Chris:
I'm so sorry you had such a negative experience at the competition.
I feel your "pain"! Here are thoughts on reflux and another
possibility:
Caveat: "I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV!"
Reflux symptoms can vary drastically in their severity and in their
effect on individuals. Some feel common symptoms of heartburn and
others feels symptoms that may be incredibly subtle and seemingly not
related to gastric sources (those are the scary ones!).
In my own case, my FIRST symptoms were vocal hoarseness, a slightly
reduced singing range and an almost infinitesimal twinge in the throat
on occasion. I was incredibly lucky to attend a vocal health
presentation given by a speech pathologist at UNC in which less
well-known symptoms of reflux were mentioned. When I saw my doctor the
following day, I brought up the possibility of reflux. We agreed that
trying an antacid would be a sensible thing to try, and he also sent me
to see an ENT. He said that he would NEVER have suspected GERD from my
initial symptoms, especially since I was a voice professional and the
possibility of vocal over-use seemed a more likely suspect. Sure
enough, the ENT confirmed swelling and redness of the cartilage around
the chords.
It took several months of Prevacid to get things under control;it
actually got worse before it got better as I was a nervous wreck and
afraid to eat much of anything. I now know that stress is a major
contributor to my particular case of reflux, that a too empty stomach is
just as bad as one too full, and that a busy teaching schedule, in which
I am using the abdominal muscles for singing and speaking each day can
aggravate the condition. In my research, I found that there are two
types of reflux, one in which the acid stays primarily in the lower
esophagus, and another (mine) in which the acid rises habitually to the
larynx and above.
www.bgsm.edu/voice This is a site which I have found to be extremely
helpful in understanding reflux.
One other thought! I know that once I had difficulty performing up to
my usual standard because I was simply trying too hard. This was
earlier on in my quest for the perfect technique (!) but I found I was
subtly trying to manage everything with a bit too much control. Once I
thought about "doing"
nothing, everything started working again in the easy way my training
had taught it to. I know you're experienced enough that this probably
isn't the case, but I think that competitions can sometimes hit even the
best of us in strange ways.
Best of luck,
Sharon Szymanski
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