Your voice?
 

My voice does not fit the MG description I´ve usually come across on the internet. But it definitely changes and fluctuates.

Mine goes from being quite a sing-songy voice to sounding completely monotone. It sounds almost pinched, as if someone were upset or just been crying. I noticed that it happens especially whilst taking antibiotics or comes along with other muscle weakness. The SFEMG practitioner noticed it kept fluctuating into a lower resonance whilst we were chatting.

If you have voice fluctuations, does yours become nasal?

Anacrusis

As someone who ALWAYS has voice problems.........mine varies. I'm sometimes nasal. Sometimes I just slur. Sometimes I sound like I have a speech impediment -- not being able to sound out certain letters like "t", "d", "s", and the "th" sounds, etc. Sometimes I sound like a drunk. Sometimes I sound like I've had a stroke. Sometimes I just sound like I'm whispering -- and I'm not. For some REALLY odd reason, pronouncing NUMBERS is always hard -- even early in the day when my voice is just a little more "normal". :confused:

I've never analyzed whether mine is "monotone". Probably is.......just haven't asked anyone or listened to myself on a recording. :)

I know one thing -- those voice-activated phone commands -- I give em FITS!! The "computer-robot" is always saying, "I'm sorry, I don't understand. Let me connect you to a customer service representative." ONE advantage of having MG! ;)

Well I would say my main problem is with slurring, which can make it very difficult for me to be understood sometimes (sometimes I just get humming noises because my lips won't move at all!). But I also sometimes have problems controlling the pitch of my voice and recently I was given some cinnarizine by my GP, which I had extremely bad reaction to, and which made my speech very high pitched and wavering. I could do nothing to control it. Other times I stutter or use completely the wrong words - again, no control over how it comes out. Now I am scanning my speech a lot, the words are very broken up and my voice quite sort of croaky and slow sounding. Making any effort to inflect the voice is tiring, so it makes sense that it would sound monotone. Well that's how it is!

wild_cat

When I am having a bad day, my voice becomes hoarse and raspy. I can get so that I can't talk. My tongue feels think and it makes me sound funny. My overall voice sounds nasally. I have noticed problems controlling pitch.

Yet when I am well rested and have enough mestinon, I can sing like I always did. I haven't tried long sessions. About an hour at a time is what I am doing now.

I haven't had any issues with my speech since getting on the Mestinon. But prior, I would get the feeling of a knot in the back of my throat that would prevent me from speaking properly. I'd start to slur and get a real nasal sound to my voice. And then there would be the occasional word I just couldn't get out. It would feel like a combination of not being able to get my mouth/lips/tongue into the right positioning to form the word correctly, and that feeling in the back of my throat preventing me from getting any sounds out.

Voice is the combined effort of numerous muscles.

So, why should it surprise you that it fluctuates like that in an illness whose hallmark is fluctuating muscle weakness?

If the respiratory muscles are the prominently weak muscles you will sound breathless (=anxious) when you talk, if the laryngeal muscles are effected more it will change the pitch of your voice, if it your palate it will become nasal etc etc.

For me it was very embarrassing that my occupational physician has a name I find hard to pronounce :o
With time I have found the solution for that-I call him by his first name. :)

Thanks so much Jana - your descriptions are always so descriptive!!!!

You definitely need to articulate more to get numbers out especially if spoken as separate words. My son is billingual so I would revert to the language that was easiest to articulate whilst reading bedtime stories and that would hold off dysarthia for some extra minutes. Funny but english language always lost out!

Thank you wild_cat - I´m borrowing these lines! Hope that´s OK :wink:

The only thing that surprises me is that the doctor´s secretary keeps winking at me and saying it´s probably the menopause! Oh! And what also surprises me is that my good mood does not necessarily deteriorate along with my symptoms!

When I read ´nasal´ 20 times relating to the voice in MG on the internet I just want to be like everybody else or not have it at all!
So, myasthenia affects respiratory, palatial AND laryngeal muscles
I guess I should know that, but sometimes you just need someone real to tell you it :Writting:
Great to hear everyone´s descriptions....

Thank you,

Anacrusis

This may be a double post.

Whoops - may have accidentally posted before completely answering. My arm/hand dropped on computer. Blame MG....

Re: Voice

My voice became weak - sometimes very weak after MG symptoms began. (Ocular symptoms came first).

I was working - had to attend and participate (speak) in meetings. After MG came - things changed. I was frequently asked to SPEAK UP. I tried. I could not. Hmmmm.....that was not a problem in the past. Medicinal treatment for MG has since helped - somewhat.


ALSO: This seemed odd to me....(at first)

I used to often "clear my throat" when talking.
And after eating.

When I began taking mestinon this stopped. :eek:

Ironically - a fairly new (social) acquaintance - who is now a friend - told me she thought I had a "tic" - perhaps slight case of Tourettes (spelling?) when she first met me. Ironic - because my SIL and nephew have Tourettes.

My friend is a psychologist and just accepted this little "quirk" I had. I knew I did this - did not really how much though....... My friend says it was a LOT.

This particular symptom is gone - unless my MG is severely exacerbated. I know I am getting into trouble when I start clearing my throat excessively.


Also there were, still are at times, words that I could not/cannot pronounce. I sound slurred at times. Get asked to repeat what I just said.


Also, when I get tired, or breathless - I "yawn" when talking. This does not always come across well with others. Trust me I am interested - not bored. I just have MG.....


But my soft voice has been one of my most pronounced symptoms.

Hey, I just figured out my nickname I chose for this group:

"SoftTalker"