1. You are not alone. This is a real breathing disorder and others suffer with it, too.

2. It is not in your head. You are not crazy. VCD/Laryngospasms/Paradoxical Vocal Fold Movement/Paradoxical Vocal Cord Movement is VERY REAL.

3. The disorder has multiple causes. Yours may not be the same as someone else’s.

4. Many teens develop VCD, girls more often than boys, but it can occur at any age.
VCD is often misdiagnosed as asthma. It is not asthma, although a patient can have both asthma and VCD.

5. Just because a doctor ‘knows about’ VCD does not necessarily mean he/she has all the answers. We have seen many, many doctors and sometimes we knew more than they did about VCD. Many admitted ‘hearing something about it’ in medical school. There is still much to learn about VCD, its causes, its treatment.

6. Treating VCD requires the multidisciplinary approach. You must take each underlying cause and treat it. This means usually you will need a separate medical professional for each cause. Until each cause is resolved, your VCD will not go away. This could prove very frustrating.

7. You may have to do much of the research to get the answers you seek. We did. Be prepared to ask, ask, ask! If you aren’t satisfied, keep asking!

Finally, what we want others to know…keep searching for answers for your condition. Do not stop with one doctor or one answer if you are not satisfied. Multlidisciplinary approach means look at each separate factor. There is much to learn.