Hi All!
As most of you know from reading my blog, I have Abductor Spasmodic Dysphonia. If you would like to read up on the disorder, check out the website of the National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association.
Anyway, while I try not to focus only on my SD I do tend to write the occasional blog about SD related things. This is my way of dispersing information to people who may be unaware that such a disorder exists. If more people understand that there is a disorder out there that robs people of their "normal" voices then maybe people will be kinder when they come across someone with a voice problem.
I am a very lucky SD person. Through hard work and a hefty dose of miracle, I have gotten about 95% of my "normal" voice back. I have to continually work to maintain this voice and no one - not even the medical professionals - can tell me if I will continue to keep this voice or if I will relapse and return to having no voice at all. It is a good feeling to have my voice but it is also a bit terrifying to live with the uncertainty of if I will be able to speak when I wake up each morning.
Recently I learned a VERY important lesson - that I MUST continue to do my speech exercises and massage daily (at least three times a day) in order to maintain my voice. I "fell off the wagon" so to speak a while back and have been struggling for the past two to three months to return to my "good" voice. Now it is almost second nature for me to massage or do my exercises many times daily.
This past weekend I learned another valuable lesson. This is something that Susan, my speech therapist, has told me over and over but . . . I guess I have to live it to learn it! This past weekend I had a training to do for Destination Imagination appraisers. I have been doing two of these trainings every year for the past six years. I know what is involved. I KNOW I need to try to keep my talking to a minimum so I don't overwork my vocal cords. I KNOW this.
Did I remember to do it? Of course not!
THEN I came home and proceeded to call my friend D and talk to her for over an hour. Then I talked to my brother for a couple of minutes. Then I talked to my parents for a while.
I overdid it. BIG time.
Now I am paying the price. My voice yesterday and today is hoarse. It isn't good. I am missing more unvoiced consonants than usual. When I massage my throat - it is crunchier than normal (which is a sign that things aren't quite right). I am hoping that massage and exercise and a little vocal moderation will help me out.
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
What was I thinking?
Trisha
Voice Update: I think I pretty much said it all in the post but . . . massage, massage, massage, exercise, exercise, exercise!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Super Short Saturday
Hi All!
This is going to be a super short post. I am off to train appraisers for Destination Imagination - what fun! The training starts at 8:30 and I need to be there at 8:00 - a bit early for me these days!
I will leave you with a picture of this fabulous peach cake that I am munching on for breakfast - not exactly healthy but so, so, so delicious! I will tell you all about it later!
Really - I will. I promise!
Trisha
Voice Update: Too early to tell but my voice was scoring high points yesterday! We will see how it goes during training where I "get" to talk a lot!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Quit Buggin' Me!
Hi All!
Several months ago I began looking into getting car magnets made for Spasmodic Dysphonia. I spoke with a very nice woman named Maria at a company which seemed to be a good company and offered good prices. Here is the basic design for the magnet.
I wanted the shape so I agreed to pay an additional fee for a custom shape. To be honest, after I got the artwork from the company I started having second thoughts. Hubby, my mother, and other people seemed skeptical that I would sell any at all. That made me hesitate in ordering. Then I got busy with school and stuff and never did anything about the order.
Maria emailed me a couple times asking if I was going to order and I responded that I hadn't made up my mind. Then, it started.
A person other than Maria emailed me from the same company asking if I was ready to order. I responded again that I hadn't made up my mind.
A couple of months later, ANOTHER different person emailed me asking if I was ready to order! Now, I understand that there is turn-over in companies and that I was taking a long time to make up my mind but none of the emails after Maria mentioned what had happened to Maria (Your account has been passed on to me . . .) and the third person even sent totally different artwork without the custom shape! Weird, I thought!
Well, the third person, Ginger, keeps emailing me. It isn't all the time but about once every couple of weeks. I am sure that I am frustrating to them, they want to make the sale. I understand and feel slightly bad that I am still waffling like I am. The idea of the magnets has not left my mind but has been shoved into the back of my mind since I have been preoccupied by other things.
