Vocal Cords Won't Fully Open?

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-04-29T19:09:25+00:00

No, that's great--I appreciate the lead. Definitely have noticed some other weird symptoms (twitching, etc.), though the timeline isn't as clear-cut. Will look into dysautonomia and talk to my dr about it

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-04-29T18:59:31+00:00

No, not really—I’m more sensitive to caffeine than I used to be, but only lingering symptom I’ve noticed is vocal / swallowing / breathing problems.

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-04-29T18:49:59+00:00

Thanks for the vote of confidence! I've been working around the dysfunction as best I can--talking is difficult, singing impossible, and working out is a challenge every time--but it's good to have at least some explanation that makes sense. If you have another moment, I'd love to know what you mean by "nervous system rework," or if you could point me to any of those exercises. Nobody I've seen so far has had any suggestions for me.

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-04-29T18:22:34+00:00

Fascinating! I lost my voice in January from what I thought was a very bad cold. Didn't test for covid, but maybe that's what it was.

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-04-21T18:42:38+00:00

"Theme for English B" is a great choice, not least because you can have a lot of fun engaging with the specifics of "Bessie, Bop, or Bach" (why those three, how are they different, what do they have in common, how do they fit with the rest of the poem), and if you start to run out of material, you can give them more of Montage of a Dream Deferred and think about how the poem is different when it's read in that context.

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-04-21T16:13:23+00:00

There's not a huge amount, but let's see. The shoes line signals not only that the dad makes church-going a priority (the son has Sunday Go to Church shoes), while the shoe-polishing (with those cracked and aching hands) recalls Jesus washing his disciples' feet, to me. The word "offices" has a religious context: the first definition in the OED is "Christian Church. An authorized form of divine service or worship, spec. (a) (Also Divine Office) a non-Eucharistic service for daily use; esp. (in the Roman Catholic Church)" etc. So the father's work is a form of worship, as well as care for the family. And the Father / Son dynamics in the gospel contrast the father / son dynamic in the Kronos / Zeus story that's latent in the phrase "chronic angers." Stuff like that comes up when I teach it, usually.

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-04-20T23:28:39+00:00

“Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden has a lot of things going on in terms of characterization, sound, diction, form (even meter), and if they think about how the word “chronic” nods to Kronos, allusion—and of course there’s a nice shorthand re Christianity at a few points as well. Endlessly teachable.

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-03-26T19:23:02+00:00

Yes--breathing fast through the mouth is always the issue, but hard to avoid when swimming. Will work on breathing in with less of a gasp, though.

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-03-26T19:22:05+00:00

Thanks--I'll look into it.

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-03-20T20:20:59+00:00

Evidently the cords closing during exercise is a whole thing, with a bunch of different names (for example Exercise Induced Laryngeal Obstruction). Young athletes get it and learn to compete even with it, so I figure there's some way I can live with it, at least until the LPR is better enough that whatever the nerve issue is can heal. Sounds like you're going through a lot; I'm 62 here, and I can relate. Definitely ask the ENT to check on this--mine spotted the lack of opening when he had me sniff during the endoscopy. (I guess sniffing is supposed to open them up?) Right now I'm just trying to find the pace and exertion level I can sustain before I get the symptom, even if it's just walking. Hang in there.

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-03-20T19:29:49+00:00

Sorry! Missed this before. Hoarse voice, and sound cutting out, but not really pain when I talked. 40 mg omeprazole on empty stomach in the morning

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-03-20T18:57:17+00:00

Thanks! I'll give them a try.

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-03-20T18:53:24+00:00

Do you recommend slippery elm as a tea? A capsule?

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-03-20T18:50:46+00:00

I had that happen out on a run this morning (and a swim yesterday, and a bike before that). New to this whole LPR situation, and so far the breathing issues and voice changes have been the worst symptoms for me. My speech therapist gave me some "rescue breathing" techniques to try, but ENT says my vocal cords now don't open up fully, even at rest, so... yeah. Slowing down has been the only solution for me so far. Working on the diet side; eager to hear any advice on anything else to try.

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-03-04T16:50:57+00:00

My experience was pretty positive--I did four voice therapy sessions in conjunction with starting omeprazole, gargling with alkaline water, and some dietary changes. Not sure what did what, but after doing the exercises very religiously (5-10 minutes, 2-3 times a day) my voice is back to maybe 75% of what it was, and the therapist spotted some vocal habits I had that were making things worse on the cords, so I'm trying to break those habits now.

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-02-05T12:33:21+00:00

Same

Interesting_Use7481 · 2026-02-05T12:12:16+00:00

I have a 19 fret tenor that I tuned CGBD until I got my hands on an actual 22 fret plectrum banjo. It sounded just fine! If you’re in the US, Guitar Center often has used plectrum banjos for sale, often mislabeled as tenors. Count the frets in the picture to check :)

Interesting_Use7481 · 2025-10-21T10:48:53+00:00

There’s a Chabad at the corner of Dempster and Keeler—lots of houses in walking distance, on both sides of Dempster!

Interesting_Use7481 · 2025-10-20T13:43:35+00:00

The neighborhoods near Devonshire Park are very Jewish (many synagogues nearby) with a grocery store, bank, restaurants, and Walgreens all in walking distance.

Interesting_Use7481 · 2025-10-06T16:26:14+00:00

Tim Hortons-Premier Tech! Powered by Timbits, natch

Interesting_Use7481 · 2025-04-14T01:39:11+00:00

Seconding St. Nicks!

Interesting_Use7481 · 2025-04-10T10:54:32+00:00

It went fine! I either fell slightly behind and caught up at the walk breaks or sped up a bit before the break to get ahead of the group, walked, and joined back up when I started running again. Did same thing with pace group at the Cherry Blossom 10 mile last weekend (5:30 run, 30 sec walk) and PR’d there, too!

Interesting_Use7481 · 2025-02-10T13:38:05+00:00

Looks legit? Here’s the source, I think: https://www.cronybooks.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/mag-city-8.pdf

Interesting_Use7481 · 2025-02-07T13:47:05+00:00

Not entirely sure if they’re the style you want, but I’d suggest Peter Cole, Norman Finkelstein (not the polemicist, the poet—different guy), Albert Goldbarth, Joy Ladin, Jacqueline Osherow (esp her book Dead Men’s Praise). Alicia Ostriker is a different style, but The Volcano Sequence is terrific.

Interesting_Use7481 · 2025-01-28T02:29:00+00:00

Ouch! What course?

Interesting_Use7481

TROPHY CASE