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| Post surgery...so now what? |  | ||
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Posted by: picaso ® 12/27/2009, 02:49:01 |
For those who have had slad surgery, How long does it take for the new nerve to reconnect...Does your voice come back gradual over time or does it come back once it reconnects itself.
Thanks... For me, its been a little over 2 weeks since surgery, unilateral and though my voice is consistent with no breaks, it is very low.... and If i am in a resturant, I can barley be heard with the person next to me. Dont get me wrong, I am grateful to have a consistent voice, just frustrated with how hoarse and low it is. Happy Holidays to all!! |
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Posted by: irish ® 01/01/2010, 17:41:48 |
Hi,
It's Irish and I had the bilateral surgery 1.5 years ago. You are anxious to have your perfect voice and I don't blame you, but the surgery you had is very intricate microscopic surgery and it takes a long time to recover. I didn't have my full voice until the 5th month. The good news is that you improve day after day. It's exciting. It takes 4-6 weeks for your nerves to rejuvenate. They have a new home and need to adjust. Be patient. :) The day is coming when you will be heard in noisy environments and can compete in heated conversation in a group. It is really exciting. I'm still amazed. I'll be in a noisy restaurant and get a big smile on realizing that I can be heard. I can say paper and plastic in the grocery store too. :):) HNY to you too,
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Posted by: Gary Lea ® 01/01/2010, 18:22:59 |
I am attaching my 3 month and one year post-op reports for your file. They will give you an idea of what to expect over the next 12 months. Patience is the watchword. Happy New Year! Gary --------------------------------------------------------------- April 21, 2007 Dear Friends, Relatives and fellow SLAD-R patients- Last Monday, April 16, 2007 marked 3 months post SLAD-R surgery for me. I have returned to normal in all physical aspects, and to work PT March 26, 2007 just 10 weeks post-op. I started with only 2 hour-long sessions per day, increasing to 4 sessions per day at present. I will leave it at 4 sessions per day for another 3 or 4 weeks and then go FT. In point of fact, just being in the office constitutes multiple demands to use my “new” voice with phone calls, talking with my secretaries and colleagues, etc., so “PT” is practically like FT anyway. Our eldest of four sons called the other evening. When I picked up the phone and spoke with him he thought it was his younger brother at first. That’s a good feeling! My voice is firming up each week. I remain a very tiny bit breathy, and can’t project far yet but my voice is strong and getting stronger - without any hint of spasming; and my pitch is becoming more variable, less monotone. I was in a large Courtroom giving expert testimony last week for 6 hours and managed well enough with the assistance of a lapel microphone, and this week another 6 hours in a smaller Courtroom without a microphone. I had some doubts beforehand but with 10 minute breaks each hour I held up without any difficulty. I have returned to my speech therapist at our local hospital just to see how I look on her various technologies. According to her analysis my humming and speech (when reading sentences and paragraphs) are all in the normal range, and showing more symmetry with each evaluation. I am, therefore, optimistic about a very good outcome. If I were to continue even at my current status I would be pleased with the surgery. Given my very promising status at 3 months post-op I expect continued gains over the next 3 months. I believe I am on a promising course so unless something remarkable happens one way or the other I will let this be my final update. If interested you are always welcome to contact me at glea@shaw.ca or by phone in the evening at 250-860-6967. I appreciate all of your interest, support and prayers over the past 3 months. All the best, Gary Lea
SLAD-R surgery - one year post-op report - Gary Lea One year ago today I had my SLAD-R surgery at UCLA Medical Center with Dr. Berke. After a harrowing first week post-op (see my report of January 25, 2007) I have made continuing steady progress. Word to the wise, by the way, if you live more than 100 miles out of LA plan on flying, not driving, home - and I’d strongly recommend staying in the LA area for at least 7 days post-op if you can afford to do so (that doesn‘t mean you should stay in the hospital for a week, just hang around your hotel or relatives’ a little longer). It gives you ready access to Dr. Berke and his staff if needed, and will help prepare you for the trip home. I am very satisfied with the outcome. I am on no medication, whether botox or any other prescribed medication, to help moderate vocal spasming. I have been back to work as a clinical psychologist on a FT basis since March 26, 2007 (11 weeks post-surgery). If voice is a critical part of your vocational life you should assume you will be off work for at least 10 to 12 weeks or more post-surgery. I have attended at Court eight times successfully, and am dictating my reports using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9, voice recognition software. I bought the software pre-surgery but was unable to use it; now I can. If the software can understand my voice I figure that’s a pretty good outcome. My voice is predictably different from what it was pre-surgery (i.e., I may have lost the top two or three pitches in my upper range) but consider that a very small price to pay. I never did make on to any talent shows anyway. J Very infrequently (once or twice a week), I have a bit of vocal “misfiring” or transient vocal tightening on the order of 1 to 5 seconds but am able to control it with attention to my breathe and vocal placement. As was the case pre-op I remain vocally sensitive to the flu/colds and certain foods such as caffeine, dairy products, chocolate, citrus, nuts and spicy dishes; the theme remains but it plays out at a different, more manageable, level. I am not breathy. My voice is within normal limits on my speech therapist’s voice analysis program. My voice is much, much easier than it has been for at least two decades. I would consider it to be 95% normal or better, and no one ever asks now if I am having voice problems. Conversely, from those who knew me pre-op, I have had many compliments on my voice. I have had SD, from hindsight, since I contracted viral pneumonia in Jan 1970; after I had the pneumonia I began to notice vocal changes, minor at first, but progressively deteriorating until I was diagnosed 16 years ago in Jan 1992. It was a challenging 15 years. I have appreciated the opportunity to discuss our mutual concerns over the years, and would be pleased to discuss my experience further with anyone considering the SLAD-R surgery. If anyone would like to speak with me directly please call me at my home number 250-860-6967; just email me beforehand at glea@shaw.ca to set up a time after 7 pm or on the weekend. I am in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada in the Pacific Time Zone (the same as California). If you have any questions feel free to write me at the same email address. Unless there are any marked changes in my condition I will let this be my last post-op report; nonetheless, I plan to check into the BB every month or so for the foreseeable future. Best wishes to all, Gary Lea SD/AD 1992; SLAD-R Jan 2007 |
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Posted by: picaso ® 01/01/2010, 22:18:58 |
Thanks Irish!
