The New Voice

Last week, I was at the International Association of Laryngectomees Annual Meeting and Voice Institute conference in Durham, North Carolina.  I was expecting to go into this conference being bored (because I just don't want to pay attention to lectures yet, it's summer!) or that everything would be way over my head because I have had nearly no exposure to laryngectomees. 

(p.s. A laryngectomee is someone who has had a laryngectomy, aka had their larynx removed completely. Also, every time I see the word "laryngectomee" I want to say "laryngectomeeeeeeee!")

However, I was so pleasantly surprised.  This conference turned out to be really fun, incredibly interesting, and I felt like I learned a ton.  There were excellent lectures from ENTs and SLPs, and hours of hands-on experience talking to and helping laryngectomees.

One of the things I enjoyed the most was simply talking to the laryngectomees and hearing their stories.  Some had had their surgery 28 years ago, while others were at the conference merely 4 months post surgery.    Some people were at their 15th conference, while others were there for the first time.  But everyone learned something - it was so great to see how someone with a laryngectomy done 19 years ago can still learn and benefit so much from this conference.  I had a terrific opportunity to ask incessant amounts of questions of laryngectomees and learn about the effects of laryngectomy on their lives and the role of the SLP in laryngectomy rehabilitation.  These laryngectomees were so open and willing to share their difficulties and successes with the students at the conference, and I appreciated that so much.

This was the first time I had ever really talked to anyone who had had a laryngectomy, so I had quite a steep learning curve in quickly trying to understand different methods of alaryngeal speech.  However, by the end of the week, I felt like I could have a conversation with any laryngectomee.  Actually, when wandering around Durham outside of the conference, I found myself looking and listening to people around me, expecting them to have a stoma in their neck or using an electrolarynx and being surprised that they didn't.  It's just a totally different perspective on what's "normal" for different groups of people.

I learned a lot at this conference that I am still trying to process and try to stuff into my brain without it leaking out from knowledge overflow, but overall I can conclude that:

- every laryngectomee is different

- laryngectomees still have the same personalities that they always did - there's not a "laryngectomee personality"

- there are many different kinds of speech post-laryngectomy, and some kinds work better for some individuals than other kinds - there is no "one size fits all" approach

- SLPs who work with laryngectomees are instrumental in helping this population learn to effectively communicate again

- radiation is terrible stuff and I never want it anywhere near my head

- don't stand in front of an uncovered stoma...

- "biofilm" is the new hot word! learn it. use it. love it.