Recent Interview with Shania Twain - Lyme

/www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ02pe5qn0I

For those of you who don't know - Shania lost her voice from Lyme disease. This is a recent interview where she discusses it.

She said it happened after (or at the end) of her "UP" tour. I went to her concert then - I think that was in 2004.

I wish she'd say what other symptoms she had...I would think it wouldn't just be her vocal cords affected.

She talks about a Neurologist...I wonder if she ever did see a LLMD...

Her voice has never been the same. It almost sounds like she's inhaled helium.

I also lost my voice from lyme. Although, I did have so so many other symptoms. Dr J in DC has never had a patient lose their voice before me. I was shocked to hear that. However, under his care, I got it back in 6 weeks of treatment under his care, after losing it for 4 months. Yeah!!!

I also sounded like I was breathing in helium...a whispery helium....that is when I could get a sound out.

I can't imagine if my career revolved around my voice what horror that would be. For me, losing my voice was horrific because it showed me how many people have no patience for a person with a disability. When I would write things down on paper to communicate with say a cashier, or a receptionist in the dr office, I was met with hostility. Over and over again, day after day. It got to the point that I did not leave the house alone and would allow my husband to speak for me in public. I actually had a receptionist in a dr office yell at me in front of other patients, " I cannot understand you. I have no time to read notes from anyone! Just go and sit down!!" When I left after the appt was over, I needed to make a follow up appt, but she would not help me. She told me someone else would have to call and schedule that appt for me because she was certainly not going to deal with someone who could not talk to her. I cried for the rest of the day....for the loss of my independence. One time, and only one time did I ever have anyone be kind to me and patient. This was in a grocery store and I could not locate an item, during the Thanksgiving rush of food shopping. I wrote down what I was looking for and handed the note to a teenage employee who was so kind and gracious and did not act as if I was a thorn in his side and in fact acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary. He told me exactly where to find the item and took me right to it. I wanted to call his parents and tell them they did a great job with her son!

Losing your voice doesn't sound like much. I was in no pain. But emotionally it was very hard. Not being able to communicate was extremely challenging mentally. I have been given a glimpse into a deaf person or mute person's life. (I also have moderate hearing loss from lyme...which made it so much more difficult) It isn't fun.

I can say that Dr J was very concerned that it may not come back and certainly not without quick intervention. He understood without me telling him, how life changing it is to not be able to communicate. He was very concerned for the long term repercussions of that.

This disease is horrible. As is any other disease other people live with. If I have learned anything from this experience it is that everyone has a story even when they look totally happy and secure. Everyone has something that is difficult in their lives...we all need to be kind to one another. A person's actions toward another can make or break their outlook on life.

I thank God everyday for this board and the kind people who are on here, dealing with their own he** that reach out to help one another!

joee said...
I also lost my voice from lyme. Although, I did have so so many other symptoms. Dr J in DC has never had a patient lose their voice before me. I was shocked to hear that. However, under his care, I got it back in 6 weeks of treatment under his care, after losing it for 4 months. Yeah!!!

I also sounded like I was breathing in helium...a whispery helium....that is when I could get a sound out.

I can't imagine if my career revolved around my voice what horror that would be. For me, losing my voice was horrific because it showed me how many people have no patience for a person with a disability. When I would write things down on paper to communicate with say a cashier, or a receptionist in the dr office, I was met with hostility. Over and over again, day after day. It got to the point that I did not leave the house alone and would allow my husband to speak for me in public. I actually had a receptionist in a dr office yell at me in front of other patients, " I cannot understand you. I have no time to read notes from anyone! Just go and sit down!!" When I left after the appt was over, I needed to make a follow up appt, but she would not help me. She told me someone else would have to call and schedule that appt for me because she was certainly not going to deal with someone who could not talk to her. I cried for the rest of the day....for the loss of my independence. One time, and only one time did I ever have anyone be kind to me and patient. This was in a grocery store and I could not locate an item, during the Thanksgiving rush of food shopping. I wrote down what I was looking for and handed the note to a teenage employee who was so kind and gracious and did not act as if I was a thorn in his side and in fact acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary. He told me exactly where to find the item and took me right to it. I wanted to call his parents and tell them they did a great job with her son!

Losing your voice doesn't sound like much. I was in no pain. But emotionally it was very hard. Not being able to communicate was extremely challenging mentally. I have been given a glimpse into a deaf person or mute person's life. (I also have moderate hearing loss from lyme...which made it so much more difficult) It isn't fun.