Today I got another email from Ginger saying that since I had approved the artwork -which was different from the original artwork and which I NEVER approved - all they needed was my money to print the magnets. Excuse me? Does Ginger think I won't remember that I never approved the artwork she sent? Does she forget that I sent it back with questions about what happened to the original artwork and that she ignored that question and told me that a custom shape would cost more (duh! I knew that and had worked that all out with Maria!)?
Frustrated, I sent back a rather terse email saying that I had three questions. First, where is the original artwork that I did approve? Second, what in the world is going on with their company that I am being passed around to different people with no mention of the fact. I am being treated like I never talked to Maria (via email) at all! Third, what is the big deal if I decide to wait?
Then I forwarded the email from Maria with the original artwork to Ginger and said that THIS was the artwork that I had approved.
Now, quit bugging me until I make up my mind!
Trisha
Voice Update: Rockin' and Rollin'! I am doing well and am still doing my exercises and massage faithfully!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Now What?
Hi All!
You have read all about our recent troubles with the hot water tank and the phone. You have read about my stomach issues. I can't recall if I told you about the front door not latching correctly or not. Well, all I can say is . . . now what???
Yesterday, before he left for work, Hubby took me out to the garage to show me something. When we were out there he pointed to the garage door opener button and pointed out that for some reason, it sticks at times. If it sticks, the "rolling code" or whatever it is called, is continually working making it impossible for someone to open the garage door from the outside with a remote. Apparently, I pressed the button, it stuck, and he couldn't get into the garage on Tuesday. Oops! I received a nice little demonstration on how to make sure that the button isn't stuck so that doesn't happen again. Let's just say Hubby wasn't too happy.
Then . . . after speech (which I will tell you about in a minute) I stopped by the post office to pickup a certified letter that the postman had tried to deliver the day before. The letter was from the Foundation Warranty company. With a slightly sick feeling in my stomach, I opened the letter and browsed it before pulling out of the parking lot of the post office. Can you guess what it said?
The crack in our foundation is NOT covered. Surprise, surprise!
Actually, Hubby and I figured that would be the result. We can take the company to arbitration (at our cost if we lose) if we don't like the decision. The decision, by the way, is based on the fact that no doors are impaired (the crack is in the middle of the house which is pretty open with no doors!) and that the property has "mature trees in the proximity of the foundation," "the front planting beds have marginal to poor drainage," and " the downspouts are discharging at the foundation."
Let me take each of those on one by one. First of all -the trees were planted by the builder, the canopy is not near the roof line of the house and that means that the root system isn't near the foundation, and since the homeowners association requires trees on the property we don't have much choice about having the trees. Now, if the builder had told us that we couldn't let the trees reach maturity because it would void our foundation warranty (which was never said), we would have made sure to rip them out before they were mature! Ridiculous!
Next, the front planting beds have no drainage problems. There is never any standing water anywhere in the beds and certainly not near the foundation. So that indicates marginal to poor drainage? Excuse me?
Finally the downspouts. Okay, the downspouts do come down the house and turn out at the foundation. They have the traditional bend directing the water away from the house. They have splash blocks which further direct the water away from the foundation. Apparently we are supposed to add extensions onto the downspouts which are at least two feet long so that the water goes that far from the house. Can you imagine having two feet of downspout in the yard? Really?
Anyway, Hubby and I are not happy about the decision. Now we need to decide if we try arbitration or if we just fix everything at our own expense. What a hassle!
Oh well!
Moving on to happier topics . . . at my speech appointment yesterday Susan said that I was back to the point where I was before I "fell off the exercise wagon." This is good news because my voice was doing really well and it is now back to that level! YEAH! That is good news for me. Susan made sure that I understood how important exercises and massage are in maintaining the progress I have made. Believe me - I know! I know!
Trisha
Voice Update: Well, I pretty much said it all in the post. I am doing well. Praise God!
You have read all about our recent troubles with the hot water tank and the phone. You have read about my stomach issues. I can't recall if I told you about the front door not latching correctly or not. Well, all I can say is . . . now what???
Yesterday, before he left for work, Hubby took me out to the garage to show me something. When we were out there he pointed to the garage door opener button and pointed out that for some reason, it sticks at times. If it sticks, the "rolling code" or whatever it is called, is continually working making it impossible for someone to open the garage door from the outside with a remote. Apparently, I pressed the button, it stuck, and he couldn't get into the garage on Tuesday. Oops! I received a nice little demonstration on how to make sure that the button isn't stuck so that doesn't happen again. Let's just say Hubby wasn't too happy.
