Voice Sample 9-months post SLAD/R surgery

9-months post surgery

How can 9-months have passed already?  I remember reading other blogs, and reading that they were at this point in their post-surgery recovery and just thought it was an eternity away.  Here I am.   

For the most part I really feel that my voice gains strength every week.  I can raise my voice, talk on the phone, and speak to others with no problems.  I have noticed that occasionally someone has trouble understanding me, this is mostly due to the fact that I am soft-spoken.  I was this way years ago, pre-SD, so this did not suddenly come on after surgery.   

I still use my voice amplifier when I teach and just find that after lecturing for a while my voice is not as clear, though last night I lectured for 2 hours without the amplifier and was fine.  I never use the voice amplifier at home and teach a class at church on Sunday’s, I do not use it there either.  

Several weeks ago, with all the trees in bloom, I noticed thought I might have a sinus infection.  I took some Claritin-D, which definitely cleared my head and nose but made my voice horrible!!  I thought the connection was rather weird so I tried it again the next day and had the same thing happened, my voice was horrible- it weak with no volume.  I am amazed that a drug like that could have such an effect on my voice.  I did not take the Claritin after that and my voice went back to normal.  I realized after this, that so many of the OTC drugs can change our voice; we often do not pay attention to the effects many of these things have on our voice and our body.  

I still have a noticeable scar on my neck.  I’m sure it will take several years for this to fade away. You can see in the picture below that the scar still shows but it doesn't bother me at all, some people (like me) just scar easier or they seem to take forever to heal.  I have never tried to cover this up.

I am thrilled with my progress post SLAD-R surgery and hope that if you are reading this and considering having it done that this will help you go forth with life-changing surgery!

 

 

Voice Sample 7-Months Post SLAD/R Surgery

7-Months post-SLAD/R Surgery

It’s been 7 months since my SLAD/R surgery; I’ve been a slacker with updating this blog.   

My voice is not perfect but it is so much better than it had been.  There is no doubt about it, when I am tired, my voice is horrible and when I do not sleep well, I pay for it with a raspy sounding voice the next day. 

I still use my voice amplifier when teaching, I get tired and after 2-3 hours of lecture and talking, honestly, without the voice amplifier, my voice is soft and weak.  So with the voice amplifier I am able to talk softer and my voice is projected farther into the room.  I do not use this unit at home or anywhere other than in the classroom. 

I also do not use a straw anymore because I need it, though I do use it because I prefer drinking fluids this way.  I can gulp down a glass of water just fine and choking is not a problem. 

My husband told me the other day that I have to get rid of the giant container of “Thick It” I have in the pantry.  I am not sure why I kept it.  I got about 40 individual packets from the hospital and I doubt I used anything from the extra large container I bought,  I did not mind the taste of the stuff when I “had to” drink it, as it tasted like cereal, but now the thought of using it is certainly disgusting! 

I have thought about my trek with Spasmodic Dysphonia over the years, I did not wake up one morning and decide to have the SLAD/R surgery.  In the 20+ years after diagnosis, I tried many alternative things.  I tried herbs, essential oils, vitamins, acupuncture, acupressure, vegetarian lifestyle, juicing, wheat grass, eliminating foods (food allergies), T3 (Thyroid) doses, see alternative care doctors, and I am sure there are many other things here that I am not listing.  While these things may have helped me be healthier, they did not eliminate the SD!  Through the years I used Botox and was so glad when I heard about the SLAD/R surgery, for me I felt as though it was an answer to my prayers! 

Each of us have a different road to get here.  When I read about the surgery, then started looking at the quality of my life as it was, it was just a no brainer, I was going to do what it would take to get this surgery.