Posted by: Laurie ®
04/21/2009, 13:21:19
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Feeling out of breath is more common with AB/SD, I think. Or shortly after Botox if your voice is breathy.Also, endless attempts at speech therapy and having it aggravate your voice can be a sign of pure SD. Practice can make it a lot worse. It's all the unnatural compensatory techniques of trying to talk around the SD. So to me, that alone would be exhausting. Don't do something that makes you feel worse and could incidentally make your voice worse! Good luck,
Laurie
Modified by Laurie at Tue, Apr 21, 2009, 13:22:15
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Posted by: Catherine1011 ®
04/21/2009, 13:50:14
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Thanks, Laurie. That makes sense. It just seems like my muscles are trying to compensate to get my words out better.
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Posted by: ellie ®
04/22/2009, 08:10:38
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I could have written this letter. Except for the part about pain, I have exactly the same thing going on. I have had several lung capacity tests as well as tests for asthma, all negative. I feel as if I am constantly out of breath and seem to be compelled to force air out of my lungs. It is nearly impossible to relax when exhaling so much. So far, none of the doctors I have seen understand what I am describing, even the many ENT specialists. I am interested in reading other posts on this.
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Posted by: cdf1007 ®
04/22/2009, 20:28:59
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Hello,
I also have ADSD and that does happen to me once and a while when speaking. I feel like I can't catch my breath and feel lightheaded. I try to take a deep breath before I speak so it doesn't happen.
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Posted by: hoarse whisperer ®
04/23/2009, 21:27:34
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I have both ABSD and Vocal Chord Dysfunction (VCD), also known as Paradoxical Vocal Cord Motion (PVFM). The SD affects my voice, while the VCD affects my breathing.The easiest way to describe it is that I have episodes where it feels like I can’t breathe or get in enough air. The symptoms are the result of an abnormal closing of the vocal chords rather than inflammation of the airways, which causes asthma. Unfortunately, many people with VCD are misdiagnosed with asthma. I was finally correctly diagnosed by my speech therapist. In addition to helping my SD voice, speech therapy helps me tremendously with learning and practicing good breathing techniques to help me cope with my VCD. I used to breathe more from my chest and through my mouth and now I breathe more from the abdomen and through my nose. I still get attacks, just not as frequently and they're not as scary because I know what's happening and how to control it. When I'm having a particularly bad episode, I breathe in deeply through my nose as this seems to gently open the vocal chords back up. Then, I expel all the air slowly back out, usually through pursed lips or my nose. The exhale is just as important as the inhale. Also, make sure that your belly, not your chest, moves in and out with each breath. There are many more techniques, these are just the basics. It's not a cure, but it helps me a lot. This has been discussed previously and there may still be information in the archives. You can also find more information by searching the Internet for "Vocal Chord Dysfunction" and "Paradoxical Vocal Cord Motion". Lori
North Texas
Modified by hoarse whisperer at Thu, Apr 23, 2009, 23:21:04
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Posted by: msdontje ®
04/25/2009, 19:21:36
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Catherine,I have AD, muscular and a vocal tremor and can easily relate to your breathing problems. If I have to respond quickly, or wih a reply that takes any length I find myself very very hungry for air and an amazing tightness in my chest. I do the voice tharapy from time to time but it simply cannot give me the ability to speak quickly or at length. I'm not sure if it's the muscular dominating things or what but it is frustrating. I am hopefully going to participate in another NIH study and maybe I can find out then. Believe me participating in the NIH study I did was well worth the effort. Mike
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Posted by: Catherine1011 ®
04/27/2009, 07:42:47
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Thanks for all your replies. The more I think about it, it does seem to worse on the days that my muscle tension is the worst. Then I can feel it all the way down to my chest muscles which would make sense in why it's hard to breathe then. I have to consciously focus on relaxing all those muscles throughout the day and for some reason just can't seem to talk without the throat muscles tensing no matter how much I practice my voice exercises.
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Posted by: mt.harrington ®
05/22/2009, 16:35:46
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I am currently taking speech therapy and let me tell you...it is VERY HARD to relax on command!!!! My therapist says that I tense up in reaction to the laryngeal spasms. I've also experienced not being able to take a deep,"satisfying" breath and find diaphramatic breathing to be helpful. (Sometimes my problem is that with shallow breaths my lungs don't empty completely and then I can't take a deep enough breath.) Hope I've helped:)
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Posted by: debbieo ®
05/05/2009, 21:00:21
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I have AB form and had the same problem that you mentioned. I have used a breathing coach to improve my breathing and to relieve the muscle tension in my jaw, chin, and neck. Also I do massage once a week, along with daily physical workouts. The important thing to remember is if you work to speak it will increase the tension. Each exercise should be performed in a relaxed manner. If tension creeps in I quit. This is an indication to me that I need to relax and change my focus. Good luck. It's no fun to work so hard to speak only to be exhausted doing so.
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Posted by: Catherine1011 ®
05/06/2009, 07:35:21
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Debbieo,
Where did you find a breathing coach and would it normally be covered by insurance? That's great! I try so hard to remember to relax those muscles while speaking but it's so hard. I can relax them if I'm not speaking and it feels so good. At least I know I have some control over the pain.
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