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In Episode 34 of Wellbeing Interrupted, I open up about my deeply personal struggle with muscle tension dysphonia—a condition that severely impacted my ability to speak. This unexpected challenge became another hurdle in my life, compounded by my ongoing experiences with multiple sclerosis and stage 4 breast cancer. Through the transformative power of speech therapy and the support of a dedicated allied health network, I was able to reclaim my voice and continue sharing my message of hope and resilience.

This episode is especially meaningful as it coincides with Speech Therapy Awareness Week 2024, highlighting the crucial role that speech therapists and other allied health professionals played in helping me regain not just my voice, but also my sense of self.

The Impact of Muscle Tension Dysphonia: My Personal Experience

Muscle tension dysphonia is more than just a physical condition—it’s a profound emotional journey as well. Losing my voice was a deeply distressing experience, especially given my love for communication and storytelling. I vividly remember the moment I realised something was wrong, the fear that my cancer had spread to my lungs, and the eventual relief when a speech therapist identified the real issue.

The journey to recovery wasn’t easy. My muscles had tightened to the point where my voice was strangled (well that’s how it felt) and barely audible. Over the past 18 months, I’ve worked tirelessly to regain my voice. While it's still a work in progress, I’m grateful to be able to share my story with you on Wellbeing Interrupted.

The Critical Role of Speech Therapy in My Muscle Tension Dysphonia Recovery

Speech therapy played a pivotal role in my recovery. With the help of my speech therapist, Jen, I learned specific techniques and exercises that gradually helped me reclaim my ability to speak. This was a meticulous process, requiring patience and resilience, but the results were undeniable.

 I also emphasize the importance of a broader allied health network in my recovery. From physiotherapy to osteopathy, various therapies worked in unison to help my body heal. Alongside these medical treatments, my spiritual practices, such as meditation and chakra balancing, were essential in calming my mind and body. This holistic approach, blending physical, mental, and spiritual care, underscores the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in treating complex health conditions.

How to Approach Speech Difficulties with Kindness

Through my struggle with muscle tension dysphonia, I gained a new appreciation for the challenges faced by those with speech difficulties. I discuss the frustrations and social isolation that come with being unable to communicate clearly and the assumptions people often make about cognitive abilities based on speech alone.

This experience highlighted a vital lesson: the importance of kindness and empathy. Whether interacting with someone struggling to speak or being kind to yourself during a difficult recovery process, compassion is key. This episode serves as a reminder to approach all communication challenges with understanding and patience.

Final Insights: How Speech Therapy and Allied Health Practitioners Enhance Recovery

As I reflect on my journey, I reiterate the invaluable role of speech therapy and allied health practitioners in my recovery. I’m deeply grateful for the professionals who helped me regain my voice and encourage others to seek out these services if they’re struggling with similar issues.

This episode concludes with a powerful message: healing is a team effort. By working together—patient, therapist, and the broader allied health community—we can overcome even the most daunting challenges.

📢 ANOUNCEMENT: ALLIED HEALTH PRACTITIONERS

If you’re a healthcare practitioner, I invite you to visit the Hurdle2Hope Healthcare page. There, you’ll find information about the workshops I’m offering, designed to empower your practice and leverage participant insights in allied health. Whether you’re an individual practitioner or a manager of a healthcare team, these workshops provide valuable insights from my 25 years of living with MS and now cancer, coupled with my expertise in social work. Let’s work together to enhance patient care and support healing in a holistic way.

Transcript Episode 34. Muscle Tension Dysphonia: How Speech Therapy and Allied Health Transformed My Recovery.

[00:00:00] Teisha: Hey there, Teisha here, and welcome to Episode 34 of Wellbeing Interrupted. Another episode brought to you from our caravan. I'm glad it's still standing, as last night the winds were howling. It was so full on, um, and the weekend's weather was pretty horrendous. We wondered why the lightning and then thunder was so oud on Friday night, we drove around on Sunday and saw five trees, not on our property, but just behind us in the state forest, were hit by lightning. So the storm was very close, but as I said, Andrew, still loving living here, even in these conditions, so it will be amazing when we have a house to live in.

[00:00:55] There's been a change of plans with this episode this week, and that is because on the weekend, I saw that this week is Speech Therapy Awareness Week, and as I've shared on this podcast, and even over these 30 odd episodes, you'll notice that my voice has improved. The intro and outro were recorded back in January.

