Voice Strengthening/Chronic Coughing

[traveler1]

Hi All

Just wondering if anyone has had any luck with voice strengthening exercises? Also wondering if anyone else is experiencing chronic coughing (especially when speaking)? I've had a cough for about three years now, which all of my doctors believed was allergy related. After a year of allergy treatments, the cough persists.

Last week, on my own, I started doing breathing exercises that i found demonstrated on Youtube--the 4,7,8 method and stacked breathing. My voice immediately sounded stronger and the coughing decreased markedly. Yay! I've been doing it multiple times a day and it seems to help every time.

This may sound greedy, but now I really want more....I'd love to be able to sing again! (I'm an obsessive Hamilton fan, know most of the lyrics, and want to sing along with my favorite revolutionaries!) I'm thinking of visiting a speech therapist. Couldn't hurt!

If anyone has any thoughts on the matter, I'd appreciate hearing them. Thanks!

Lauren

 

[billbell52]

I did speech therapy for several months with no results. I finally went to a speech therapist that is very familiar with ALS. I have Bulbar PLS (starts with speech). Basically she said that speech therapy doesn't work for ALS and should be the same for PLS. She did give me a few tips like speak slowly and use simple words.

 

[calypso45]

Hi Lauren,
I too have a chronic cough when speaking. I do take an allergy medicine that helps a little. I always feel the need to clear my throat. When I talk a lot and try to project my voice I cough.

I am going to try the breathing exercise you described, I watched it on YouTube.

I suppose the cough is related to this disease so anxious to hear if others have this and there suggestions how to deal with it.

Thanks,
Calypso

 

[pittsburghgal]

My PALS, Frank, has also had a chronic cough since April. He has been on 2 separate 10 day courses of antibiotics with no improvement. He is on medicine for reflux with no improvement (zantac and omiprozole). He has been seen by his pulmonologist twice, ENT doctor and family practice physician and no one can figure out what is causing the cough. He has had a negative chest xray and negative sputum culture.

The cough seems to be worse in the later part of the day and is worse with talking and exertion. Frank has a trach and only uses BiPap at night. He has me remove the speech valve multiple times when the cough gets bad and this seems to help. When he is on the Trilogy at night, the cough is essentially gone.

Is this just another effect of ALS? I would really appreciate any thoughts others may have because this cough is driving him crazy. At times he coughs so badly that he starts gagging.

Sharon

 

[traveler1]

Thanks for your thoughts, Billbell, Calypso, and Sharon.

Billbell, Thank you for relating your speech therapy experience; I'm just sorry that it was ineffective for you. If you don't mind sharing, what kind of exercises did you do? And do you also have a chronic cough?

Calypso, I'm sorry to read that you've also been afflicted with the mystery cough. I hope the breathing exercises I described help you. They're definitely helping me. I'm still coughing, but not nearly as much, and my breathing and voice both seen stronger. Good luck!

Sharon, Frank's cough sounds horrible--very frustrating! I don't know if the exercises would help him, but maybe he could try them out and see if there's any improvement. I don't know if cough is a usual symptom of ALS; I have PLS and my doctors don't believe my cough is related. I, however, am beginning to believe it really is. Good luck to both you and Frank. I hope he finds some relief very soon!

 

[billbell52]

They gave me a bunch of tongue exercises, breathing exercises and saying certain phrases. They also used a product called VitalStim that essentially shocks my throat muscles and is suppose to make my swallowing muscles stronger. After all that my progression continued and speech got worse or at least didn't improve. It could be if you are not progressing that it may help a little. I do have coughing spells. I find that my throat is very sensitive sometimes. A simple thing like a crumb or grain of salt can get in my throat and can trigger a coughing spell.

 

[azgirl]

I have had great luck with the cough assist machine. We use it for breath stacking and then to get a good cough started. This clears the Lungs, nose and throat and I can always speak much stronger afterwards.