Table 5.
Qualitative analysis of answers to question, “What aspect(s) of your voice problem are most challenging?”
| Thematic Category | % Reporting |
Representative Items |
|---|---|---|
| Singing | 22.1 | Not being able to sing |
| Interfered with choir performances | ||
| People don’t hear/understand me/Impact on social interactions | 16.3 | People are unable to hear me when talking |
| Talking; socializing | ||
| Threat to occupational function | 15.7 | Not knowing if my voice can withstand a leading lady career |
| I need a voice at work for my income. | ||
| Hard To Talk/Talking | 14.5 | Not being able to talk normally. |
| In joining conversations I'm aware of sounding halting, with gaps in the flow of words. | ||
| Fatigue/strain/energy/effort | 11.6 | Fatigue from forcing voice out. |
| Getting tired after talking for a few minutes or so | ||
| Hoarse Voice | 9.3 | When I speak frequently, my voice goes hoarse. |
| Good one day, hoarse the next. | ||
| Other Emotions (Anger, frustration, disappointment, embarrassment) | 8.7 | Embarrassing…; frustrating at times! |
| Emotionally, it depresses me | ||
| Unclear prognosis, uncertainty, unpredictability | 8.7 | I never know what my voice is going to do. |
| Not knowing how to treat it and if it will require surgery | ||
| Communication | 7.6 | To communicate on a daily basis |
| Inability to communicate with others | ||
| Difficulty in background noise/large groups | 7.0 | Not being able to converse in large social settings or noisy places |
| Talking in crowded areas | ||
| Telephone | 6.4 | Talking on phone |
| Communicating on the phone | ||
| Loss of Function | 6.4 | I can't do what I used to do. |
| Not having the abilities I used to have. | ||
| Throat discomfort/pain | 6.4 | Burning sensation in my throat when I move/exercise |
| The scratchiness | ||
| Cough/throat-clearing | 4.7 | The choking cough |
| Have to clear throat often; needs water a lot to clear throat | ||
| Identity | 4.7 | I want to sound like myself |
| At worst, people don't know it's me | ||
| Other | 4.7 | Swelling |
| I will have a laryngospasm | ||
| Perception of Others | 4.7 | Makes people think I might be contagious |
| People thinking that if I can talk at all, that means my voice is fine | ||
| Breathing | 4.1 | Not getting full breath of air, thinking about breathing |
| I lose air in middle of my sentences so I stop to get more air | ||
| Worry/fear | 4.1 | Fear of something VERY wrong |
| Afraid it won't get better | ||
| Constant Problem | 2.9 | Chronic; almost life-long |
| The persistence of the symptoms | ||