[00:01:26] So I have them there as a bit of a reminder, I guess, at the moment of how far I've come. And an absolute key to me improving my voice has been seeing an amazing speech therapist, Jen, and it's a world I had no idea about. I hadn't had any difficulties with speaking, or speech, with MS, but as I'll share, this was a completely new, And difficult experience, so stay tuned as I share some really confronting insight into my voice loss due to muscle tension Dysphonia.

Wellbeing Interrupted Intro

[00:02:17] Welcome to Wellbeing Interrupted, the podcast dedicated to exploring the transformative power of a healing mindset. I'm Tisha Rose, your host. and the founder of Hurdle2Hope. If you're on a quest to not just survive but thrive after a life changing diagnosis, then you're definitely in the right place.

[00:02:40] Living with MS and now stage 4 breast cancer has taught me a vital lesson. In the face of a life changing illness, our mindset is everything. Each week I'll share insights, tips and strategies to help you build a happier, healthier, So let's begin your journey from hurdle to hope, starting right now.

The Impact of Muscle Tension Dysphonia: My Personal Experience

World Voice Day, and up until six months ago, I had no idea the difficulties

[00:03:19] that present to you when you can't use your voice properly. So, this voice is the impact of what's called muscle tension dysphonia. I'd never heard of it before, but apparently the muscle above my voice box has actually tensed up. The reason this happened I think is because last year was a very traumatic year.

[00:03:48] I was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and on top of that I've had to deal with multiple sclerosis. So, I do lots of exercises to try and improve my voice. For someone who absolutely loves to chat, this has been extremely frustrating. And given that I've been through so much with cancer and also MS, it feels like it's just um, a little bit too much to deal with.

[00:04:26] Gosh, I feel a bit sad, actually, listening to that. It's so difficult to listen to, but I'm pleased I found that recording, which was done April 23. Um, and I had difficulties with my voice from about October 22. So that wasn't even the worst of it. And it's difficult to listen to. It does make me feel sad.

[00:04:57] Because I think, gosh, how much did I have to deal with in 2022, um, and you know, before that with MS and during stage 4 breast cancer as well. But on the other hand, I think, gosh, you know, I've got through another challenge. And like I spoke about in episode 32, and like I'll share now, I've for the rest of this podcast episode.

[00:05:28] There is always hope. You know, if we get actively involved, no matter how bad it sounds, like it did in that recording, there's hope because I actively accepted what was happening and then I started working on improving my voice.

[00:05:54] So before I share how I improved my voice to what it is today, which is still not perfect, but hey, you heard a whole lot better. I want to share with you how I lost my voice and the signs that I acted upon. And I'm glad I had the support network to help me do that. At the time, I was working doing an audit of a disability service.

[00:06:21] It was a full on job. I know I was really stressed doing it. And I was sitting at my desk a lot, and I was interviewing a lot of people who engaged with this service to make sure they were being treated well. And at the end of each day I realised that I was struggling with my breath, I was struggling to get the words out, and I had no idea what was going on.

[00:06:52] I actually was a bit scared, I thought maybe I'm short of breath because of cancer, maybe my cancer had spread into my lungs. which can happen and I was really worried about that. So I went to my oncologist. No, that hadn't happened. So that was good. Then made an appointment with my neurologist thinking maybe it was MS related, but it wasn't.

[00:07:21] So then fortunately, my physiotherapist, um, who obviously noticed how bad my voice was getting, referred me to a speech therapist. I'd never had speech therapy sessions before. I definitely experienced having to recover from other parts of my body not working, my legs, you know, going to rehab, my arms, my hands.

[00:07:50] And I guess it was sort of similar. So often, I was wanting to walk, but my legs were not responding. And it was the same with talking. I know how to talk, but I couldn't get the words out, and that's where the frustration was. But I had to take the same mindset to learning how to walk again, to trying to learn, I guess, how to talk again.

[00:08:19] The speech therapist referred me to a I don't even know the term, but I went to a clinic, um, to have, uh, a camera up my nose and down my throat, which wasn't very pleasant. And a speech therapist and a doctor was there, a different speech therapist. They got me to do different exercises speaking, and they could see what was happening

[00:08:44] vocally and what they saw was the muscle above my voice box. The muscle was tightened so much that it was strangling my vocal cords and that's why I couldn't get any words out. I began to say that this was the voice of trauma because I just think everything tightened so much. Dealing with the stress, I was Handling or going through with my Stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis, as well as having a body that's endured MS for so long, and I have lots of spasticity, really tight muscles, and a lot of pain in my upper body.

