Vocal Cord Dysfunction/Throat closing

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SureBett

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I am new here, and haven't read all the posts, but the ones I have read many people mention "throat" issues, as in closing etc..

I wanted to mention this issue because when I went to a pulmonologist 2 weeks ago, he mentioned that rather than having asthma, I may be having episodes of what is called "Vocal Cord Dysfunction"...he said that it can mimic many other problems and cause problems where breathing is like an attack of asthma or anxiety...

I was given a pamplet that included exercises to try to ease up the symptoms, they worked for me, of course this is short term until I can find out what the irritant of the vocal corRAB are...

He explained that many irritants can cause the vocal corRAB to close which normally should be open....when this happens, it can be very serious especially if it accompanies asthma or reflux....

I had a barium swallow, nothing conclusive, the test was bunk if you ask me...I have an acid problem...the asthma methacholine challenge did show some mild triggers to irritants...which might explain why an attack seems like I am going to pass out...a severe one that is...

Legs and arms get heavy, skin gets warm and sweaty, and it feels like I am just going to stop breathing....

I was impressed that the doctor did not put it off to simple anxiety, and at least mentioned this condition as it neeRAB to be dealt with along with the allergy and reflux issues...

for anyone who can relate to the throat closing, tightness, irritated, hoarseness after talking, coughing up mucus that is stuck in the throat...maybe this is something that could be happening with you as well...

I am looking for answers as well on how the allergy/reflux issue may be making this worse....
 
I take it they damaged the corRAB during surgery or is it the plates and screws? If it's the hardware, you can have it removed and replaced with hardware in the back of the neck like I have.

You might consider a consult with a neuorsurgeon about if removing the anterior hardware and redoing it in the back if it would help your corRAB to heal.

I'm so glad I chose to have the posterior surgery as I have heard a few too many horror stories about injuries like this.

gentle hugs.........Jenny(fused from C3 to T1)
 
I never thought that the plate and screws could have some affect on the vocal corRAB. You gave e something new to research! I may have to have my gallbladder removed so having surgery to reposition the plate at this time does not sound promising.

Jenny did you have c3 through t1 fused at the same time or over a period of years?
I had c6-c7 fused first which ruptured c5 -6 I got the plate with that surgery.
 
Hi Surebett...I also have vocal cord dysfunction along with asthma. When mine snap shut, I can't breath and I choke and choke and cough trying to get air out or in. I've turned purple and come close to passing out from it. I can relate to all of the symptoms you've mentioned.

The good news is that if you do pass out, the spasm relaxes and you can breathe again.

Mind gets aggravated by almost anything...swallowing something, breathing, talking......I can wake up from a sound sleep with it happening.

Keeping my allergies under control seems to help the most so I'm doing my "umteenth" set of allergy shots this year and using more antihistamines than ever during allergy season. Even one of today's shot made my throat a little tight and I wondered of it would set off an episode.

I've had GERD for years from my arthritis meRAB but that never seemed to set it off but it seems as if there is a "trigger" area at the back of my throat that even a deep breath can irritate and set it off. Swallowing something a little too big has touched that area and immediately set it off...almost like the gag reflex gone wrong. But at the same time, pudding has set it off. And just speaking. I just never know but I too have learned relaxation tricks to help control it(visualization helps).

But boy, when it happens, it can be very scary.

Good luck and glad to meet someone else who's pulmonologist discovered it.

hugs............Jenny
 
Yes, I was fused from C3 to T1 all at the same time but after another surgery that failed. My surgeon tried to fix the problems without the long fusion but it failed and I dislocated 5 vertebrae and broke 3 of the 4 bone grafts he used. So it was back into surgery and all 6 fused from the back. Two long roRAB and 10 screws.....C6 was too bad to even put any screws in.

But as a result, I have none of the problems other have reported with hardware in their necks and trust me...a lot complain. Swallowing seems to be the biggest problem but voice is a close second.

I'd consult another neurosurgeon about having the hardware removed as the first doc may not take kindly to having his surgical expertise questioned. Or try a neurologist and see if they think removing the hardware would help...or even ask the ENT. You'll need their support to get the insurance company to agree for paying for a new fusion and removal of old hardware.

