Talking Again

 

 

Speech Difficulties

 

 

NEED MORE VOLUME? Use An Amplifier

 

Amplifiers can be a great deal of help with adding volume and sometimes clarity when raising the level of your voice adds more difficulty in speaking.

If you wish to check on what our laryngectomee suppliers carry in their catalogs, please use the red link in the horizontal menu for listings.

 

 

Handy to Have

You would have to play with it to get the most out of it. They don't clear up
the voice but make it louder. If your voice is very clear and distinct in a quiet mode, it will likely work very well for you.

I find one useful in a crowd or where there is background noise. I use it to give a speech. For daily use, you could have it handy at home, but wearing one all the time and being ready to talk louder, well, it could get in the way at the dinner table. I use mine with a head set and place the mouthpiece about level with the bottom of the nose. The speaker goes on a waist belt.

If you are sitting at a dining table, you need to sit the speaker on top of the table... They are well worth it for the purpose of increasing the
volume when all the kids or neighbors are over or at a meeting...in a car or to call your wife from another room!!

Almost all of our main vendors carry them. Look under suppliers and check their websites.  http://webwhispers.org/suppliers/suppliers.asp

Pat Sanders
lary 1995


Dorothy Lennox of Luminaud wrote to the email list with some thoughts on the subject:

To those interested in Voice Amplifiers,

As well as the ADDvox Voice Amplifiers mentioned by Richard of Bruce
Medical, there are several other personal, portable voice amplifiers which
are easy to use, durable and have provided many years of excellent service at very reasonable prices for many, many users. These include the
Spokeman, the ChatterVox, the Classic Power Vox, the Voicette, the
SoniVox, the BoomVox, the WPA and a variety of other brands, in sizes from 7 oz. to 25 lbs., to help in communicating one-to-one or in speaking to
small, medium or very large groups. Many special features and a choice of
microphones are often available so that people can select the combination
of components that will work out best for their own individual needs and
preferences. Voice amplifiers are useful for esophageal, TEP or EL
speakers and also for many people with Parkinson's, ALS, MS, COPD, lung cancer, vocal nodules or any of many, many conditions which make it
impossible, difficult or tiring to try to speak at a normal or louder voice level. Any personal amplifier can be used with the speaker phone version of a telephone, but there also are some phones with built in
outgoing voice amplifiers or outgoing voice amplification attachments for
modular phones.

Check out the Voice Amplifier information at these web sites:

Communicative Medical: www.communicativemedical.com

Connections Unlimited: www.connectionsunltd.com

Griffin Labs: www.griffinlab.com

Lauder Enterprises: www.electrolarynx.com

Luminaud, Inc: www.luminaud.com

Any of these companies will be happy to provide additional details and to
go over your personal needs to assist you in making choices.

Happy Talking,

Dorothy Lennox
Luminaud, Inc.
Vendor Member

 

 

Reader's comparison:

My job was a leader of programs which required me to teach classes
and attend several meetings each week. Once I decided to I needed an
amplifier, I started to investigate, and to tell the truth, it was obvious
that some manufacturers had a bigger advertising budget but not so obvious which was best. I contacted the suppliers and got approval to buy the product and try them. I would keep one and return the other 2. I got
these:

Voista- The best choice for my needs. Clear and small enough to fit in
about 75% of my shirt pockets. I use a "Garth Brooks" type microphone. It
is digital which is supposed to be a plus, although I'm not sure why. I
liked it and purchased it.

Addvox- There is nothing wrong with this product as far as amplification.
However, it is about the size of a fanny Pak and is worn that way. It also
takes longer to charge the battery and has to be charged more frequently.

Spokeman- I was very impressed with the quality of this one. Was very
small and would fit into ANY shirt pocket. The sound was clear and loud
enough. It didn't hold a charge as long as the Voista, but the lower price
made up for that.

I ended up keeping the Spokeman, also. Since I could use the microphone
from the Voista with it, it only cost about $100.00. On rare occasions
Voista was too large for my pocket, or if I needed a spare for whatever
reason, it made sense for me to keep it as a back up.

One tip, if you do the trial thing, is make sure to be in contact with your
insurance company. When I asked Blue Cross for reimbursement, I got a
Sorry, this product is approved, but you bought it from the wrong "vendor"
Nice huh?  Good luck,

Ron Sexton Lary 2008

 

 

Insurance Answers provides interesting suggestions as to how you may get one paid for:

http://www.webwhispers.org/library/OtherChoices.asp

 

 

BOTOX - for overactive muscle activity

 


Let's dispel some misconceptions about this drug. You know, the old "Law of the Hammer"? Once you acquire a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. That has been happening with Botox, and it is important to understand how this drug works to prevent its misuse and overuse. If not administered properly, it can cause very serious consequences. It is also quite expensive.

Most of you have heard of botulism poisoning, which is often fatal, usually acquired through consumption of improperly canned foods or processed meats. A toxin, produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum is the cause but this bacteria can easily be destroyed at high temperatures, This is why canned foods must be heated thoroughly as part of their processing.

For a muscle to contract, a signal is sent from the brain through a nerve towards the muscle. At the neuromuscular junction, where the nerve meets the muscle, the signal passes by a chemical called acetylcholine. Then the muscle will contract and movement occurs. The botulinum toxin blocks the release of acetylcholine, which will cause a partial paralysis of the muscle which lasts about 3-4 months.

In the 1950's, researchers realized that you could prevent overactive muscles from contracting by injecting VERY small amounts of the toxin into the muscles. The injectable drug Botox was developed by the company Allergen to treat muscle spasm and overactivity, initially to treat excessive blinking (blepharospasm). It has since been used to control muscle spasms throughout the body in the dystonias, and also has gained considerable popularity because of its cosmetic uses for treating wrinkles.

For laryngectomees, Botox has been used to reduce the hypertonicity and spasm of the vibrating segment, resulting in a less effortful esophageal (E) or tracheoesophageal (TE) voice. But it is only effective for conditions that are due to overactive muscle activity, and may require relatively large doses (when compared to the amounts used cosmetically), administered precisely at the location of the hyperactive muscles. It is helpful to do the injections into the pharyngeoesophagus under fluoroscopy in radiology so that the precise point of hyperactivity can be pinpointed. Other voice and/or swallowing problems that are the result of scar tissue, diverticula, or stricture aren't helped by Botox. These are structural problems, not movement problems caused by overactive muscles.

Ideally, before Botox is attempted, the clinician will do a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the voice or swallowing problem. That will prevent the needless use of this drug. The typical side effects include soreness at the site of injection, allergic reaction, and injection of the wrong muscle group, which could result in very undesirable weakness of some muscles, on a temporary basis. Injectable Botox is also known to travel to areas of the body distant to the site of injection. Between 1989 and 2003, there were 28 deaths attributed to its non-cosmetic use in a variety of medical conditions. Not a huge risk overall in 14 years, but one that you should be aware of.

As always, I suggest that anyone considering a new treatment have a thorough understanding of what it is all about, and be certain that your clinician has a clear rationale for recommending it.

Carla DeLassus Gress, ScD, CCC-SLP Charlottesville, VA

 

 

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