I know I've been off the forum for awhile but things are settled to a dull roar so I have extra time again. (at least at the moment) I hope everyone is well.

WARNING: The following is the boring story of why I have been missing in action. Skip at will.

I got walking pneumonia this winter and ever since then have had some trouble with a chronic cough. I had to put my flute lessons on hold because of it. (Grrr) My doctor thought it was my asthma so I went on a ton of meds. That didn't seem to help much so it was off to an allergy/asthma specialist. I am only mildly allergic to dust mites (who isn't?) and he thinks I don't have asthma at all! (I was "diagnosed" 5 years ago during another chronic coughing period) Now I have to go see an ear nose and throat doc. The asthma guy thinks I have Vocal Cord Disfunction. It mimics asthma and is routinly misdiagnosed as asthma. (Hmmm) The good news is I got to stop all the crappy meds. (for now at least)

Of course while all this is happening I still had to work as much as I could. Bills still need to be paid after all. Thankfully as a dog trainer I control my entire schedule which helped me work around the really bad days. (That and some fabulous cough meds best taken in small doses unless you like that spinning room effect.)

~sigh~ If it isn't one thing it's three.

So the other day I decided to do a little experiment and got my flute out to play. It turns out I can play without coughing though my wind is really bad. I only got about 20 minutes in before I had to stop. I think it was better than nothing though. I figure I'll just keep at it and work up to having better stamina again. I was surprised at how well I remembered my fingerings. My memory isn't great so that had me worried.

I still have the cough but some days are better than others. At least now I know I can play my flute again. I think I'll wait on more lessons until after my next doc appt. I have plenty to practice until then since I missed at least two months of playing time. Wish me luck.

So sorry to hear all that you have been going through Marie. Glad to hear from you though.. Hopefully the doctors can straighten it all out in a timely matter to get you back to normal again very soon. I used sing a lot with my mother ever since I was a little girl (my mom loves to sing!) and about 5 years ago I also got pneumonia and two ear infections that landed me in the hospital for several days. That was the begining to all my asthma related problems. Needless to say, the last time I was able to sing was on my wedding day. I just thank God that I still can play flute. So I can understand how hard and long it takes to recover. Do take good care of yourself and get pleanty of sleep and keep us posted. Also, please don't worry about the last payment, your health is certainly way more important. I am just happy your daughter is enjoying the flute. Take care!

I have found that playing the instrument, even for short periods, does help me in difficult moments. But do not stress it too much, if you are suffering from breath/cough problems.

Good luck and quick recover, Marie. I wish you the best.

Marie, glad to hear you are on the mend. Vocal cord dysfunction can be a real bear to get through. You should find an experienced speech pathologist (one that specializes in VCD), this will make all the difference in the world for you. Good luck!!
p.s. my life is all about those "yucky" asthma medicines!!