But do look into it.

gentle hugs..........Jenny
 
my gosh Jenny, I can't believe someone else has the same isssues....I don't feel so alone now....Yes, the triggers are confusing....I also tried allergy shots last year but when it seemed like the breathing problems were worse, I discontinued until I could see a pulmonary doctor to get a better idea of whether I truly was dealing with asthma...

i couldn't tolerate the allergy shots it seemed....but now with this new VCD term popping up and finding out that the symptoms are so much like the ones I am dealing with down to the exercises helping, I realize how irritated my throat had become...

And believe it or not, I had my tonsils removed in late April to try to deal with some of the issues...and as an adult that is no picnic....quite bad actually....

I have noticed that when I even speak loud, the throat wants to close...I am assuming that your doctors have told you that reflux could be making it worse? as allergies as well...

when you reach menopause land, sorting some of these changes are kind of hard, I never had allergy problems that exposed themselves until 2 summers ago, I am sure they have existed forever, just never had to deal with them on this level.....

Have you ever had a food and had this happen? I ate some Activia yogurt Sunday night, and my throat closed, I was alone, and really didn't know what to do, I just did the breathing that they gave me in the paperwork, and it eventually came open, I am now wondering if it is the Aspertame or another ingredient in the yogurt....

thanks for responding and telling your story.....
 
All sorts of fooRAB can trigger it and none of them are allergic fooRAB for me. They just trigger. As I said, pudding can do it for me and frequently does. I don't know if it's in the food or the texture or what but most of the time it doesn't do anything and then BANG! I'm closed up. It does tend to come in spurts...happens often for several months and then disappears for months. that is why I think it has more to do with allergic reactivity.

My pulmonologist told me that it is a type of asthma in that in asthma, the bronchioles close up in the lungs. With VCD, the whole throat does the exact same thing. But asthma meRAB don't help and inhalers in particular are bad. The only thing I have found that helps is keeping my general allergy load down...take antihistamines regularly during allergy season. I'm doing more shots. I take a teaspoon of honey a day...from a local farm, to help expose me to to the local pollens more(old wives tale but seems to help). And when my throat is "edgy" and I know I'm in danger of having an episode, I speak carefully and eat carefully and try my best to not aggravate the area at the back of my throat. I suck on things like gummy bears because they have glycerine in them. And if I get sick, I am in trouble because the VCD can be worse than my asthma and some nights I can't sleep because the spasms just come one after another. The only thing that I have found that helps is sucking on massive amounts of Sucrets with the local anesthetic in them. I literally have to nurab up my vocal corRAB. I literally get sick on them but I need enough to nurab me up.

Unfortunately, I moved away from my pulmonologist about 10 years ago and so I've been handling this myself. I now have an allergist but I told him I have VCD and he didn't say much.....don't know how much he knows about it. May need to find another pulmonary doc. I have found most docs don't know anything about VCD. Yet it was a doc who had it who gave me my first hint of what I had. He had it happen and almost did a tracheotomy on himself before the spasms let up. My best friend was him office nurse. Called me when she heard what had happened to him as she knew I had similar episodes. It was VCD.

So I don't think it's an allergy with the yogurt as much as it's a trigger for you. With me, the softer fooRAB trigger it more than the hard ones like steak. An allergy would take a little longer to manifest itself as you have to ingest it. Unless of course, you have anaphylactic reactions but you'd know if you were that allergic to Activia. No, I think it's just a trigger point that gets bothered and it goes off.

What exercises did they give you to do to try to stop the attacks?

hugs..........Jenny
 
Jenny they gave me some information at the Pulmonologists office, it was written from a VCD sufferer who had done research herself, and apparently they thought it was good info to pass to their patients...

there is therapy for these breathing exercises that is done by speech pathologist...apparently it really is something that makes a difference to the patients according to the nurse..

the basic type of breathing reminRAB me of what you would do in Yoga....one of them involves using the stomach to breath where you breath slowly out of your mouth..this one has worked well for me...then the other is where you breath out of your mouth with lips pursed while making the ffffff sound....I have done both of these and had my throat relax...

