Posted by: Marilee ®
04/21/2006, 09:43:34
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Hi Mary Ann.
Quite a few of us are affected with shortness of breath. There was a very helpful thread around March 22, now on page 3, but soon it will be on p. 4, probably. The subject was, "problems with breathing again,", and there were lots of responses. Lynne Martinez offered a comprehensive explanation of some of the causes. Please go back & read that thread.The dizziness could be caused by your lack of oxygen, not breathing deeply enough. Botox in the larynx sometimes helps the situation, but lots of people get help from Speech Therapists to learn how to breathe better. Have you considered that route? Anyway, you are not alone in this. I assume you've checked with your GP, ruling out other possible causes for the dizziness part. In the meantime, try to make yourself relax and take really deep breaths when you can think about it. Also, mine gets worse as a new weather front is coming in.
Many neurological conditions are affected by that, it seems. Warm wishes, Marilee, Indiana gcazz@juno.com
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Posted by: Barbara S. White ®
04/21/2006, 13:48:48
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Oh yes, I do understand. I have a lot of breathing problems. It started when I was getting botox injections. The botox helped me a lot but when I needed another injection I struggled with breathing. I mean really struggled to the point of tears. I had surgery in November 2005 and my SD voice is gone and my good voice is back again (after 30 years) my breathing was better for awhile but the breathing problem has started again and its not fun. I think when you aren't getting enough air that you get dizzy. I've had that too. I am getting better but its slow. I have been doing voice and breathing exercises, which help and taking ativan to keep me from getting panicy when I can't breath. I don't recommend ativan even though it does work. It is also very addictive but my doctor assures me he can get me off of it when the time is right. Does your breathing problems come after botox, when you need botox or all the time? Just wondering. I think that the shortness of breath happens to a lot of SD people because of the area that is affected. I will be praying for you that you will find comfort in your breathing. Be blessed, Barbara /god4me@comcast.net
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Posted by: Mary Ann ®
04/22/2006, 06:57:11
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I haven't had any Bot-ox yet Dr's are still debating on my whole diagnosis still. I have Mixed SD and ? Still don't know the ? yet. They have sent many tapes made by me to several Dr's in New York and to other Dr's in various states. They are not sure about the Bot-ox yet I am really struggling with this breathing and shortness of breath but, I think I am trying so hard to get my words out that maybe some kind of breathing or speech therapy might be the answer. Thanks for the response you guys are great!
Mary Ann NY,Mixed SD
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Posted by: Keith ®
04/21/2006, 20:35:06
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Greetings:
I have AB, so shortness of breath is invariably one of the symptoms commonly experienced since we tend to want to 'push' more air to compensate for the improper vocal fold closure. Ironically, this can actually result in being even more open, thereby exacerbating the symptoms of the spasms (the lightheadedness you refer to). My suggestion is to utilize more diaphragmatic breath support so you can get more words in on the same breath. Slow the rate of speech, being sure to replenish the breath when needed. Don't try to talk on residual air. I tended to do this when I first began having difficulties with SD.
I can't speak to having mixed AD, so you may be dealing with other issues. What I am suggesting above is more oriented for AB, although proper support from the diaphragm will help anyone speak with more projection and volume.
Another thing that helps with the AB is to NOT overemphasize the unvoiced consonants. Don't overdo the P, T. F, SH, H sounds since it can result in a longer spasmodic break between the initial consonant and the vowel that follows. Rather than 'popping' the consonants, go lightly with them, i.e. think of making the P sounds more like something in between a P and a B. Similarly, the T sounds should be more like something in between a T and a D. This works. I had 2 great SLP's in Philadelphia who both helped me tremendously. I still use many of these techniques, even during the botox benefit period.
