a lot about SD or maybe see a neurologist who specializes in movement disorders. If you DO have SD and pursue botox, you might find that the breathing, swallowing, pressure thing resolves itself when you get botox, because you don't have to do all those counterproductive compensating things with your throat muscles to produce a voice.
Also, a class that focuses on the breath and relaxation, (like some Hatha yoga or gentle yoga classes do) can help you learn to really relax your body, and that can be helpful, too. Good luck. Mary Salisbury
Mixed SD
Modified by Mary Salisbury at Wed, Nov 28, 2007, 08:09:21
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Posted by: Tberica ®
01/31/2008, 13:49:52
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I would Like to ask Mary Salsbary What she means by seeing a Nerologist for movement disorders?
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Posted by: hoarse whisperer ®
01/31/2008, 18:08:49
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Tberica,Obviously I'm not Mary Salsbary, but many people don't look at responses to old messages, or "today's messages" and just review the current page, so I thought I'd answer the best I could. Many people with SD also include a neurologist as part of their medicinal team. These are usually neurologists that specialize in movemement disorders, like Cervical Dystonia, Blepharospasm, and other neurological movement disorders. Spasmodic Dysphonia is considered a type of focal dystonia. I hope this answers your question. Lori
AB/SD and VCD since 2003
Dallas, Texas
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Posted by: Kerrie ®
12/09/2007, 08:18:26
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Hi everyone,
It has been a while since I have posted on the BB.
I have Dopa Responsive Dystonia with Respiratory Dystonia. I have Sinemet and Botox for a head tremor,I also carry Adrenalin & a nebuliser as a once only treatment then straight to hospital.
I also have the feeling of tightness & pain in the neck except I have it in the throat,neck, down into the chest wall and down my arm all on the left side,this seems to be connected to the Vocal & Respiratory Dystonia.None of this is due to heart problems I have had plenty of tests.
Recently after a 6/7 week respiratory infection I ended up in hospital for a week with 3 1/2 days in ICU with respiratory distress and stridor associated with vocal spasms & coughing. Whilst in the ER the Dr's treated me with Diazepam, Budesonide nebulisers for a croup like cough and Dexamethasone all without help, after consulting with one of my Neurologists they trialed me on nebulised Adrenalin which worked opening my airways again except everytime I would talk or move I would go into respiratory distress and stridor again.They had to give me nebulised Adrenalin every 6/8hrs.
After 4 days my airways decided to stay opened & all the tightness & pain subsided. I was allowed home after I was 48hrs symptom free.
At the moment I only have occasional Respiratory stridor so I am not having Botox as yet.
Has anybody else had the Adrenalin?
hope this has been helpful.Kerrie
Australia
DRD with Respiratory Dystonia
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Posted by: meslerj ®
12/25/2007, 20:18:13
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Yes, I feel it. It is not really pain like a sore throat when I'm sick, but it feels more like a straining feeling. The more I try to talk the worse it is. I can feel it at the base of my neck on both sides of my trachea. At this moment my voice has been pretty well gone for a month and I am really feeling it.
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