Dear List-family....
YYYYYEEEEEHHHHAAAAAWWW!!! <---Barb, yelling LOUDLY in excitement>
As of tonite, I have my REAL voice back! Back, and LOUD, if
that's how I wanna speak! YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!
UCLA's Dr. Gerald Burke injected collagen into both vocal cords
this afternoon, and now at 11:45 p.m., my "normal' speaking voice
has returned!!!!!! Well, "returned" for
3 to 6 months, anyway.... till the collagen's absorbed by my body.
But HEY - guess what? Next time my "normal" voice starts fading
away to a breathy whisper I'll have not one option, but TWO.
Yup folks... TWO, as in 1-collagen injections lasting 3 to 6
months, or, 2- a long-term ("long-term," as in as long as the PD
stays slow moving as it's been for almost 25 years) tiny,
man-made, hammer-shaped thingee implanted into my vocal cords via
the passage thru the thyroid capsule (inserted right THRU the
capsule AROUND and/or past the thyroid).
The tiny "thingee (has a long medical name which I can't recall,
but I'll get it from Dr, Burke tomorrow and List-post it)
procedure accomplished in a 1/2 hour operation in the doctor's
office and has been performed on folks with vocal cord problems
for about 10 years or more, according to Dr, Burke and also by
many other neck and throat specialists all over the world.
Only recently has this type of surgery been done on Parkies, and
WHICH Parkie gets it is decided by their own neck and throat
specialist/surgeon, based upon their PD being rather slow moving
(as in slowly degenerating rather than swiftly moving). I'm not
too sure what constitutes "slowly moving" to the DOCTOR, but to ME
that means the vocal cords are stable enough to permit the "tiny
thingee" to remain implanted for at LEAST a year or longer before
needing to be replaced by a new one cut to fit the changing vocal
cords.
Since I won't be a candidate for this procedure till the collagen
which I got today is absorbed by my body (3 to 6 months),
obviously I cannot share more about this surgery till I've had it.
But since it's apparently so well known by neck and throat
specialists, if you'd like to know more about it (like cost -
Medicare covers it, by the way), I suggest ya call the nearest
teaching hospital/university and ask for their neck and throat
clinic... They 'll no doubt be able to fill ya in on this
relatively minor operation.
OH.... and ya might hear some MD's saying this surgery ISN'T for
PWP's, but Dr. Burke SWEARS it CAN be successful when performed on
a Parkie, provided the doctor makes sure BEFORE the operation that
the patient's PD is indeed slowly to degenerate.
(NON-proofed for errors or typos)
Barb Mallut (written in haste, 'cause I'm awfully tired now)
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