I went to see the ENT today about my choking-stop breathing problem and he told me that I have a paralyzed left vocal cord. This is what is causing me to choke and stop breathing. He also told me that I will not drop dead from this because my brain will release the vocal cord muscle if I pass out. Whew! What a relief! He said that the vocal cord nerve is damaged and referred to the valsa (?) nerve that comes from the brain stem. So, now I have the pleasure of going through 6 months of speech therapy to hopefully repair the vocal cord.
I just thought I'd put this out there in case anyone else is having choking/breathing problems. Maybe an ENT doctor can help!
So I'm trying to understand this.... Are you getting choked on food/water/spit and it is causing you to stop breating? Or are you having the choking problem and having sleep apnea related stop breathing in your sleep? Just trying to understand b/c I have the choking and sleep apnea.
I have two kinds of choking - choking that I do daily and I can still get out that "I'm ok and can breathe" but am still coughing and tears are streaming down my face and the other choking I have happens every 1 to 2 weeks and I am choking to the point that I cannot breathe AT ALL. No air is coming through and I can't cough or speak or make any noise at all. It's the most terrifying feeling, almost like drowning. I am not choking on food or saliva. It happens at random times and doesn't correlate to any activity. I was pretty worried about not being able to breath at all thinking that I could die if noone was around to call 911.
I do not have sleep apnea that I know of...although I don't sleep much! From what the doctor explained to me, there are two large nerves (valsa nerves) that come out from either side of the brain stem. These nerves control your breathing, swallowing, heart rate, and lots of other bodily functions. If these nerves are pinched or restricted it can cause breathing and swallowing and choking problems. I have already had decompression surgery in Oct 2010 so I'm not sure what to do with that information. I have occasional numbness in the left side of my face so I know I have nerve damage on my left side and the back lower part of my head where they opened my skull has always bothered me since the surgery. The speech therapy is a specialized kind where I will be able to see my vocal cords on a TV (not sure how they do this!) and the goal is to strenghten the cord so it opens and closes like the right side. I'm hoping this will stop the choking.
I hope that helps, I really went to the ENT today thinking that they wouldn't be able to find anything wrong but I am very happy to know why I stop breathing and that I can maybe do something to make it better. Terri
Ok, that clears it up better. I don't have that form of choking. I can imagine how terrifying it is! Keep your phone close by at all times! I hope the speech therapy can help you. Have you had a sleep study? If not, it is recommended for people who have chiari b/c of all the problems we have with sleeping. If you haven't had one you should talk to your NL about getting one done. Good luck. Jessi
Thanks, Jessi, I will talk to the NL about a sleep study. I have a very hard time getting to sleep and get my best sleep in the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes I don't wake up until 10 or 11 am. It's a good thing my kids are older now and more self-sufficent! :)