Then . . . after speech (which I will tell you about in a minute) I stopped by the post office to pickup a certified letter that the postman had tried to deliver the day before. The letter was from the Foundation Warranty company. With a slightly sick feeling in my stomach, I opened the letter and browsed it before pulling out of the parking lot of the post office. Can you guess what it said?
The crack in our foundation is NOT covered. Surprise, surprise!
Actually, Hubby and I figured that would be the result. We can take the company to arbitration (at our cost if we lose) if we don't like the decision. The decision, by the way, is based on the fact that no doors are impaired (the crack is in the middle of the house which is pretty open with no doors!) and that the property has "mature trees in the proximity of the foundation," "the front planting beds have marginal to poor drainage," and " the downspouts are discharging at the foundation."
Let me take each of those on one by one. First of all -the trees were planted by the builder, the canopy is not near the roof line of the house and that means that the root system isn't near the foundation, and since the homeowners association requires trees on the property we don't have much choice about having the trees. Now, if the builder had told us that we couldn't let the trees reach maturity because it would void our foundation warranty (which was never said), we would have made sure to rip them out before they were mature! Ridiculous!
Next, the front planting beds have no drainage problems. There is never any standing water anywhere in the beds and certainly not near the foundation. So that indicates marginal to poor drainage? Excuse me?
Finally the downspouts. Okay, the downspouts do come down the house and turn out at the foundation. They have the traditional bend directing the water away from the house. They have splash blocks which further direct the water away from the foundation. Apparently we are supposed to add extensions onto the downspouts which are at least two feet long so that the water goes that far from the house. Can you imagine having two feet of downspout in the yard? Really?
Anyway, Hubby and I are not happy about the decision. Now we need to decide if we try arbitration or if we just fix everything at our own expense. What a hassle!
Oh well!
Moving on to happier topics . . . at my speech appointment yesterday Susan said that I was back to the point where I was before I "fell off the exercise wagon." This is good news because my voice was doing really well and it is now back to that level! YEAH! That is good news for me. Susan made sure that I understood how important exercises and massage are in maintaining the progress I have made. Believe me - I know! I know!
Trisha
Voice Update: Well, I pretty much said it all in the post. I am doing well. Praise God!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Mother Nature is Fickle!
Hi All!
Do you recall my post from yesterday? I was waxing poetic about Spring? My walk had revealed all kinds of signs that Spring had "sprung." Well, let me tell you, Mother Nature is certainly a fickle lady. During my walk, the weather was lovely, the sun was shining, the wind wafting gently and the day promised to be wonderful.
NOT!
The day turned out to be a bit chilly and overcast! By the time I got to my classes at around 1:30, the day even looked like it might rain! It was cold enough to warrant the wearing of a jacket and a long sleeved shirt. Where was the lovely Spring day I had seen hints of in the morning?
*sigh!*
Anyway - classes were fun. I handed in two papers (Well, to be perfectly honest, they were the SAME paper printed twice with different cover pages for two different classes. It is fine - the teachers said I could do it. I swear!) and had my homework done and was feeling fine. It was a good day for learning ASL!
I took pictures of my teachers to show Mom and here is my Deaf Culture teacher, Kelly (on the left) and my friend Beth (on the right) signing "I love you, Mom!"
Quickly changing gears . . . here is a visitor to my birdfeeder. He stayed around for a long time just sitting and swinging while all puffed up against the grey, ugly day. Redwinged Blackbirds are frequent visitors to our feeders but this one if the first I have seen for a long time.
Maybe Spring will really show up today!
Trisha
Voice Update: Still doing really well. Of course, I am going to Speech today so I can give you the full update from the professional tomorrow. I HAVE been doing my massage and exercises!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Spring is in the Air!
Hi All!
My walk today was a revelation of the start of spring in my area. First, the temperature was in the low 50s which meant that I didn't have to "suit up" to venture outside. Instead, I was clad in a turtleneck and sweatshirt along with my walking jeans. No coat. No gloves. No scarf. No earmuffs! It felt freeing to not have layer upon layer padding my body.
