Vocal Cord Disorder...now what?
My fifteen year old has been diagnosed with a 'vocal chord disorder'. Her breathing is very difficult when exercising and she plays sports. Has anyone had experiences with treatment that they have found helpful? An ENT that you found helpful? Can you recommend a specialist at Kaiser in the east bay? We have been untangling this knot for a long time and I would love a direct line!
The current recommendation is to go to a speech pathologist and a respiratory therapist. If anyone has had experience with this route at Kaiser east bay I would really appreciate any information you can share.
It's definitely not asthma so please no asthma advice.
May 8, 2019
Parent Replies
My daughter has this, and we saw someone at Kaiser. Unfortunately, I do not remember the doctor's name, but they were helpful. My understanding is that this can happen, especially to high functioning kids who put a lot of pressure on themselves to succeed; the vocal chords close up and it feels like you can't breathe even though you can. For my daughter, meditation and mindfulness has helped. Also, when it happens, she takes a 5 minute break to relax her vocal chords, drink some water, and step back from the situation. She'll say it's asthma, because it's easier to explain to others than the vocal chord disorder, but taking a moment with focused breathing helps her tremendously. She also started singing in her school's choir which I think also helped. Good luck!