strained voice

[Campingirl]

I'm just wondering if anyone else can relate to this symptom. Today I was at the race track with my family. It was a lot of walking and very hot out. I was starting to feel my fatigue setting in but kept trying to enjoy being out with my family. My chest starting feeling heavy and my voice started to become strained. It took a lot of energy to talk and my throat felt strained. It was hard for my husband to hear me because my voice became more quiet. (Which i'm sure he enjoyed, lol).This has happened other times before when fatigued. We came home and are taking it easy but I still feel it. I know tomorrow morning i will not feel it anymore after a full nights rest. Does anyone else have this symptom? Its annoying and a little scary because it seems like my breathing is affected by it. Does the MS hug cause this symptom?

[Beema]

I can't tell you why it happens to us but this was one of the first things I noticed before I got MS diagnosis. If I try to talk much while riding in a car I will completely lose my ability to speak for awhile. If I get too hot or too tired same thing happens. In my case I now find I can't speak long at all and conversations are hard for me. I would much rather text than talk on a phone as its just easier for me. Both my neuro and primary say its a part of ms but never really tell me the whys of it.

If you are having trouble breathing then you should call your dr asap otherwise I think its something you could put on your list of things to mention when you see your dr next.

I may be wrong but I don't think its the ms hug. I think its more a misfiring of signals and maybe kind of like when we have dimming of vision when we get too hot. That's just my opinion though.

You aren't alone in this as have other ms friends that complain of it too.

[misslux]

That happens to me too. Everything slows down when I am fatigued.

[MSW1963]

The vocal cords get weak, like muscles in other parts of the body.

MS attacks Myelin in the CNS. Myelin allows for transmittion of signals in the brain and spinal cord to muscles and other functional parts of the body.

The neuro transmitters develope 'many scars' (= multiple scars=Multiple Sclerosis) that interrupt smooth transmittion for conducting muscle movements, strength, and other functions of the body.

In addition, Myelin acts as protection for the brain from 'overheating'.

A good analogy compares damaged Myelin to a damaged electrical cord. Think of an electrical cord on a lamp fixture or small appliance. With a damaged electrical cord, the light bulb will flicker and the electrical current from the wall to the light bulb will not travel along the damaged electrical cord properly.

I have many varitions of weak vocal cords, from heat, occassional insomnia, tired from over doing it a result of being too weak to do much other than sitting and breathing type over doing it, lol.

Yesterday and today for the first time ever, my vocal quality sounds like laryngitis.

Hope this helps.

[Fed Up]

I have it too! It started early last year and has never completely gone away. It seemed, no one could hear me on my cell phone. I replaced it with a top of the line Smart Phone.

The new phone did not help.

Sometimes my voice is a little bit stronger, for the most part..my Doc says "you sound hoarse...the good part is, it is slowly progressing." I find that disgusting.

It is much worse with this current heat and humidity. fed

It would be nice to hear my old voice again!

[MSW1963]

Fed and everyone, I find it "troubeling' to have the sound of my voice not sound like my own.

My voice sounds harsh, and control of volume is inconsistant. I hate the sound of it and find myself not wanting to hear it, avoid speaking or being in public situations where others will wonder what's wrong with me because of my voice.

It's pretty unpleasent, but in reality it's minor compared to bigger problems other's here experience, and bigger problems I have.

[Campingirl]

It makes sense that our vocal cords get weak like other muscles in our bodies when we are fatigued, hot, or over doing it. It is nice to have MS world because a lot of times fellow MSers explain things and understand things better than doctors because we are the ones experiencing it. I did ask my doctor about it and he said it could be acid reflux. However, I am positive it isn't because like all of you have said, it is exasperated when talking too much, fatigued or hot.
Thanks for all of your help! I appreciate it

[Fed Up]

However, I am positive it isn't because like all of you have said, it is exasperated when talking too much, fatigued or hot.
Thanks for all of your help! I appreciate it

is that a typo or do I understand this incorrectly? BECAUSE...

I am certain for many, Multiple Sclerosis IS different.

I have NEVER recovered my voice(or, a few other things)! AND it is so bad, I hate to talk. Hence, I am on the internet, mostly.
my voice was soft and sweet--now, it is rather harsh and just not me and I am still trying to get use to a strangers voice in my home.. When you hear it all the time, you KNOW, it is suddenly different.

I tend to not speak to anyone more than a couple of feet away from me and know better than to yell or shout...it is like a tree falling in the forest, for me!

Certainly, heat and humidity amoung 'overuse' will make it weak, like anyone else. When you 'overdo' it, your voice will change. When it doesn't come back...then you know you need to get 'use' to it! It has been well over a year, I am still not 'use' to this new voice.
Even stepping up to an iphone from a blackberry, didn't help.

AND the red highlighted part would make me presume, 'strained' is pretty normal for even a person without M.S. to get that kind of weak voice--it is common: I use to lose my voice at high school football games and things of that nature, not from simply waking up!

M.S. has caused my voice to change and is certainly something I cannot control by changing my environment or use. I do hope for you, your voice 'always' comes back!

I recall reading that 'little' growths in the throat are often responsible for that and common in M.S. patients. fed

[rdmc]

I don't think it's an uncommon MS symptom.

If I remember correctly, Neil Cavuto had surgery on his vocal cords for his raspy voice several years ago, it didn't seem to work. . When I've seen Richard Cohen and Meredith Vieira in interviews Cohen's voice also has that raspy, hoarse sound.

Here's a couple videos where you can hear the raspiness:

Meredith and Richard discuss his MS with Piers Morgan



Neil Cavuto goes on a rant about Kervorkian (I'm not
posting this for discussion one way or another about Cavuto's views or opinions, just as an example of his voice and he specifically mentions it as one of his MS symptoms.)

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