The story of cindy
At 38 years old I found I was having difficulty breathing. I thought it may be some new allergy and I was hoping it would just get better. It only got worse. I tried to ignore it and went for a well check. The first question my midwife asked was: why are you breathing like “darth vader”? She sent me to an FP who gave me asthma and allergy medicines that did not help. My chest Xray was normal. It was the ENT who solved the mystery. It is Subglottic Stenosis and he had never seen this in an adult! He sent me to a great surgeon who scheduled me for surgery. I knew of no one else who had this disorder and was scared out of my mind! He found my airway was only 4 mm in diameter. He dilated my airway with laser cuts and balloon expansion. Unfortunately it comes back. Fortunately I found a Facebook group for Idiopathic Subglottic Stenosis. The support I found there is amazing and global. Almost all women and many with young children. So far I’ve had 6 dilations. Many of us breathing through the equivalent of a small straw prior to dilations. What are the causes? What is the best treatment option??