The wind was blowing softly as I set out and felt like a welcoming gesture upon my skin. The breeze perfectly accented the music my iPod was providing as my soundtrack for the morning. Beautiful.
Walking onwards I stopped often to appreciate the newly opened faces of golden daffodils nodding in the breeze. Among the new buds were also hopeful young sprouts of indeterminate variety just emerging from the dormant earth.
A sprouting sprig of Forsythia was next to stop me in my tracks. One lone sprig on the shrub was budding with vibrant yellow flowers and pale green leaves. The tiny blossoms held the hope that the rest of the shrub would soon awaken to the gentle spring and burst forth in joyous color.
A dash of red in a budding tree caught my eye and caused me to pause to savor the Cardinal's sweet song. My heart swelled with joy as I glimpsed a female Cardinal flying to join the stunning male on his swaying stage.
Not much further along the way several trees were showing vibrant green buds just opening out of the dark winter shells protecting them from ice and frosty gusts. The buds looks like natural fireworks bursting forth in a gray sky to brighten the mood.
Smiling, I sniffed the air as I headed towards home. Spring. I could just detect a hint of Spring.
Returning home I dug out a pack of Bluebonnet seeds and sowed them around the base of a tree out front. Maybe they will take hold, root, and grow. Maybe they will only serve as food for hungry birds. Either way, I am satisfied.
Trisha
Voice Update: I got back to massaging my neck yesterday. I am really beginning to enjoy seeing the looks on faces as I sit massaging away at stop lights. It is really comical sometimes! Yesterday a woman even touched her own throat as if to see what I was doing. Fun! My voice is doing very well. I am happy.
My walk today was a revelation of the start of spring in my area. First, the temperature was in the low 50s which meant that I didn't have to "suit up" to venture outside. Instead, I was clad in a turtleneck and sweatshirt along with my walking jeans. No coat. No gloves. No scarf. No earmuffs! It felt freeing to not have layer upon layer padding my body.
The wind was blowing softly as I set out and felt like a welcoming gesture upon my skin. The breeze perfectly accented the music my iPod was providing as my soundtrack for the morning. Beautiful.
Walking onwards I stopped often to appreciate the newly opened faces of golden daffodils nodding in the breeze. Among the new buds were also hopeful young sprouts of indeterminate variety just emerging from the dormant earth.
A sprouting sprig of Forsythia was next to stop me in my tracks. One lone sprig on the shrub was budding with vibrant yellow flowers and pale green leaves. The tiny blossoms held the hope that the rest of the shrub would soon awaken to the gentle spring and burst forth in joyous color.
A dash of red in a budding tree caught my eye and caused me to pause to savor the Cardinal's sweet song. My heart swelled with joy as I glimpsed a female Cardinal flying to join the stunning male on his swaying stage.
Not much further along the way several trees were showing vibrant green buds just opening out of the dark winter shells protecting them from ice and frosty gusts. The buds looks like natural fireworks bursting forth in a gray sky to brighten the mood.
Smiling, I sniffed the air as I headed towards home. Spring. I could just detect a hint of Spring.
Returning home I dug out a pack of Bluebonnet seeds and sowed them around the base of a tree out front. Maybe they will take hold, root, and grow. Maybe they will only serve as food for hungry birds. Either way, I am satisfied.
Trisha
Voice Update: I got back to massaging my neck yesterday. I am really beginning to enjoy seeing the looks on faces as I sit massaging away at stop lights. It is really comical sometimes! Yesterday a woman even touched her own throat as if to see what I was doing. Fun! My voice is doing very well. I am happy.
Monday, February 16, 2009
So Sad . . .
Hi All!
Happy Presidents' Day!
Hubby, being a government working, is home today and let me tell you - it is throwing my schedule off! I did get myself out of bed this morning (with some help from two hungry kitties) and out walking. What a good thing walking is. There is nothing quite like a brisk walk in the morning - watching the birds and the people. Hearing all the morning sounds. Looking at all the landscaping. Feeling alive!
Speaking of feeling alive . . .
