Welcome to the SD bulletin board, wherein you will get a ton of support and also some answers, as to your particular issues. Lots of folks who post here have been there and done it.

It would be most helpful to those of us who want to support you, if you can be specific, re location/docs/your case, etc.

In Miami earlier this month, we voice-patients met a skilled SLP who also has Spasmodic Dyshonia. She doesn't have a commercial plan or a cure. But, she does have a solid program to benefit voice patients.

We talked about whispering, in Miami. There are good and bad ways to whisper, evidently (if you want to take the pressure off your cords). Some techniques actually make our voices worse. Some don't. She demonstrated the ways that vocal systems are not damaged. While I watched her whisper, I could tell the difference and learned alot.

I know what you mean. I'm at the point of whispering myself these days at times. Probably should, rather than do all the compensatory things to vocalize. Blowing out the vocal system is not a good thing.

Good luck and if you want more info (re above and references to the SLP I mention), please write me off the BB.

Doris St. Clair AD/SD Va

Yes...that would be interesting to hear what an ENT would say but it might be more likely that a Speech Language Pathologist would have something to say about whispering and speaking on inhalation. ENT's generally specialize in the structure and anything that might be wrong with it (nodes/spasms/paralysis, ad infinitum) whereas SLP's specialize in making the best of what you have, re your structure, and how to vocalize more productively.

I can't address speaking on inhalation (although I know alot of fellow-SD'ers who use that as a compensatory technique) but we did get a demo of "proper whispering" (so as not to damage the vocal system) in Miami. It was very interesting.

Write me on e-mail or come to the WeMove chat tonight (you know how to get there, June) and I'll give you both more info.

Good luck...both of you.

--Lynne

Susan had taught patients to phonate on inhalation rather than the natural exhilation cycle and to eventually use a combination of exhilatory speech and inhalation for relaxation. Two patients were present at the conference and the results were quite amazing and the patients were very fluent and able to carry on a normal conversation. Susan also showed videos of patients with SD, both before and after therapy and the improvement was quite dramatic. These recollections are taken from my notes at that time.

Since that time I've not heard any more about this technique or about Susan Shulman. Maybe you folks living in the Dallas area can find out more if this therapy is still being taught.