Breathing Exercise Video (Squeeze & Breathe) for Spasmodic Dysphonia

This video was shared by voicematters.net head administrator and moderator Andrea Hardaway. Thanks, Andrea!

I do it whenever I feel my stomach area tighten. It’s a physical reminder for my stomach muscles to relax while breathing. SD patients tend to hold their breath (I’m so guilty of this!) while talking. It’s a bad habit common to us, based on books and posts I’ve read and my personal experience plus the experiences of other SD people I’ve communicated with.

Break!! I have to break that habit!!

Breathe.. Every 2 (two) words in my practice sentence, I breathe.. That’s just for now. Just to train myself to remember to breathe. And anyway, no sound comes out when I don’t breathe every two words..

Good luck to me! 

Breathing Exercises for Spasmodic Dysphonia

According to the doctors I’ve consulted, breathing is a major part in managing spasmodic dysphonia (SD). I have also noticed that I easily get out of breath when talking. This is quite surprising for me since I’ve been with the varsity swim team during college, and I still do laps every now and then.

It was pointed out to me that I tend to stop breathing while talking. And when I’m stressed, I don’t notice it, but my breathing becomes shallow. It’s like I have this different pattern of breathing in the pool from my pattern of breathing while speaking and under stress.

It wouldn’t hurt to improve my breathing anyway. And I truly believe it is foundational to good speaking. Breath is the gas that fuels speech.

So after doing a free online breathing test to see how my breathing is (it was targeted and scientific), I ordered Mike White’s breathing kit. I got the one specifically for stress management. I received 1 CD called 176 Video which shows basic breathing exercises. Plus another CD for combating stress with breathing. The stress release CD is very relaxing. It’s guided breathing with Tibetan (?) music in the background. I follow Mike’s breathing for 20mins. It regulates my breath intake and I oftentimes fall asleep being too relaxed!

Breathing Exercises CDs

Booklet

Brown Strap and Blue Strap

Then there’s a brown strap for the strapping exercises, to give more room in your body for the air. Also I got the Blue Velcro Strap for use on the chest area. Same benefit as the brown strap but this one you can wear at night. Lately, I haven’t been using the blue strap since it’s so (and I mean so) hot here in Tuguegarao City. We even reached 39.5 Celsius.

I also have the Diaphragm Strengthener which is a big purple tube with a ping pong ball inside. You blow into it and try to keep the ball afloat. The exercise helps to strengthen the diaphragm muscles. When I first used it, my tummy area felt a bit sore.

Diaphragm Strengthener 

Me using the DS (sorry, hard to keep a still hand)

I’ve noticed that with the improvement in my breathing, there is a proportionate improvement on my voice as well. Not phenomenal, but it’s a start.

What I’m Doing Now/ Treatments

After botox did not work for me, I pretty much continued with my normal life, although as the days passed by I was becoming more and more quiet. At gatherings, table conversations. I stopped going to my Victory Church Fellowship small group because it was frustrating not to be able to converse well. I was fortunate to work with very professional and medically literate people and I was given non-speaking work in the office. By end of the year (2010), I had decided to take a long break from work. Jan 2011 to July 2011. No salary , of course. But I’m very grateful for the chance the company has given me to focus on my  healing.

My Whiteboard, being played by my roommate Chin

Because of the swelling and the trauma caused to my vocal cords, I had to take a couple of weeks voice rest. Believe it or not, I really stuck to it. I used whiteboard, magic slate, notebook and pen. I learned American Sign Language (ASL). I am determined to do whatever is needed to have my voice back.

My Magic Slate, artwork made by David

A Thinner Whiteboard, the one with the yellow sun.

Using it to talk with bday boy Pat.

I also bought Connie Pike’s book Free To Speak: Overcoming Spasmodic Dysphonia, Mike White’s Breathing Kit, and Roger Love’s book Set Your Voice Free (with CD). While on voice rest, I had been doing Mike White’s breathing exercises.

Purple Notebook & Pen, with bf Mark

My Sign Language Instructor Allan (pls come back to the Phils!)

Now on my 3^rd month of healing, I can feel that I can already start with voice rehab. I’ve begun to slowly incorporate Connie Pike’s humming and other exercises, the kazoo exercise, and Roger Love’s CD. It has just been over a week since I started on April 20, 2011. So far, I saw improvement on my singing voice. But none on my speaking voice.

I hope and fervently pray that my speaking voice will improve by mid July 2011 - when I need to get back to work.