Thanks Gary! Thats very encouraging to hear how succesful your surgery has been. I remain very enthusiastic about the future since my surgery dec. 8th. THanks for taking the time to respond for me and I hope it inspires others to consider surgery if the timing and your conditions are right. I cant tell you how happy I am that I did it regardless of how much further my voice needs to improve. Eliminating the bad nerve with a good one has done the job! Happy New year to all!
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Posted by: Bill Walter ® 01/05/2010, 13:41:57 |
Hi Picaso, Irish amnd Gary - I am curious about why you had the SLAD surgery. Did you first try Botox and it didn't work or stopped working? It sounds like both Irish and Gary would recommend SLAD due to their favorable outcomes. Would you suggest taking the risk even if Botox or other methods are working or was this a last-ditch effort? The idea of a "final" solution to my adductor SD is attractive, though Botox shots work pretty well for me overall. I have pretty much been advised not to do a surgery unless I had to as it is riskier. Did you basically hear the same thing? Thanks and best of luck on your recovery, Picaso. Bill |
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Posted by: picaso ® 01/05/2010, 21:22:57 |
Hi Bill, Its a personal decision. For me botox gave me 2 months of good voice and 3 weeks of no voice....and so that was not working for me. not to mention, having to do botox injections for the rest of my life...when I found out about the slad surgery and talked to several who had the surgery and hear them speak and how happy they were that they did it, my decision was made. Of course, I did as much homework as possible on Dr. Berke and ucla , read the research studies and result of over 200 patients who did the surgery, with a 90% success rate, my decison was made . Of course, I am 51, in good health and my voice was so unacceptable to me that I was willing to take the 10% risk that my voice would be no better and or worse.. again its a personal decision that each person must make. |
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Posted by: irish ® 01/19/2010, 12:55:37 |
Hi there, I had SD for 38 years and i was sick of it. Botox worked great for me but it only lasted 3-4 months and I hate losing my voice over and over again. It was like a death. I also didn't like the initial down period with the botox with the laryngitis symptoms. At the point I had surgery I was willing to lose my voice completely. I just didn't care. As it turns out it was the best thing I've ever done! I am so happy. It is an individual decision though. I too had been emailing with a couple of past surgical patients and one woman said to me, "What are you waiting for?" That comment threw me over the edge and I went for it. At the time of the surgery I was 63 and in excellent health. The better condition you're in the better your recovery. The younger you are the better your recovery too. That all makes sense, right? This surgery is good for ADductor only. It doesn't cure SD, because SD is in your brain. It just cuts off the connection to the vocal folds. If you want more information, contact me at trish0@dslextreme.com. I have a lot of information. Irish |
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Posted by: Gary Lea ® 02/26/2010, 23:49:50 |
I would like to echo the comments of those above. Perhaps my response 6 weeks after the inquiry says it all. Post surgery I rarely think of my voice. I am beyond the 3 year mark with no adverse changes over the past year, so I am likely to enjoy "normal" voice until the "end." Even if I don't I would say that even 3 years with no difficulty is well worth it so I don't hesitate to recommend the surgery. And yes, I was so challenged by my voice, certainly as a clinical psychologist, that I got to the point that I really had to do it. Botox was too cyclical and no other interventions really did the job, and I tried them all - literally. Gary for more info email me at glea@shaw.ca |
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Posted by: pattysv ® 01/21/2010, 16:49:26 |
I had surgery with Dr Berke 4 1/2 months ago. My voice has been very hoarse and weak. I'm very happy to report that I am finally hearing my voice get stronger as of last week. They said 5 to 6 months before the new nerve figures out what to do and it sounds like mine is getting the hang of it's new job. At this point my voice is better than it was before and at the moment I still have to play all the games of breathing correctly and talking in a low, steady voice, but I'm so glad I had the surgery. Feel free to keep me posted with your progress - and I'll keep you updated on mine. Patty
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