Motor symptoms in Parkinson Disease show good response to Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). This surgery generally reduces tremor and dyskinesia, whereas speech and swallowing dysfunction typically do not improve and may even worsen.
Ask yourself these questions?
Since your DBS surgeries, do you get frustrated when your neurologist always asks how many times have you fallen, but never inquires about your speech, voice or swallowing concerns?
Despite many LOUD sessions, do you feel like a loser that you can’t speak loudly or clearly enough to be heard and understood?
Do you feel greedy for wanting to be able to both talk and walk after DBS?
Do you feel guilty for wanting both a competent neurosurgeon for your DBS as well as a competent programmer after DBS?
Have you given up your dreams of improvement of your speech, and instead withdrawn and allowed others to speak on your behalf?
If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions...
Don’t get frustrated, don’t feel like a loser, don’t feel greedy, don’t feel guilty and don’t give up!
Finally, there is a program that really seems to get it. The Voice Aerobics program may be able to offer some practical strategies to help you deal with the speech, voice and swallowing challenges you have experienced since your DBS surgeries.
Check out the Voice Aerobics website at www.voiceaerobicsdvd.com and an article from a speech therapist's perspective, Parkinson's Speech and DBS: Where Is The Speech Pathologist When It's Time To Program? at http://voiceaerobicsdvd.blogspot.com/2011/08/parkinsons-speech-and-dbs-where-is.html
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
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