What do you tell people who ask, "are you sick?"

Hello all,

When I first developed SD and didn't know what it was, I would hear throughout the day, "I hope you throat gets better!" or "don't you just hate when you get laryngitis?". Because I really didn't know what was wrong with me, I never bothered to say much in reply to the comments. Now that I know what I have, I've tried to explain it to others when they've commented on my "hoarseness" or the voice breaks. I was just curious whether anyone else tries to explain their condition to others or if they just let others assume it's some common cold symptom. In my case, the hoarseness was obvious, the voice breaks were frequent, and my breathing sounded so labored when I talked that some people assumed I had severe asthma or a really bad case of the flu.

Now that I'm taking Botox fairly regularly this doesn't come up much. I'm often approached by people whom I spoke to when my voice was "Bad" and they say, "you sound great! I'm glad your throat is better" and again....I'm tempted to just say, "well, thank you" , but I find myself trying to explain the neuromotor disease and how it never "goes away" and how I'm just treating the symptoms by getting Botox injections, but I still have the condition...... Am I just wasting my voice???

Hi Sunny,

I also get very irretated by people who just dont seem to understand it has nothing to do with the throat. I have had this sd for 4 years now. Even my family still try to give me honey and lemon drinks, throat sweets. If I only it was that easy.

I have been taking GABA herbal tablets and I have to say I have seen a vast improvement. I attended a job interview yesterday with no voice breaks, and only two pionts were I felt strangled, but I didnt try to speak through it.

I havent had a job interveiw in five years and havent spoken on the phone for about 2 and this week alone I have spoken on phone evry time its rang.

So in my oppinion you can manage symtoms, I would love to have botox but as I am a pro singer I can not afford to chance losing my singing voice.

I think most people are very iggnorant to this condition and its a waste of breathe trying to explain.