[00:09:35] So to me, it's like it just all kept getting tighter, and tighter, and tighter, until My voice stopped working.

The Critical Role of Speech Therapy in My Muscle Tension Dysphonia Recovery

[00:09:49] Having a network around you is so important when you're dealing with a health condition, and that was Reinforced going through these issues with my voice. For starters, it meant I could see a speech therapist really quickly. I'd never, as I mentioned, received speech therapy before, so that was all new to me.

[00:10:16] It was really confronting. You know, at the beginning I couldn't even get the basic words out. I couldn't do it. I couldn't get it out. There was another exercise I remember, MeetMoreMen, couldn't get that out as well. Um, so the struggle, the frustration was very apparent. It was, yeah, it was tough. But, I was, I guess, like I do, once you're connected with the right person.

[00:10:45] I knew Jen, my speech therapist, knew what she was doing. So I just followed everything that she said. And we built upon all of these words and all these exercises to eventually, you know, and it took a while, to eventually be able to Do a podcast. When I thought about doing this podcast, there was no way I could get a word out.

[00:11:12] So, but working with Jen meant that this was possible. It's funny, friends will say, wow, your, your podcast, the episodes is sounding great. And then I meet with Jen every month and Of course, she's very complimentary as to what, what's going on, but I want her to critique me because I want to find out how to get better and how to improve things.

[00:11:42] Even last, a couple of weeks ago when we met, I was saying, and I knew I was struggling to say wellbeing, and now Jen's taught me to move my lips differently. I don't know, push the air out differently, and now Wellbeing Interrupted is so much easier. So there's all these things I can do, listening to Jen and getting her advice and her techniques to improve.

[00:12:13] My voice. The other thing I do when I'm driving along, I always do trills and it's funny but fortunately I had no idea that I was a good triller so I'm always going around and walking when I'm, you know, on my walker, walking. I always trill. I'll give you a snippet of what I have to do and what Andrew has to listen to.

[00:12:37] Wrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr And that has helped me so much, because it opens that muscle out. And there's all these other things that stop me from feeling strangled when I talk. So, as well as speech therapy, I had my neurophysio do a lot of work around my jaw, Face, you know, there's all of these different techniques.

[00:13:11] I think it was it called vocal unloading or something like that. And all these different techniques to loosen the muscles around my Upper body, I guess. I then went to my osteopath. She was amazing as well. She, she even got her gloves on and put her fingers inside my mouth. It killed, but she was releasing that muscle that holds your jaw, I guess, together.

[00:13:40] And, oh my goodness, it hurt so much. But again, it worked. And then as I've shared, I'm also into spiritual practices. So part of this If you know anything about chakras, this was trying to balance my throat chakra, but also meditation, trying to really relax my body. And the other thing is, when you reflect and try and work out why you've had these experiences, I know, that part of me losing my voice was to make me stop.

[00:14:23] I wasn't doing a job that I loved, and I knew there was so much more I wanted to do, and I couldn't do the job anymore. I would never have Stopped doing that work because we know financially, you know, you need that security, but I had no choice. So I had to resign from that job and then things with my business just started happening.

[00:14:52] And although I couldn't use my voice and start my podcast, I started writing and that reignited the passion I have for writing. So that was amazing and I've done my podcast. So when you do think there's something more out there, when you do think you have a purpose in life, then going through experiences like this, it's made it easier and it makes you, instead of be, I guess, sad of what has happened, It makes you motivated to get better and then continue on doing what you're here to do.

How to Approach Speech Difficulties with Kindness

[00:15:41] The experience of losing my voice has also given me amazing insight into what it must feel like not being able to communicate properly. It is so frustrating. I was so embarrassed at times. I remember even going to our local cafe to order food and they couldn't even understand what I was saying. You know, I'd have to point at things.

[00:16:12] It reminded me of traveling in Romania when people couldn't understand what I was saying, but it was so much worse. That was a bit amusing in Romania, whereas this wasn't. This was so frustrating. And at times, I know people made assumptions of me cognitively based on my voice. You know, sometimes people then speak more simply so I could understand, and it's like I can understand you, I just can't respond.

[00:16:48] I think what this experience has done is really shown a lesson in kindness. And that's what this experience of losing my voice and struggling to speak has really demonstrated. How important it is to be kind. It became really isolating not having a voice because I couldn't ring friends to talk to, or, you know, I spoke to family, but it was a struggle, it was a struggle.