Hope this helps.Regards,
Keith
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Posted by: Barbara S. White ®
04/22/2006, 00:07:50
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Keith,
This is very interesting. I have or had AD/SD with tremmors. That is gone due to surgery. My voice is very good, however remembering back, when I needed botox I couldn't breath well until I got it. After the surgery, my voice is great but I still have some breathing problems. I have gone through the speech therapy and understand how it works but never could I implement it into conversation. I'm not exactly sure how I will ever accomplish that. I lay on my bed and breath in through the nose (abdomen) out and out throught the mouth (abdomen slowly in) During conversation my mind gets confused and I stop breathing altogether because I can't remember how to breath. It's really weird. I have heard a few others that had this same problem. Wish I knew how to work it into conversation. Sounds like it is working for you. Any suggestions??
Blessings, Barbara
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Posted by: Keith ®
04/23/2006, 19:35:28
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Barabara:
Working the diaphragmatic breathing into conversational speaking takes time. I am very fortunate in that I was trained to this type of breathing at a very young age due to the fact that I play clarinet - and so learned this concept years ago. There is undoubltedly much info available online as to specific exercises you could practice. A key factor to keep in mind is to NOT try to say too many words or sentences on one breath. Take a long, deep breath before beginning to speak and think about the words flowing up and over the back of the tongue. We want to always take the energy and focus away from producing the sounds at the level of the larynx since the symptoms of the spasms will be exacerbated. Slow down the rate of speech, and replenish air before you feel like you're ready to gasp for more. Hope this helps.Best,
Keith
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Posted by: Barbara S. White ®
04/23/2006, 23:18:41
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Thank you Kieth,
I have always been a fast talker and probably has a lot to do with my air problem. It never was a problem before SD but I think after having all the lessons on breathing that I get confused. I need to take a breath and I have to stop and think. How do I do this? Than I panic and can't get the breath. It's like I forgot how to breath. I lay down in my bed and go through diaphramatic braething exercises very easily with singing little phrases. I get very excited when I am talking about certain things and just plain can't remember how to breath. I guess being a chest breathing for most of my life I get terribly confused. I'm in my 60's so I've been doing this a very long time. I understatnd breath in through the nose, stomach moved out. Than out through the mouth, and stomach comes in. Is the a particular set of exercises you recommend? What I do now is Rober Love "Set Your Voice Free" I no longer have spasms since I had the SLAD-R surgery. My voice sounds great. It's just the breathing part that is a problem. I've gone through speech therapy (a speech pathologist) and doing to Roger Love tapes now but maybe there is something that would work better for me. I am open to anything. Feel free to e-mail me with any suggestions. Blessings, Barbara / god4me@comcast.net
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Posted by: Mary Ann ®
04/22/2006, 10:39:00
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Keith, Thanks for the help. I think you hit the nail on the head with this one. I think the overemphasizing the unvoiced consonants is a big problem with me. I was just diagnosed
the end of December 2005 so this is pretty new to me. The Mixed SD is really beginning to be a struggle with me. Sometimes it poses more of a problem than other days . I live 1 1/2 hours away from The one Dr who gives bot-ox for the AD and 5-6 hours away from the one who does for the AB . Sometimes it gets a little overwhelming to me. But, thank you I appreciate your input very much . It is a big help to me. Again, Thank you very much.Mary Ann NY, Mixed SD
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Posted by: Keith ®
04/23/2006, 19:43:09
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Hi Mary Anne:
I know what you mean. I, too, live about 6 hours away from my doctor, which is why I fly every time I go. Thank goodness that I like flying, so I really don't mind the trip at all. You are very welcome for the suggestion about reducing the emphasis on the unvoiced consonants. This was a BIG problem for me when I first started with SD. Trying to force the words out only makes the spasms longer and stronger, resulting in more breathing problems. The more we try really hard to get the words out, often the worse the voice gets. Try to be conscious of not using the tongue excessively, i.e. the tongue really actively moving around in the mouth. Part of the problem with AB can often be either tongue retraction or depression (pushes down in the mouth). The body does this instictively to compensate for the instability we feel in the larynx. Unfortunately, the wisdom of the body isn't always very wise! Try to keep the tongue relaxed, and form the words in the front of the mouth rather than in the back. The throat and pharyngeal areas must stay relaxed, or else we get in trouble (feeling tight and constricted in the throat - -which snowballs very quickly). Hope some of this helps.Best,
Keith
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