Vocal Cord Dysfunction or Asthma?

Fourteen years ago I was diagnosed with asthma. Through the years I’ve been on every asthma medication available, with little to no success at controlling my symptoms. There were even two hospital stays which were very scary. There were days when I felt like I’d never be able to get a good breath of air ever again. I constantly coughed or cleared my throat. It wore me down, leaving me tired and irritable. I was using my nebulizer all of the time, with no relief. Antibiotics and steroids were common because of all my upper respiratory infections. I was miserable.

Six months ago I went to a doctor who is a Pulmonary Care specialist. It was a day that changed my life. The doctor sat looking at the results of my pulmonary function test, and listening to me cough while trying to talk to him. After maybe 5 minutes he told me that he didn’t think I had asthma! My first reaction was disbelief. As I listened to what he had to tell me I felt a sense of relief. I later had more testing done by a speech therapist. A scope was put into the back of my throat while she told me to make various sounds. I was able to watch the movements of my vocal cords on the computer monitor while the therapist explained what was happening. They remained shut longer than they should have, so I couldn’t breathe! The doctor’s diagnosis was correct. I do not have asthma! I have Vocal Cord Dysfunction with Irritable Airways. This condition mimics asthma. It is thought that 80% of people who have been diagnosed with asthma probably have Vocal Cord Dysfunction. The speech therapist told me that there are no medicines to treat the condition. It is controlled with breathing exercises, which she taught me, to open the vocal cords. When I start to cough I have to do the correct breathing and, voila!, the coughing stops! Every day I also do deep diaphram breathing. The asthma medications I’d been taking were actually doing more damage to my larynx, eosphagus, and vocal cords, so I was taken off of everything.

Vocal Cord Dysfunction is caused from GERD-gastroesophageal reflux disease. I have had some heartburn through the years, but I never thought it was that bad. Now, I’m on a protonic medication which is used to heal the esophagus and control stomach acids. My vocal cords were being attacked internally from the GERD and externally from allergens, so I have also been going to an allergist to help with the Irritable Airways part of this diagnosis. He has helped me get my allergies under control so I’m not reacting to allergens that hit my airways as badly as before.

I feel healthier than I have in years! It is such a blessing to be able to take a deep breath and not cough. It is my hope that by writing about Vocal Cord Dysfunction I will increase awareness of the condition. Before my diagnosis I had never heard of it and none of my family and friends had either. If you have been treated for asthma and have no success controlling it, please ask your doctor to schedule a pulmonary function test. Then go to a pulmonary care specialist, a doctor who deals with these diseases every day and can recognize it immediately. My quality of life has improved greatly and if I can help just one person who is suffering like I was, I will be thrilled.