In the March issue of Reader's Digest (don't get me started on why magazines come out ahead of the month they are designed for!), there is a nice little page on which Jim Lehrer, anchorman of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS, tells what he is listening to, watching, reading, etc.
Normally, I enjoy this kind of page. I feel like I am getting some kind of special insight into a celebrity's life. I also like to get hints about books, movies, and music I might not know about.
Jim Lehrer's page though gave me quite a shock. He is quoted under the "What He's Listening To" section as saying this "I'm always amazed when people say they have 3,000 songs on their iPod. I'll think, Why? I appreciate classical music, but it's not a big part of my life."
That just stopped me in my tracks!
It is difficult for me to imagine that someone, who is not Deaf, doesn't have music as an important part of their life! Music is such an integral and vital part of my life that I can no more imagine a life without music than a life without breathing! In the mornings, I wake up with a song in my head. During my drives to school I cherish the variety of music available on XM radio. Flipping between Country, Classical, Broadway tunes, 50s music, Elvis, Classic Rock, and Jazz makes my drive interesting. As I drive I can marvel at the minds of the composers and the musicians who create such beautiful music (or sometimes such horrible music!).
Sure, there are times when I choose not to listen to music. Sometimes I need the quiet. Sometimes the house is so loud with the dishwasher, the tv, etc. that music would just intrude. In an odd way, all of the background noise is a different kind of music to me. I can find music in the rhythms of car tires on the highway, tools at a construction site, birds chirping at the feeder. The wind creates music as it whistles through the leaves and plays with the flag on our flagpole.
Music isn't that important in Jim Lehrer's life. How sad!
Trisha
Voice Update: I slacked off on the massage and exercise yesterday. Probably because I was sleeping a good portion of the day in an effort to stave off further stomach "issues." I haven't talked much today but, my voice is still here. As for the quality . . . I have no clue yet! Back to the massage! I have speech this week!
Happy Presidents' Day!
Hubby, being a government working, is home today and let me tell you - it is throwing my schedule off! I did get myself out of bed this morning (with some help from two hungry kitties) and out walking. What a good thing walking is. There is nothing quite like a brisk walk in the morning - watching the birds and the people. Hearing all the morning sounds. Looking at all the landscaping. Feeling alive!
Speaking of feeling alive . . .
In the March issue of Reader's Digest (don't get me started on why magazines come out ahead of the month they are designed for!), there is a nice little page on which Jim Lehrer, anchorman of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS, tells what he is listening to, watching, reading, etc.
Normally, I enjoy this kind of page. I feel like I am getting some kind of special insight into a celebrity's life. I also like to get hints about books, movies, and music I might not know about.
Jim Lehrer's page though gave me quite a shock. He is quoted under the "What He's Listening To" section as saying this "I'm always amazed when people say they have 3,000 songs on their iPod. I'll think, Why? I appreciate classical music, but it's not a big part of my life."
That just stopped me in my tracks!
It is difficult for me to imagine that someone, who is not Deaf, doesn't have music as an important part of their life! Music is such an integral and vital part of my life that I can no more imagine a life without music than a life without breathing! In the mornings, I wake up with a song in my head. During my drives to school I cherish the variety of music available on XM radio. Flipping between Country, Classical, Broadway tunes, 50s music, Elvis, Classic Rock, and Jazz makes my drive interesting. As I drive I can marvel at the minds of the composers and the musicians who create such beautiful music (or sometimes such horrible music!).
Sure, there are times when I choose not to listen to music. Sometimes I need the quiet. Sometimes the house is so loud with the dishwasher, the tv, etc. that music would just intrude. In an odd way, all of the background noise is a different kind of music to me. I can find music in the rhythms of car tires on the highway, tools at a construction site, birds chirping at the feeder. The wind creates music as it whistles through the leaves and plays with the flag on our flagpole.
Music isn't that important in Jim Lehrer's life. How sad!
Trisha
Voice Update: I slacked off on the massage and exercise yesterday. Probably because I was sleeping a good portion of the day in an effort to stave off further stomach "issues." I haven't talked much today but, my voice is still here. As for the quality . . . I have no clue yet! Back to the massage! I have speech this week!
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