Keith Cooper - Not SD but GERD
I originally contacted you over 12 months ago when I though I might be suffering from SD. It has been a long road since then with the ENT guys saying there was nothing sinister, which I knew, and that what I was presenting with shouldn't happen.
Eventually a very intelligent young lady in our local Speech Therapy Clinic got me to see one of the world's leading Gastro-Enterologists. This man didn't say 'that shouldn't happen, go away' he said 'I don't know what is happening but I am going to find out' and with the help of a Chest Specialist they did.
My Dysphonia and breathing problems are caused by an acid mist rising up my gullet and causing hyper-sensitivity in my larynx. This results in something like a Valsalva Manoeuvre which means I have problems breathing out and run out of wind when talking.
There were many tests with radioscopic substances, endoscopic investigations and 24 hr pressure and acidity testing but the diagnosis is sure. Hopefully, hypertension permitting, I will be having a Nissen Fundoplication laporascopically sometime in August which will eliminate the problem and release me from the daily drug regime. I will have my life back after nearly 10 years.
Finding your organisation helped tremendously in the beginning as you were writing about things I was experiencing and being treated as if I were either mistaken or a unique nuisance. Once I knew there were other people with problems it helped me to bypass the narrow minded physicians and find the ones with their curiosity intact. I am not there yet but a medication change at the turn of the year showed what could be achieved with surgery before its effect wore off.
Thank you for being there.
Best wishes
Keith Cooper
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