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| muscle tension dysphonia in a speech therapist. |  | ||
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Posted by: mrspetunia ® 07/20/2011, 18:37:43 |
About two years ago I developed muscle tension dysphonia after I had already been practicing as a speech therapist for five years. Trust me, the irony was not completely lost on me. I think that I was always self conscious of my voice and abhorred the way it would tremble if I got nervous, thus revealing my insecurities (or so it seemed). As compensation, I learned to speak with excess tension to control the trembling. Unfortunately, after a few years of speaking in this style, my technique backfired and I ended up having difficulty pronouncing certain words. My voice "catches" and it almost sounds like a stutter. My throat is always tight and painful and I live in such fear of people noticing my voice disorder. I remember that I used to work with people who stuttered and I would counsel them to self disclose, accept their condition, and openly stutter to minimize shame. I completely suck at following any of my own advice. I also feel so defeated because my disorder is "psychogenic" but I am unable to overcome it. In fact, it seems the harder I try to fix it the worse it gets. I guess I'm just looking for a little understanding and would love to hear from anyone with any similar feelings,conditions etc. I would be the first to rush off to a voice clinic for treatment but, living in a rural area, there are simply none within three hours. Any advice/insight would be sorely appreciated. |
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Posted by: pattysv ® 07/21/2011, 09:35:38 |
Take the focus off your voice and move it to your body as a whole. Do yoga, work out, get a massage, get rid of unhealthy relationships, eat whole foods and think about being healthy and vibrant - not about how your voice sounds. The voice will work itself out. |
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Posted by: JComer ® 08/01/2011, 15:10:41 |
You are a voice professional so you obviously should know that there is quite a similarity between MTD and SD. In fact, ENTs struggle with being able to discern the difference. If you do, in fact, have MTD then you also know that this can be corrected with therapy. Finding a therapist who actually understands SD and MTD and what to do to correct MTD is a challenge particularly if you live in a rural area. I assume by now that you have looked at the NSDA website at www.dysphonia.org to locate those healthcare professionals that might possibly be able to help. This is tough situation and I am sure I am not making it any easier. Finding a way to relax the muscles when you are tense over the problem is difficult. Good luck to you. I hope you can locate some help that is not too far away.
John ABSD Minnesota |
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Posted by: irish ® 08/02/2011, 12:36:19 |
Hi,
I agree with the other posts, but another thing to consider is that perhaps you do have SD. Many SD patients feel that it is psychogenic and the condition is worsened with stress like any disorder whether it be diabetes or a heart disorder. Sounds like you need an objective work up so that you can be scoped, etc......something you really can't do yourself. Hopefully it is just psychogenic, but all possibilities should be eliminated in my view. |
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Posted by: mrspetunia ® 08/02/2011, 21:14:34 |
Thanks for the advice all. I was putting off researching the pathway to differential diagnosis btwn MTD and SD. After reading these messages I could do so no longer and googled my inquiry. Obviously, I was hoping to be reassured that I had MTD. Unfortunately, my findings strongly suggested abbductor type SD (the rarer form). In fact, my symptoms completely mimicked this voice disorder. I have scheduled an appointment with voice technicians in west lafayette for confirmation. Again, thanks for the input and it looks like I have, for better or worse, officially joined your ranks. I guess I came to the right bulletin board after all! |
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Posted by: baystater ® 08/02/2011, 22:58:43 |
note: this really is about MTD. The beginning is some background I went to a neurosurgeon because I had terrible pain from arthritis which caused a pinched nerve and much more. The neurosurgeon adviced that before surgery, I should try some
At the end of the 4 week period, the pain was still there. BUT THE MTD WAS GONE, COMPLETELY. I know this sounds unheard of but it is true. Do not try this on your own without discussing it with a medical doctor. The amount of weight in the traction may be very different for you than me. Modified by baystater at Wed, Aug 03, 2011, 05:13:05 |
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