It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a voice sample so I thought I would post one today. Take a listen to the sample below:

As you can hear in the voice sample, my voice is still doing pretty good. If I had to estimate what percentage my voice is, I would say around 65-70%. I can still project my voice and raise my voice, albeit at a lower level than my pre-SD voice but still enough to across what I need to say. I did have a little trouble ordering a meal at an especially loud restaurant on Valentine’s Day but when I say “little”, that’s what I mean. It didn’t prevent me from ordering, I just had to repeat a portion of it which wasn’t a big deal.

As I have mentioned on previous (recent) blog posts, the experience I had for the first month to two months after the October 15 Botox shot was very different from the first shot I had. The side effects were different, the actual reaction of my voice was different, but so far the length of time (benefit period) seems to be similar. This time around, I probably only had what I would call a “good voice” (95% +) for less than a month. But I have had a “usable voice” for most of the past 4 months.

I am signed up to have my next shot done in March but I am hoping I can postpone it to April or even beyond. I would really like to try to stretch it out farther and farther if I can and maybe even overcome the SD completely some day. I’d like to try it at least…before going down the surgery route. I’ve always considered the Botox to be a temporary solution, as I do not wish to have this done for the rest of my life. But it is buying me some time to figure other things out.

One really great thing that happened recently is something that I used to take for granted. I went to a family get-together and NOBODY asked me how my voice was doing, or told me how good/bad my voice sounded. It was a normal, non-eventful day and I LOVED it. I know people mean well when they ask about it but the constant reminders can get a bit aggravating. For me, the best days are the days when I don’t think about my voice problem at all.

If there are any changes I’ll be sure to post them but for now, no news is good news.

Hello, today I wanted to give another update on my voice condition as it’s been over a month since my last post. Actually I didn’t realize that it had been that long and my intention is to post more frequently but I’ve been pretty busy at work and home so I haven’t had as much time lately.

In general, if you don’t hear from me for extended times I am doing well. I tend to go about my normal life and mostly forget about my voice condition, which is obviously a great thing! It’s when my voice starts acting up, and changing, that I start posting updates to this blog.

Any time you want to email me, you can do so through the contact form on the Contact Me page. I love getting emails and comments on this blog, in fact I’ve received numerous emails from people all over the world who have found my blog and want to privately message me about something. So keep ‘em coming, whether through email or comments in the blog posts.

How is my voice?

I’m sure that’s the main question my readers would like to know. Actually it’s holding steady since the last update. I am still able to talk in all types of situations, including loud environments and telephone calls, as well as drive-through ordering (which is a major challenge for SD sufferers). If I had to put a percentage on my voice, I would guess it’s at about 70% right now. Still no spasms, but I have been noticing lately some muscle fatigue in my neck. So I know it’s on the decline but as I experienced last time, the decline is very slow and may take a month or two.

In the last week, I had 3 days where my muscle strain in my neck produced headaches. The other 4 days I did not have headaches. It’s easily controlled with some Tylenol but it’s still annoying. Of course being winter, everybody is sick off & on and I’ve always noticed a deterioration in voice quality when I have a cold. Since I do have a minor cold, I believe that’s what’s contributing to the muscle strain and headaches. Today as I type this blog post, it’s not as bad so we’ll see how it lasts.

What a difference a year makes

As I was getting ready to type this today, I went back and read some of my old posts from last year. Wow. It’s interesting to hear my voice samples, and to read about my trials & tribulations as my journey was just beginning. This month (January) marks one full year already since I started this blog. And what a year it’s been. It’s definitely been helpful to me to write out my thoughts on this blog, and I believe it’s been helpful to others as well so I am going to continue on for the foreseeable future.

Fortunately I’ve been a pretty good candidate for the Botox treatment and it’s worked pretty well for me. It’s allowed me to live my life like I lived it before this condition. I am weary of continuing with the Botox treatments for years and years…I still want a permanent cure so I think at some point in the future, surgery will be a choice I may make. But I am in no hurry. I want to make an informed decision and learn as much about all the various options out there that I can learn about.

Thank you readers for sticking with me so far, and here’s hoping you find success in the new year 2013 and beyond!