adrian patton's Page

Hi Adrain,

nice to hear from you. I didnt see Mr Hanson, I cant remember who i saw, i did see a couple of people,but nobody has waved the magic wand, or had anything helpful to offer, i have just been told it will come back, 2 and a half years on i am still waiting!!

It is a shame that Lary is so far away, it would be nice to have him up in Leeds

Hilary

Hi Adrian, I hope you are well. I just thought I would leave you a message as although I am not living in Leeds at the moment, I spent the last 2 years in Leeds at university and shall be (hopefully) returning in September to finish my final year. I also spent a lot of time in Leeds before going to Uni and go up quite regularly as I am a Leeds United home and away season ticket holder.

I notice you haven't been active for a little while so you may not still be about on here, but just wanted to say hi really as you where looking for Leeds-related people!

Becky

Hey Adrian, thank you for your response! :)

I go to Leeds Met and my degree is in Business and Human Resource Management. I really enjoy the subject. I originally took this year out in order to work in HR and get some experience and some money for my final year. I got a good HR job which I really enjoyed doing, but unfortunately since this all started happening in November I had to give up. The majority of my job was talking to people on the telephone, which I obviously cannot do at the moment, and working on a computer, which I cannot do for long periods of time due to the headaches I have been getting from the stress and depression caused by this all.

 

The cafe you are talking about sounds terrible, it is amazing how little knowledge there is out there in general about voice problems and the simple things which can be done in order to help make someones life so much easier. As I may have mentioned, I had suffered on my own for around 6 months before my speech therapist tracked down this website for me, and this is the first time I have found people to talk to with similar problems as my own. Also, before I went to my speech therapist (baring in mind I was on the waiting list for about 5 months before I got an appointment!!) I was not made aware of even the basic vocal care points which can make such a difference. Even my GP did not know of these points to tell me them and try to help. The lack of knowledge is amazing in my opinion.

 

I hope things are going well for you and your voice issues are not causing you too many problems!

 

Best wishes

Becky

Hi Adrian, I am sorry it's taken me so long to reply! I cannot go on my laptop for too long as it can give me bad headaches, and so I haven't been on it for a while, so sorry about that!
It has been a tough few weeks, with a lot of stressful things going on and putting tension on me, which has affected the muscles in my neck and throat, and therefore hasn't helped with me trying to get my voice back!
My speech therapist has given me a series of exercises which I have to do quite a few times each day. These are aimed to get my vocal chords to try and move again how they are meant to do in order for me to produce a voice. I have been getting a few more squeaks but still not able to produce any words and it is only maybe 2 times a day which I can produce a small noise (such as a "b") when I try to do it. This has been such a slow process to find any form of improvement that it is extremely frustrating, and I know that when my voice does come back it's not going to be the end of it all, and I am going to have to go through these episodes for most of my life! If you do not mind me asking,
Are you able to talk much? I see that you have problems with a stammer, that must be quite difficult. Luckily I do not have problems with reflux but I have done in the past and know it can be extremely painful. Have you seen a speech therapist or an ENT specialist to try and find things which may be able to help? I hope these questions are not too probing or that they don't sound too naive, I am still learning so much about the voice and the problems you can have with them, and I am just keen to learn more and raise my awareness of the different issues people face.
I hope you have had a better week and that you haven't had any more awkwardness in social situations because of other people not being aware of how they can help you out - I know how extremely frustrating it can be and how low it can make you feel!
Take care
Becky

Hi Adrian.

The excersises I do have been built up slowly and are being used as a way to try and re-train my vocal chords to move the way they are meant to in order to produce a voice. I have been taught how to look after my voice and observe the different changes and how they affect me, and also what to do in certain situations in order to help myself to the best extent. I've changed a lot of general, every day things I do or altered them slightly in order to try and help my voice, so I haven't just been sort of thrown into the deep end and putting strain on my voice. One of the things I have been taught is how to recognise when I am putting strain on my voice, and to adjust myself when I am doing this.

One of the main issues at the moment for me is that there is so much stress going on in my life which is causing me to be extremely tense and affecting the muscles in my throat causing more strain on my voice. It's extremely annoying but you can't really change those around you and what is going on in life, just have to deal with it really!!

How are things with you? I hope you are okay and have had a good, healthy week!

Hey Adrian, the house search is going well, I have found one! A really nice place in Morley, and I shall be moving up at the beginning of September. I have also had a meeting with my University, and they are putting in place loads of support for me which is very encouraging and gives me a bit more confidence about going back.

How are things with you?