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Posted by: Paula G ® 09/18/2002, 20:49:51 Author Profile Mail author |
Well, I had my first therapy session this past Tuesday. My Doctor told me he would like me to try the therapy first before I tried the botox shot, which he says may not work, since I have ab/sd. Needless to say, I feel like giving up on these sessions already.Im already starting to make up excuses why I shouldnt go back. It is not easy, and I knew it wouldnt be, But I just feel that this therapy isnt going to do a thing for me. Im so used to speaking the way I do (even though I hate it) I cant imagine how this is going to help me. I havent been able to say certain words Correctly for a long time now, they just wont come out the right way, I cant be forced to say something that wont come out the right way. Ive tried and tried, it just wont come out. I want to get better, but it is not easy for me to think positive. Any words of advise?? |
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Posted by: Lynne Martinez ® 09/18/2002, 21:33:21 Author Profile Mail author |
Paula, Words of advice. Trust your own intuition (after you've done tons of research). High-quality speech therapy is helpful for everyone with a vocal disorder. SD is "the worst" of many dysphonias. There are others. However, it is a *really good thing* for all vocal patients to understand how our vocal mechanism works. Doesn't matter what type of dysphonia we have. It's good to understand the laryngeal mechanism. If you really have SD and a speech therapist is telling you they can cure your disorder or you're a stress-case, they're wrong. Go back and read your own message. So far, it's not working for you and you seem upset. I understand. Went through exactly what you are going through, for four years, but there was no Internet support then. Pay attention to yourself. You're your own best medical practitioner. You know your body better than anyone. I went through 4 years of speech therapy and those docs didn't have a clue. Take them information on SD, off the Internet. Also, don't give up or give in. --Lynne
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Posted by: Lib Haywood ® 09/19/2002, 07:34:41 Author Profile Mail author |
Paula, we know exactly how you feel. If you think the therapy is not working, then you be the judge. I tried it for ten months and I continued to get worse. I would do the practice sessions for a couple of hours and then have a better voice for an hour or so. I am AD and started BoTox injections in 1989. The leader of our support group, Mary Bifaro, is an AB also. She tried BoTox and it did not work for her. She maintains that the support group has been a tremendous help to her. She is a very dedicated worker for the SD cause. I don't know where you are located but look for a support group in your area. Ours has been meeting since 1989 and is very active with about 80 people on our membership list. Lib Haywood, AD/SD, 34 injections of BoTox, SLAD surgery 2001
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Posted by: Linda S. Adamson ® 09/19/2002, 21:10:18 Author Profile Mail author |
Paula, I'd really recommend you hang in with your speech therapist for a few more sessions -- unless you are dealing with someone who really doesn't know how to help you maximize your functioning as someone with AB SD. I'd bet my speech therapist, who has treated 4 different folks with AB, would be willing to contact yours and share recommendations that are helpful to her patients. The key, from my own experience, is to learn breathing strategies and a few exercises that do, temporarily, improve the quality of the sound I can produce. The exercises are not a cure and are not thought to be. They are a help and a support for a mechanism that just doesn't work the way it's supposed to. And speaking of the mechanism: my speech path. gave me a copy of a great, detailed anatomical diagram of the larynx, so I could know exactly what everything looks like and how it all works and what everything is called. I took this with me for my first injection, to make the doctor show me very specifically where he was going to shoot the Botox. For me, knowledge is comfort and a feeling that I am in control of my own treatment. I hope this helps you. If your speech therapist really is clueless, I'd get someone else but not give up on the utility of learning some strategies from the right person. I wish you the best, Linda Adamson AB SD, Annapolis, MD |
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Posted by: Larry Blair ® 09/24/2002, 16:41:58 Author Profile Mail author |
Paula, I just finished 8 weeks of speech therapy. I previously had speech therapy at a different facility and under another healthcare program. I really didn't seem to get much out of the sessions there, one on one. I have changed my healthcare provider since and have been going to group sessions once a week for 4 weeks. I have repeated it twice with the same speech therapist. I have learned alot of breathing and muscle exercise technics that have helped me improve my voice. When I apply myself.. That's the hard part?? I really like the therapist I have this time too. That is half the battle. She is very professional and seems to know her stuff. She has suffered with a voice disorder herself so can really relate. I think the group sessions are the way to go at first. You are not so all alone. You have others dealing with the same problems. Makes it easier. You can always go back for the one on one with the therapist, which I am going to do this October 2nd. Give it a little time, before you quit...
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Posted by: Shirley A. Prather ® 09/25/2002, 15:30:50 Author Profile Mail author |
Is there any medication prescribed along with the speech therapy? S. |
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Posted by: Larry Blair ® 09/25/2002, 16:25:39 Author Profile Mail author |
Not directly associated with the Speech Therapy. In my particular case in which all of us are different. I am taking Prilosec for my GERD. I have been told to drink 80 OZ. of water a day though. That's alot of water. Larry |
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Posted by: Paula G ® 09/28/2002, 09:41:02 Author Profile Mail author |
Hi Shirley,
No there is no medication that was prescribed to me. None at all. Should he have prescribed something to me for my ab/sd? Thanks
--modified by Paula G at Sat, Sep 28, 2002, 09:43:15 |
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Posted by: Shirley A. Prather ® 09/29/2002, 14:59:33 Author Profile Mail author |
Hi, The reason I asked about any prescription ordered along with the Speech Therapy, is that Don Dunlap took Speech Therapy with neurontin and does not take Botox any longer. See previous posts by Don Dunlap. S. |
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Posted by: Sarah Bayle ® 10/03/2002, 00:07:27 Author Profile Mail author |
Sorry to be so simple, but what do you actually do at therapy? I have AB and AD and believed that speech therapy was not an option. What sort of excersizes are you working on? |
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Posted by: Larry Blair ® 10/04/2002, 15:04:05 Author Profile Mail author |
Hi Sarah, Not simple at all. We do Diaphragmatic exercises. Learning to breath from the Diaphragm. Tone focus is one thing we work on also. Different technics for relaxing the Vocal muscles and so on. Each week we work on a different area. Speech Therapy isn't for everyone, and very few get positive results from it. It takes alot of effort. You can do well within the group sessions, but when outside the group it is hard to to keep it going. I just had an appointment with the Speech Therapist yesterday. My voice has been horrible most of the time since I ended my Speech Therapy a month ago. The Speech Therapist was suggesting Botox again. I am still not big on the Idea. She is going to refer me to another Specialist on Sunset in Hollywood, for another opinion. I will see what she has to say about my case and then wether she sees other options for me or not. If I have the Botox she would be the right one to give it to me. She specializes in this, and has trained others in the procedure. The ENT that originally saw me before the Speech Therapy, left. He was trained by her also. The ENT that took his place is not quite as experienced in Botox injections. Well, we will see what happens...
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