Two New Podcasts!

Hi All!

I just finished posting TWO new podcasts today. Yes, you read that correctly, TWO! The first podcast - episode #20 is about the amplified telephone which is invaluable to me as I go through my ABSD dance. I include information about how to obtain the telephone (applicable in Texas only, sorry!) as well as ideas about how to start the ball rolling to find such a phone if you live in other states. I hope to come back to this blog and show a picture of the phone in all its glory later today (after dinner!).

Oh - Mom, this podcast is a long one! Sorry about that but there was just a lot of information to share. I think it is around ten minutes. You may want to start downloading before you walk and it might be ready when you get home!

Here is a rather poorly lit photo of my wonderful phone. It looks a bit dowdy but, I don't really care! It helps me get heard!

This is a close up of the amplification button. You can also adjust the volume of the outgoing voice. Since this is a phone will all kinds of wonders, I can also amplify the incoming sounds (good for talking to other SDers) and, if I wanted, I could install a battery so the bottom part would blink wildly when the phone rings. I guess I am ready for when I start losing my hearing too!

This is also a good picture of the HUGE buttons on this phone. It makes me feel like I am about three years old and playing with the "grown up phone." I guess when my eyesight goes that will be a good thing, right?

The second podcast is a short one - only about three minutes - and it is all about getting the word out about the video about SD from the Denver television station.

If you listen, I hope you enjoy!

Trisha

New Podcast

Hi All!

In honor of Dystonia Awareness Week, I have published a new podcast about the topic. Give it a listen by clicking on the link at the top of my blog page or go to Learning To Live With SD.

Let me know if you do anything to help spread the word!

Trisha

Voice Update:
A friend from Ohio called and I talked to her on my regular phone - not my amplified phone - for over an hour. My voice was pretty good and she was amazed! YEAH!

History - Part Three!

Hi All!

Time for the third installment of my history. After this we can get on to more current stuff! Won't that be fun?

Okay - in the last post I explained about how I learned to speak on the inhale. The doctor who gives me my Botox shots was very impressed with my "talent." He invited all of his interns and other doctors in to witness my inhalation voicing! What fun - to be the "stage show" in a doctor's office!

Oh Well! As I said, my therapist got tough with me and demanded that I only talk on the exhale. After a couple very frustrating weeks where my husband could hardly hear me (it did mean that he had to sit much closer to me while we watched TV though!), things with my voice started to click. Soon I could say entire sentences on the exhale One of my very first complete sentences on the exhale was - "I hate everybody and everything - except for you." The "you" is my husband who was listening to me talk at the time! As you can tell from that lovely comment - it was a rough road!

With MUCH continued practice, I am now able to speak totally on the exhale. Most of the time I sound pretty much normal with the exception of my soft volume - I still can not yell or scream. Once in a while my voice starts "breaking up" and I have problems voicing words beginning with w, h, and p. That is when my therapist tells me to get much softer and slower. I have a problem with the slow part - I mean, I LOVE to talk and after not being able to do it for so long, I have a LOT of time to make up!

If you would like to hear samples of my voice, check out my podcasts. The earlier posts are with me speaking on the inhale and the more current ones are on the exhale. Learning to Live With SD.

When I am speaking one-to-one I am good. When I need to talk in a small group or in a noisy environment I use my Spokeman microphone. It is a personal amplification system which is very small and portable (I wear the amplifier on my arm like a MP3 player even though it is a bit bigger than a player.) and allows me to be heard without "pushing" and stressing my voice. I also have a phone which amplifies the outgoing voice and it really cuts down on my stress about being loud enough to be heard by the other person. I love my Spokeman and my phone! Once I figure out the entire picture thing I will put a picture of my microphone system and my phone on this blog for you to see.

Have a great day!
Trisha