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Healing Through Harmony

SBL team helps Shelbyville woman reclaim her voice.

Singing defines Shelbyville resident Valorie Eversole. Music and singing have been important to her from a young age. By the time she turned 12, she was performing solos. For many years, Valorie sang on her church’s worship team, using her passion to bolster her own and her fellow congregates’ faiths.

Her voice is so important to her that Valorie couldn’t imagine life without it, but in January, that dreadful possibility became a reality.

Valorie was diagnosed with Influenza B in January, and in just three days, her voice was completely gone. “I have asthma, so whenever I had a cold or the flu, I usually lost my voice,” she said. “This time, it never got better.”

She couldn’t talk, let alone sing. At most, Valorie voiced some whispers, but even that was difficult. For two months, Valorie was silent. “I was worried that I’d never get my voice back,” she recalls. Losing the ability to speak was tough enough, but what really crushed Valorie’s spirit was not being able to sing. “I was depressed, discouraged and frustrated that I couldn’t sing,” she explained. “Singing is the biggest part of who I am, and without that ability, I felt like I wasn’t me.”

Valorie’s situation weighed on her so heavily that one Sunday, she just broke down and cried. She needed her voice back. To start, Valorie visited Family Practice Provider Gary Hayden, PA-C, at the SBL Shelbyville Clinic. He referred her to SBL Otolaryngologist Sandra Ettema, MD, who specializes in voice disorders and initiated Valorie’s recovery.

Dr. Ettema used a stroboscopy tower to inspect Valorie’s vocal cords and saw the issue right away. “The tissue around my vocal cords was very swollen. I had asymptomatic acid reflux that had been exacerbated by the influenza and the coughing,” she explained. Dr. Ettema prescribed antacid medication and ordered voice therapy for her.

“I was really impressed with the way Dr. Ettema understood my feelings, and she truly wanted to help me as best she could,” Valorie added.

Over the next few months, Valorie visited SBL Speech Language Pathologist Becky Walk, who guided her through exercises that strengthened and rehabilitated her vocal cords. “She had me doing some great exercises, and I started seeing the fruit of that work,” Valorie said.

After taking the medication and undergoing speech therapy for a few months, Valorie followed up with Dr. Ettema in early June. “Dr. Ettema said she saw a night-and-day difference,” Valorie said. “The tissue around my vocal cords looked healthy, and the inflammation was gone.”

All of the treatment paid off. Valorie’s speaking voice is back, and her singing voice is only a few notes behind. Valorie recently practiced with her worship team, and even though her voice waned after awhile, practice was progress! “I’m very hopeful that I’ll get my singing voice back. Even if it’s not fully back, 90 to 95 percent would be great,” Valorie said. “I’m very pleased and thankful with my treatment at Sarah Bush Lincoln.”

For more information about Dr. Ettema and the services she provides, contact the SBL ENT Clinic at 217 258-2409. For more information about Speech-Language Pathology, call 217 258-2568.