Re: DS and mucus production
Kathy, I had the same problem with the onset of my SD. Constantly felt the need to clear my throat. My PCP prescribed guaifenesin (sp?), a medication which clears up mucus, with no beneficial effect. Even after having had the denervation-reinnervation surgery almost 11 months ago, I still find myself with a lot of mucus and clearing my throat constantly, especially after "trying" to speak. I never had this problem prior to the onset of the SD. I suspect that it is a result of rather than a cause of the SD.
Jeff Brode
Re: DS and mucus production
Hello Kathy, Many SD patients do have problems with a variety of allergic reactions to many things. Before I was diagnosed with SD my search for the voice problem turned up other things. First I was diagnosed with allergies to many things and received allergy injections for several months with no apparent help to the voice. Next I was diagnosed with a hital hernia and reflux. For that I was placed on Prilosec. This took care of most of the "drip, mucuous, or whatever in the throat. Since my surgery for SD, I am still bothered with the GERD, mostly in the a.m. as I an awaking. I have never been aware of the reflux but I now take Aciphex (1 tablet at night before bedtime). This makes my voice much, much better when morning comes. If I fail to take the medication for a few nights, I begin to notice that my voice is very hoarse and "rough" sounding. This may not have anything to do with your problem. I know Dr. Berke finds it is very important that his patients control the GERD to improve the voice. I believe he feels this way whether a patient has had surgery or not. The acid backing up into the throat from the reflux can seriously compromise the sound of your voice. Hope this information helps. One surgery patient in California was placed on a diet to control the reflux in order for her reinnervation to make progress. I haven't talked to her lately. I need to call her and see how her healing is going now. Hope this little bit of information helps some. Lylia Bennett
Re: DS and mucus production
This might sound stupid, but what is acid reflux and how do you know if you have it?
Thanks!
Cinthia
Reflux and voice disorders
This is an interesting article:
http://www.bgsm.edu/voice/reflux_voice.html --modified by Tatiana Faccini at Tue, May 01, 2001, 09:00:46
Re: DS and mucus production
Kathy,Throat clearing was also the way my SD started. Never had sinus problems or colds, but always felt like I had mucous or phlegm in my throat, especially on the right side. Nothing got rid of it. Soon after came the strain while trying to speak. I have also had Dr. Berke's surgery over 8 months ago and notice that now I only have to clear my throat occasionally. Like you, I always felt if I could get rid of that lump in my throat, I could talk better. I took botox for several years and it made the throat clearing go away too. Barb
Re: DS and mucus production
Hi.. I've been reading this thread and had to stop and comment.. my mucous problem did not begin until AFTER botox.. hmmm anyone else ?
Re: DS and mucus production
I too started having extra mucus production after I began the Botox injections. In discussing this with my doctor, I was given the following information, which makes sense to me.When we injure ourselves in some way, our body tries to heal itself. Basically this is what happens when we get the Botox injections. The vocal cord has been injected, tampered with if you will, and it begins to try and "heal" itself. Trying to keep itself coated in other words. It (the vocal cords) is trying to do the same thing from being in spasm. So we produce more mucus than a normal person would. I've found it helpful to stay away from mucus producing foods and drinks. Milk and milk products are really bad about making you produce mucus - and I love my glass of milk and occasional bowl of ice cream! But when I do indulge, my vocal cords take on the feeling of "wearing flannel jammies" and I start the clearing of my throat, hurrumping, etc. for the next few hours. Citrus juices are another culprit! I just stay away from those. Buttered popcorn at the movie was almost was my undoing. The popcorn went down fine, the butter latched on to my vocal cords and I thought I was literally going to choke to death before it finally wore off. I had to leave the movie. So, that's another item I steer clear of. I also drink tons of water! This helps to keep the vocal cords lubricated and also helps to cut the mucus production down. No substitutes for water will work, just plain old, every day water! I've found taking a herbal remedy of Greek Fennel Seeds and Thyme reduces the mucus to more of a "water" consistency, rather than the usual "honey" consistency that seems to just stick in your throat. It doesn't alleviate the mucus, but it has certainly helped me. Anne
Re: DS and mucus production
kathy,I agree with the others that allergies and acid reflux can cause mucus. Also consider that just straining your voice can cause mucus. Mucus is your body's attempt to protect the cords from injury. When my voice first went bad, I had lots of mucus in my throat. Antireflux meds did not help. Finally, when I went to speech therapy, the mucus problem improved. From this I conclude that I was pushing and straining my voice to compensate for SD, and when some of the strain was removed through speech therapy, the mucus went away. -- Ed H.