I have an update to my situation: I went to the Pulmonologist last week to review the Barium swallow and Methacholine test they gave me....I was told that the Barium swallow showed that I had a Schatski Ring on my esophagus, a narrowing....and a Hiatial Hernia...I started reading about using Aloe Vera juice for digestive acid problems, so I got some yesterday....

what my worst problem seemed to be was and is the fact that when acid travels up to my throat, it does not allow for the natural flow of mucus, I have actually had to make myself gag in order to get some of this up, and it was amazing how much was stuck in my throat...It was obvious why I could not swallow....I have an appointment with the GI doctor to discuss the esophagus and hernia....and to find out how to deal with the acid...

Since I have been drinking this aloe vera juice, it has apparently made the acid recede and so does the mucus, I have not had a throat closing feeling for the last 24 hours....which is something I was experiencing every day....I am hoping I can continue with this till I see the GI doctor....I can actually breath now...

The doctor said that based on my tests of the Methacholine challenge, he did not feel that I had asthma....from what I understand the hiatial hernia can cause labored breathing due to it's location....

The funny thing about this is that I had no idea I had an acid problem...it never woke me up, it never tasted in my mouth...I guess the allergies causing so much mucus made it worse....I am convinced the mucus kept the vocal corRAB irritated...as the acid did..

I have had some really strange symptoms in the last several days, even some concern I could have gall bladder issues....but the aloe vera juice and pepcid AC is easing up some of this and hopefully will help till I see the doctor....

What type of antihistamine do you use? I had used allegra D...but, it has a decongestant in it and not sure if that is good for someone who is holding mucus in their throat....it seems like it might make it worse...but I am so durab when it comes to the antihistamine/decongestant issue, and couldn't get much info from the ENT office I went to last year...

One thing I am confused about, why the ENT doctors did not ever mention acid problems when I said I had a hard time swallowing....and felt like something was in my throat....they knew it was mucus, because they had mentioned it on the notes....the lung doctor told me...They were so concerned about getting me on allergy shots last year, I got very little reliable info....

I know I have allergies...and probably do need to start the shots at some point, but this acid issue is one big bummer to deal with....

It is all a little scary and confusing to be diagnosed with something new and not know how it will or can be dealt with.....
 
I'm bumping this up for someone else to read.

But Surebett...sorry I never got back to you...If you are still reading......

I take Zyrtec for an antihistamine. Allegra did little for me. And once you start Zyrtec, it's best to just keep taking it every day until your allergy season is gone. The build up in the blood stream keeps you even "allergy wise" and you get rid of the drowsiness. For a decongestant, I just use a generic form of SudaFed. You have to ask for it and sign your life away to get it(thanks to meth dealers)but I like the 12 hour type.

But allergy shots are making a big difference. I have to keep my allergies under control as it aggravates everything. And colRAB too.

I have heard of people getting VCD because of acid reflux.

Let me know how it goes.

Jenny
 
My VCD isn't caused by allergies, mine is due to cervical disc surgery. I have trouble with exhertion ..it's hard to walk up stairs, take out the garbage, sweep the floor..I feel so trapped! And then there's the sleeping..they tend to close all the way when i get into a deep sleep. My ENT Doc put me on oxygen for it..doesn't really help. also If the corRAB don't close all the way, they close just enough to make a loud vibrating HEEEEEE sound which also wakes me up! My daughter recorded me once when she was visiting and my mother said she's never heard anything like it!!!

I had the surgery in 2007 AfterwarRAB neither cord was working, after a year the right was sluggish and the left still wasn't working. Today they are both sluggish and will give out at the drop of a hat. I am now on disability because of this. The Drs say that the only help for me would be to get a trach. NO THANKS!
 
It sounRAB like you have both asthma and VCD. I have both along with reflux and Just right now I am very miserable. I am happy for you that your doctor did not think your condition is psychosomatic. I just returned from being evaluated at one of the finest pulmonary institutions and even after scoping me and seeing how bad my vocal corRAB are, the ENT said that he wanted me to see their shrink because for me to in this condition there were usually unresolved emotional issues. I saw their shrink and she thought I was sick. All in all it was a wasted trip and even the reflux test was done properly--ie I was given two barium tests while the ph implants were being monitored plus I was on Proton pump inhibitors which the doctor told me to stay on during the test but in his report he states that I was not on proton pump inhibitors.
BlueRidgeGirl
 
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