[00:17:22] For them to understand me. It was frustrating not being able to get my words out, and I had to be careful because in speech therapy we work so hard to get the right way of using those muscles that if you, I guess, revert. Back to not speaking well, using the wrong muscle. Sorry, I'm laughing because I've got no idea how to actually explain it, so I'm sure speech therapists will be listening to this thinking what's she on about?

[00:18:00] But basically, When I got tired and I couldn't speak properly, that was undoing the work of all the exercises I'd been doing. So if you ever meet someone who's struggling to communicate, be kind, and it's a lesson for all of us. Just be kind, you know, have empathy of how difficult that is, that must be.

[00:18:28] How frustrating, that must be. How they want you to listen and hear what they're trying to say. And don't make assumptions that because someone can't speak well, that they don't understand. You know, I understood everything that was going on. I just couldn't get my words out.

Final Insights: How Speech Therapy and Allied Health Practitioners Enhance Recovery

[00:18:56] The end of another episode in this being Speech Therapy Awareness Week, a confronting episode I think for me, well it has been, just listening to my voice and remembering everything that was going on a couple of years ago. But again, a remind for me to be kind to myself as well, you know, to recognise the trauma my body was going through and how that needs to heal and how that is healing.

[00:19:29] Also I really wanted to, during this week, to highlight the importance of speech therapy and allied health therapists as well, because we can't live well with our illnesses without them. You know, they do such an amazing job in supporting us to embrace life. I am so grateful for what they do and even when I'm not wanting to do my trills or all the other exercises I have, I do them because Jen and all my other therapists are doing so much to help me.

[00:20:11] That's the least I can do. And also remember the lesson in kindness, that if you hear someone struggling to speak, be kind to them, know how frustrating it must be, and just try and listen and connect with them, without thinking, they don't understand what they're talking about, just hold space and be kind.

[00:20:40] And if you are struggling with your voice, be kind to yourself. It's so frustrating, I now get that. But show some kindness to yourself, do all you can to get help as well. You know, speech therapy as I've experienced has been incredible. So hopefully that service is available for you as well. So, if you haven't already, listen to Episode 1.

[00:21:11] 32 of Wellbeing Interrupted. Why accepting your diagnosis doesn't mean giving up hope, because this is the process really I went through in accepting I had issues with my speech, and then actively accepting that and shaping my future. And showing to you today that although not perfect, it has improved so much, but that's because of all of the work I did to shape my future.

[00:21:48] And I've also been working really hard over the last few months because I truly believe that to live well with any illness, then we need to work as a team. A wider community and part of that for me is not only sharing my insights for those living with health conditions, but also for the incredible practitioners that provide such important support for us.

[00:22:23] So that's been my focus. If you are a practitioner, visit Hurdle2Hope. www. hurdle2hope. com forward slash healthcare. So Hurdle2Hope with the number two dot com forward slash healthcare. There you'll see two different workshops I'm running. Join, if you're an individual practitioner, join the waitlist of An upcoming workshop, and this focuses on empowering your practice and leveraging participant insights into allied health practice.

[00:23:03] It's about me sharing all the insights I have in living with MS for a lifetime. Over 25 years and now cancer, but also coupled with my social work expertise, I should mention I'm a qualified social worker as well. So I bring all of that to the workshop. Then if you're a business owner or a manager of a healthcare team, On there.

[00:23:32] You'll also see a Cultivating Wellbeing and Resilience workshop. Send me an inquiry and we'll connect because that's about empowering your team. So also visit hurdle to hope.com/healthcare and author details will be there for the team building event as well. Thank you so much for listening. Again, it really means so much your support.

[00:24:05] If you know someone struggling with a health condition, let them know about Wellbeing Interrupted. There's plenty of episodes for them to binge on. Also, if you are a health care practitioner, please share this episode, share the information on my website about the workshops, as I know these will help in your professional development and a great opportunity for us to work as patient or participant and practitioner together.

Have a great week and we'll chat soon.

Wellbeing Interrupted Outro

Thank you so much for joining me today on Wellbeing Interrupted. If today's episode inspired you or you think it could help others, please share it by tagging @hurdle2hope in your Instagram stories or just by telling a friend about it.

[00:25:02] To spread our message of healing and hope to those who need it most, your ratings and reviews count. These are invaluable. By taking a moment to rate and review on your listening platform, you help us attract inspiring guests and create content that empowers all of us to thrive. Don't forget to follow me on at Hurdle2Hope for more insights.

[00:25:27] I'd love to see you there. Always remember, to thrive after a life changing diagnosis, your mindset is everything.