Mucus Could Be Major Cause
Kathy,Thank you for asking this question. All of the responses you've had so far, as well as your statement, reinforces what I have been thinking for some time now. That is that this "mucus" issue, whether post-drip, acid reflux or whatever causes the formation of the mucus, has something to do with this SD condition. Prior to the onset of my SD, I had a serious sinus infection. I had it for over a year and no antibiotics could get rid of it. I saw several doctors and they put me on drugs that made me sicker. My system doesn't do well with drugs -- it's so sensitive. For me, other factors like stress played into my SD. The inciting incident was a yelling altercation with someone who had "done me wrong." This was followed by my moving into a brand new home and being poisoned by the construction offgassing. So, by now my immune system was on overload and I could not fight off the demise of my voice. But I believe that the seeds for SD were sown with the ubiqitious post-nasal drip. It's just possible that this constant irritation over a long period of time could disturb the nerve, causing it to become spastic. And once the spasming pattern is sent to the brain, the deterioration of the voice begins. This is my theory. I don't think that I used my voice incorrectly (except for that few minutes of yelling). Nor do I think that I could of had a perfectly beautiful voice for 59 years, and then develop a neurological condition. I will accept whatever the cause is, but no one has convinced me that all of us on this BB had something go wrong in the center of our brains that caused us to lose our voices. There has to be a more plausible explanation. And all the people with SD that I know and read about couldn't all coincidentally have reflux and mucus problems. Especially since we know that with most of us, the mucus came first. Nuff said for now. -Joan
--modified by Joan Carole at Fri, Apr 27, 2001, 23:35:37
Re: DS and mucus production
Mucus is something that is always in the body and basically functions as a protection mechanism. We actually swallow over a gallon of this lovely substance a day...only reason that it isn't noticed is because it is of a much thinner viscosity. When the mucus becomes thick and colored it can indicate several things.....Dehydration or some type of allergen or infection in the body. One other thought is that one of the glands that secretes mucus is located directly under the vocal apparatus. Depending on your vocal tension, these tensions can be causing the over production of mucus.
Re: DS and mucus production
Dear Cowtongue...by the way, where the heck did you get that handle. It sure pushes the imagination. You say that the vocal tension can cause the over production of mucus. But in my case the mucus problem came way before any vocal problems. I suppose my singing exercises could have provoked it, then your theory would be correct. But this still leads away from the "incurable neurological" causation. I'm sure your textbook explanation about mucus is correct, but the profuse amounts of mucus associated with SD needs to be studied further. -Joan
--modified by Joan Carole at Sat, Apr 28, 2001, 13:11:38
Re: DS and mucus production
Hey Cowtongue, is it really true that there's a mucus gland directly under the vocal cords? Or is that just a theory? Not that you'd make that up or anything :-)
Re: DS and mucus production
Yes ma'am....If the vocal production tends to be pressed at all(pulling down)it can tend to create a bit to much fluid.
Re: DS and mucus production
Can cows get SD? aka MOO TREMOR.
Re: DS and mucus production
Gosh Gavin, what a thought! I have no clue, but in thinking about it, maybe those "barkless" dogs from Africa aren't "barkless" at all, maybe they just have SD.Anne
Re: DS and mucus production
Gee Anne...barkless dogs, barkless trees, voiceless cows. Sounds like questions for the SDBB answer man: cowtongue.
