Spasmodic Dysphonia Bulletin Board

Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ?
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Posted by: Vash ®
09/13/2008, 17:55:33
Hi all! This is a wonderful forum! I hope to get acquainted with everyone here.

I'm trying to determine if I have Spasmodic Dysphonia..

I'm a 21 male. I've been having stressful voice trouble for about 7 years. It's affecting my social life and keeps me constantly depressed. This last year I was diagnosed for thyroid and had my vocal cords examined. It was determined that my vocal cords tend to open and muscles in my throat stress to push them together. I was appointed to voice therapy. I did 4 sessions but it isn't helping much... just makes my throat feel less stressed.

My symptoms match this voice disorder. And they are:

Tightness in throat when talking.
High-pitch voice when trying to talk loud;
Voice breaks; air leaks;
Not heard in crowds;
Words fade;
Feel repressed by people with a strong voice;
I feel comfortable talking on the phone as opposed to talking in person;
Brisk sensations of soar throat when talking.

Are those symptoms enough to be considered as Spasmodic Dysphinia? My voice therapist says I might need to see a neurologist but never mentioned this disorder. I want to stop waisting a fortune and being told what I don't have. I want to reach the final stage. It just seems like some doctors are
avoiding the evident.

Thank you for reading and I anticipate your response!



Modified by Vash at Sat, Sep 13, 2008, 17:56:59

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Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ?
Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ? -- Vash Top of thread Archive
Posted by: Hoarse Whisperer ®
09/13/2008, 19:37:14
The best place to look for medical professionals (ENT doctor, neurologist, speech therapist, etc.) with experience diagnosing and treating SD or other voice disorders is the NSDA website at www.dysphonia.org and then click on the Healthcare Referrals link on the top menu. There's also a link to the NSDA site at the top of this SD bulletin board page.

A good way to determine if you have SD or what type of SD you may have is to visit the YouTube video (link below) created by Dr. Robert Bastian, who is one of the best and most knowledgeable doctors currently treating SD. Dr. Bastian is also the Chairman of the NSDA Medical Advisory Board.

Dr. Bastian reviews the various types and subtypes of a spasmodic dysphonia. Numerous voice examples are included, along with videos of the vocal folds for normal, ADSD and ABSD. It's amazing how be can personally mimic various forms of SD. It starts off a little slow, but keep watching, it's truly excellent!

Good luck!

Lori
ABSD
North Texas


Related link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m21wKQJwcU

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Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ?
Re: Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ? -- Hoarse Whisperer Top of thread Archive
Posted by: Vash ®
09/14/2008, 08:41:13
Thank you! I'll switch to a doctor referred by the NSDA site.



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Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ?
Re: Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ? -- Vash Top of thread Archive
Posted by: mdubovick ®
09/14/2008, 19:17:05
Listening to the YouTube video from Dr. Bastian will give you some idea what different forms of SD sound like.

You should understand that the doctors listed on the NSDA site HealthCare Referral section are NOT referred or recommended by NSDA. To better serve its members, the NSDA maintains this directory. Healthcare professionals who treat SD and wish to be listed submit their contact information. NSDA simply lists them as a courtesy to the SD patient community.




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Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ?
Re: Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ? -- Hoarse Whisperer Top of thread Archive
Posted by: The Godfather ®
09/15/2008, 19:49:08
This is a fantastic video! I am amazed how well he can imitate the different voices of SD. When he did "tonic fry variant" and "classic mild variant" I heard what I sound like.
Now if he can change his voice from normal to SD, why can't WE change ours from SD to normal!
Thanks for the link, I'm passing it on to family members and friends.
Raymond
AD/SD



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Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ?
Re: Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ? -- The Godfather Top of thread Archive
Posted by: Sumaya ®
09/17/2008, 13:08:09
Cause he doesn't have a neurological condition that's keeping his vocal cords from behaving the way he orders them to?



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Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ?
Re: Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ? -- Hoarse Whisperer Top of thread Archive
Posted by: Sumaya ®
09/17/2008, 13:05:41
I think I saw that video but I can't remember my kind of voice. You might find my video somewher in the realted videos too...case anybody wann know what my "best" but quit un-understandable voice sounds like:)



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Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ?
Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ? -- Vash Top of thread Archive
Posted by: Sojourner ®
09/13/2008, 20:49:16
There are multiple voice disorders that can have similar symptoms. Personally, I have muscular tension dysphonia and spasmodic dysphonia. I have a tough time knowing which one is the real culprit of my voice distortion at any given time. For me, a correct diagnosis was made by my ENT and a voice pathologist who performed a videoscopy. I actually had two videoscopies performed. The method of inserting the tube through my nose to see my vocal chords in action revealed both and showed that laryngopharyngeal reflux was also part of the problem. Before being correctly diagnosed, I was misdiagnosed for about six years by other types of doctors who did not specialize in problems dealing with the throat/voice.



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Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ?
Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ? -- Vash Top of thread Archive
Posted by: Sumaya ®
09/17/2008, 13:02:30
Sure "sounds" familiar to me. Neurologist would be a good idea for diagnosis. Do you have muscle spasms in other places, perhaps the face, the neck?



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Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ?
Re: Re: Do I have Spasmodic Dysphonia ? -- Sumaya Top of thread Archive
Posted by: Vash ®
09/17/2008, 20:24:32
I got spasms just in the throat. Had them for 6 years.. maybe more if I think back.



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