Speech therapy

[Kaybee]

I think this is the right place for this discussion but have any of you done and/or received benefit from speech therapy due to your facial paralysis?  Of course, I am referring to the dreaded F, P, and B sounds.     I asked my ENT at a follow up if he thought it would be good for me.  He didn't think so but said he would refer me to one if that's what I wanted.  Any stories (good, bad, or neutral)?

Thanks!
Kay

[nancyann]

Hi Kaybee:  I know what you mean about F,B,P, & don't forget T ! !  I have total facial paralysis but never went for speech therapy.  Before I had my T3 procedure,  I was holding up the paralyzed side of my face to speak, esp. after a few hours of talking @ work.  The T3 has helped substantailly, but if I'm on the phone & need to spell out a name, etc., I will still do B as in boy, F as in Frank, etc.   I don't know if speech therapy will help (while I HOPE you are still waiting for your face to come alive again, my prognosis was very poor), but if you want to give it a try, then by all means do so.  I tried intensive acupuncture but again, my faical nerve was severed so it didn't help me but I've been reading it's helping Moe, which I am very happy for her ! (she had the 7/12 jump so acupuncture was a definite try for her).  We have to try whatever we can.

Always good thoughts,  Nancy

[Kaybee]

Oh yes, I don't have to talk a ton during most days.  (I'm a medical writer and spend hours a day listening in on on teleconferences or actually writing...)  But when I do speak a lot, I can tell!  And I  hold my cheek up.  What a relief that is!  And I am still waiting for it to come alive.  The nerve was not severed but it is really "mad".

[badbadbrain67]

I had a lot of problems with my P and especially F sounds.  I am currently seeing a speech therapist for vocal cord damage done during my surgery.
We did however spend a couple of sessions working on my speech problems. She gave me some exercises to do at home on my own and they helped
a lot. I  sometimes still put my finger on the corner of my mouth to pronounce F words and pinch them to pronounce P words but not as much as before.
I can honestly say that therapy worked for me. No one here can really tell you what is best for you but we can recount OUR experiences. That's
what we are here for.

Best of luck to you,

Victor

[Dan]

Here in germany it was really hard pronouncing some of the German words, because the P and F are often together ( apfel=apple, pferde=horse ).  I went to a speech therapist 3 times a week for 5 weeks in Re Ha.

Dan in Germany 

[Debbi]

I went to a speech therapist about 2 months after surgery which was probably too soon since nothing was moving at that point.  However, I needed to feel like I was doing something (yes, control freak, at your service!)  The best and most useful thing I got from the therapist was using tongue twisters to help with the dreaded b, p, f and m.  I was doing a lot of "peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers" and one about "betty botter baking bitter batter" and "Momma made me mash my M & M's".  I still have to concentrate on the p and b words and when I am tired it gets worse (and sometimes funny.)

I seem to remember that Kaybo had some "adult" tongue twisters that were really funny...

Debbi (pickling peppers and buttering bitter batter)