Re: DS and mucus production
I too always felt like my vocal cords were glued together from either nasal drip or excessive mucus. It was impossible to clear the throat and it was very difficult to properly breathe while sleeping. Two things help to clear this up. I went and had a pneumonia shot and I used Vancenase (a prescription nasal spray) for around 9 months. Now I can breathe much better and I have gotten rid of the nasal drip. I rarely ever get a cold and can't remember when I last had one. I have found it is much easier to talk without all the excessive mucus and I rarely clear my throat anymore. I think there is some credence in the theory that excessive mucus will create improper speech patterns and that it will put additional stress on the vocal cords. However, in the end, I do not think that it is the cause of SD. I think more studies need to be made in the area of excessive use of the voice combined with excessive stress as the cause. We all know that when we are stressed out that our SD gets worse. That should be a good indication of where it really comes from. Stress affects different people in different ways, and we know now that it attacks our bodies in different ways and causes different illnesses in different people. I believe that SD is a stress related illness. I have had other stress related illnesses that affected the eyes. It was called Iritis and I had it in each eye at least 5 times each. Whenever I would get stressed, the eye problems would start up. I believe that this has happened to my voice also.
Re: DS and mucus production
I have had problems with mucous ever since I got SD, but not before. My ADSD came on suddenly when I was 17, I wasn't sick, no warning, not stressed, had a great life, just woke up and my voice was crackling like static on a line. It took me 5 years to get diagnosed and when I found out it was Neurological condition that made perfect sense to me - as to what causes the neurological problem, well who knows, but the way I developed SD leads me to believe that I had a genetic predisposition to dystonia, and this is the one I got (thank goodness that no other form of dystonia developed). I was told for 5 years that it was all in my head and because I was stressed and that I was nervous etc...and I knew I wasn't!
I think stress is a real factor in SD but at this early stage in research, and with the diagnosis still so regularly being wrong, it's not the time to focus on stress, or many docs may misread this as back to " all in your head" again. It is always great to hear that someone has been diagnosed quickly and effectively, it really does take some of that initial trauma out of living with SD. So, that's why I prefer to leave questions of stress at the bottom of the research pile for a while, it is too easy for the docs to fall back on it. ( BTW i'm not saying your position doesn't have any merit or that you are completely wrong or anything )
Re: DS and mucus production
Hi Kathy,I too agree with the others. My SD begin in my early 20's. I had had a hystorectomy at the age of 21, which was due to endometreious. Thank God I had already had my two boys. I was also given anyother chance to have another baby. However, My husband did not want any more children, I however would have tryed for a girl. But the two of us agreed on this matter. I also started have severe allergy problems. I had allergies when I was a child and did not have them or know I had them again until my adulthood. I too was placed on allergy injections, which I did for several years. I have been treated with inhalents, medications, injections, steriods extensally. I guess I have been on every popular medication out there and taken steriods for years off and on. I have had a tonsilectomy which did help for 1 year my voice was perfect. I would not recommend having the tonsilectomy in the 30's. It was very painful and hard to get over. However, on the other hand it can help. The allergy injections did also help to build up my immune system. I no longer take them because of the expense and my insurance coverage only pays $200.00 a year. My allergy vails were $95.00 a month. Not to mention the other medication I had to have. Yes, I too have a lot of mucus and drainage problems. Even though I've been through all of this, I still have to be treated with medication for my allergies. Like Lylia said, I too have GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease/Esophagitis)which is acid reflux. It is the return of stomach contents back into the esophagus. The esophagus is the food pipe that carries food and liquid from the mouth to the stomach. The stomach churns the food, breaking it into smaller particles, and mixes it with acid to aid digestion. The typical symptoms of GER include heartburn, indigestion and regurgitation. Less frequent