I can say that Dr J was very concerned that it may not come back and certainly not without quick intervention. He understood without me telling him, how life changing it is to not be able to communicate. He was very concerned for the long term repercussions of that.

This disease is horrible. As is any other disease other people live with. If I have learned anything from this experience it is that everyone has a story even when they look totally happy and secure. Everyone has something that is difficult in their lives...we all need to be kind to one another. A person's actions toward another can make or break their outlook on life.

I thank God everyday for this board and the kind people who are on here, dealing with their own he** that reach out to help one another!

joee - that is unbelievable...wow...so sorry that you experienced that.

Yay for Dr. J!!!

I've had hoarseness several times with this disease...and even that was hard enough to deal with because my voice wasn't loud. But, no voice...and then to have that reaction...

Somebody said...
Debbie Gibson is on Dancing With the Stars this season and she talks about her lyme in many magazines and newspape

I saw this and was thrilled she was so open about it. I voted for her too . I'm hoping she stays a while so that people can see what we go through (because we all know she is going to have ups and downs) and that this isn't some celebrity fad disease. I do wish Shania would say more....

I've had hoarseness before, too, but I've never lost my voice. I didn't even realize the hoarseness was a Lyme symptom.

joee,

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I'm thankful you got your voice back. The treatment you endured was horrible and worse than any I've experienced. I've been hearing impaired my whole life and have a speech impediment, so I know how other people can react to those with disabilities.

I've been hurt by others, too, especially doctors and their staff members. When everything started falling apart in 2015, I went to numerous doctors hoping that someone would have a clue as to what was causing all my symptoms. My periods stopped. I had wild mood swings and suddenly developed IBS. Both my GYN of 20 years and the snotty little lady PA in the gastroenterologist's office implied that my age was the reason for all my symptoms as if 45 was the magic age when your body suddenly falls apart. When I made the point that I suddenly developed many symptoms I had not had before, one of the idiots said, "well you've never been 45 before." The other idiot said "well you are 45." I went to a different GYN, a lady who specialized in menopause, thinking she would be able to figure it out. (I thought my hormones were causing all my symptoms.) When I started trying to tell her what had been happening to me, she got exasperated and shut me down and told me hormones didn't cause any of that and immediately put in a referral for me to a rheumatologist without even asking my permission to do so. She was very rude. I emotionally shut down while still sitting on the table. I left there in a daze and cried on the way back to work. She was the last conventional doctor I attempted to go to for answers or help with my symptoms. That was the last straw for me that pushed me to finally see an alternative practitioner.

Funny you said that about the teenage boy at the grocery store. I've noticed that, too. I think younger people have been taught tolerance and acceptance of those who are different and have gone to school with autistic, Down's children, allergic and asthmatic children and such, so they are not so put off by disabilities. People of my generation seem far more intolerant and rude.

Walkingbyfaith,

I also got the you are 43 and old what do you expect line! So infuriating!!! I was so mad that no one would listen to me. 8 Years of being blown off by my age. One day I was a vibrant healthy woman who jumped out of bed each morning raring to go and accomplishing so much and the next day my whole world changed. In the blink of an eye. No one thought that odd.

Get this, the worst thing I was ever told by a dr:
(at this point I was so sick and weak and in horrible abdominal pain. My eyes were bloodshot for months on end, like I was stoned)
So my daughter drove me to the dr because I was way to weak to drive myself. The male dr said, "Of course you are weak and your eyes are red. You have your period and you are crying" OMG you did not just say that!!! My daughter and I just looked at each other in disbelief. I was not crying at all and I did not have my period. Where he got this idea I have no clue. hahahah Never in my life did I ever want to punch someone in the throat more. So sexist. Grrrr

I am sure I am not the only one by no meas who has heard sexist comments when we are so desperately ill. At this point, after about 20 drs misdiagnosing me and giving me rude comments, I have no tolerance for any of that nonsense. Each dr I see is being interviewed. It is a pass or fail. I recently saw a new endocrinologist for my type 1 diabetes because my favorite endo retired. She failed miserably and I will never return. I told her so much too. I am no longer taking rudeness without a fight. She also told me to stop seeing Dr J in DC because lyme is not real. I said, "Yeah, I will not be doing that. But what I am going to do is to leave right now because your treatment style is not working for my conditions. Thank you anyway." Next!