symptoms include chest pain, cough, and hoarseness. Their are treatments, test, medication, etc. to control this, however some treatments include lifestyle changes, diet, etc. However, some who have chronic problems may require surgery, but only as a last resort. So, yes I think GERD, allergies, stress, etc. go along with SD and may even cause the SD to become severe. There is alot that plays into having SD and it is very hard to understand. I was diagnosed years ago as having something called the Ebstien Barr Virus. This is an immune deficsiency/disease usally brought on my having Mono and very tromatic changes in the system. Such as chronic allergies, etc. I don't know if anyone else out there has experienced Ebstien Barr Virus with SD or not. But, I would not be suprised if someone with SD has had this. I have had voice problems for 17 years now, but was only diagnosed with ADSD in 1998. Almost went crazy trying to find an answer or reason for my voice problems. I am now without my voice for 6 months almost. I have hd 3 Bo-Tox injections and the voice has reverted back to spasms. I was hoping to be able to have Dr. Berke's surgery for my voice by June of this year. However, due to my GERD, allergies, hideal hernia and a lump on one of my vocal cords which is called a Granuloma due to Acid Reflux. I have spoken to Dr. Blumin and he suggested I see a doctor and get all this checked out and would perfer that I hold off on the surgery until I get my acid reflux under control. If I find the lump has inlarged this will mean that the acid reflux is not under control. I may end up having to have the hedial hernia operation, because my condition is so severe. I am going to see an ENT doctor today and will know more afterwards. I will keep everyone posted. I truly understand what you are going through and you have already been give excellent advise without my two cents worth, but just thought I'd give to you anyway. I hope this helps. Best Regards. Jan
Re: DS and mucus production
Is three months later to long to get in on this conversation? I"m new here and have just started trying to read everything. I, too, have a heavy mucus problem. I have constant (literally!) post-nasal drip, and frequent sinus infections that antibiotics just don't help. I'm always clearing my throat and have a frequent cough. I just feel that I'm coated with the stuff from top to bottom of my throat. I got this way at the same time my voice started going (about 3 years ago). I never had a problem before then. From the responses you've already received, it seems that there is a connection here. In one way, I'm glad that more people than me have a lot of mucus, along with their SD (though I'm not glad anyone actually HAS this at all!). I've taken Gueinseffin (sp?) and Flonase - neither help. I've been on allergy pills (Claritin and Allegra), do no avail. My ENT calls it "mucus disease", without giving me anything to do for it, or any other information about it. He says that if Flonase doesn't help, I'll just have to live with it. (Naturally, I'm in search of a new ENT). I was just curious if you've found anything that helps you? alexis
Re: DS and mucus production
Hi.. I have a suction machine.. it is really helpfull but VERY LOUD.. and gross for others to hear it..
Re: DS and mucus production
Hi Kathy,Welcome to the bulletin board. I have had ADSD for 17 years. I have just recently had Dr. Berkes' surgery for my SD. I am 3 weeks post-op. I have severe allergies, bronchitis, sinus problems and mucus. I took allergy shots for years. I was allergic to all inhalants, ie trees, pollen, dust mites, grass, etc. I gave myself a shot 3 times a week. The shots did help me a lot. It built up my tolerance and immune system. However, I stopped taking them and I continue to have problems. I take Zertec everyday. And if it gets really bad I have to go to my doctor and get a steroid injection. I also have GERD (Acid Reflux) which is a problem. Your vocal cords are very sensitive to all this drainage. It does make the situation worse, however it is not the cause of SD. I think there is a lot of discussion on this topic. If you will go to the top of the bb and click on Search BB. Then type in Mucus, Reflux, Breathing Problems, etc. You will be able to fine post regarding this condition. Also on the screen where you type in the subject to search, scroll down the screen and type in last 180 days. I hope this helps some. Regards, Jan
Re: SD and mucus production
I have been following a macrobiotic diet and it seems to be helping the mucus problem.It is not easy to adhere to but when I try it seems to help the reflux too. You can do a search to learn about it. There are many sites.
Interesting correlation.......Sd, mucus, allergies and reflux !?
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