Carman's persistence too much for VCD

Five years ago, Sammy Carman knew she wanted to play varsity basketball for Barrington High School.

But leading up to her freshman year she began feeling her chest tightening when she was running up and down the floor.

“My throat would close and my limbs would get heavy,” she said. “It's difficult to run up and down the court when it feels like you are breathing through a straw. I faced the fear of not being able to breathe every time I stepped onto the court.”

After countless tests and doctor appointments, Carman received the correct diagnosis — Vocal Cord Dysfunction, an abnormal closing of the vocal cords when inhaling or exhaling.

“Although it slowed me down, I did not let it stop me from accomplishing my goal of playing on the varsity team,” Carman said. “I did not have exercise-induced asthma, which it was originally diagnosed as.”

Carman, who was also a golfer at Barrington the last four years, tells her story in hopes that it can help others who may suffer from the same disability.

Carman, who hopes to play golf next year as a freshman in college, has been passionate about basketball since she was 7 years old. A significant amount of her time and energy was invested into mastering the skills of the sport.

“I thrive on the competition and the fast-paced nature of the game,” Carman said. “It was not until I played at the high school level that I became aware of the disability that had never surfaced previously. But I did not allow the challenges it presented prevent me from pursuing my athletic goals.”

At first, Carman was furious with being misdiagnosed for such a long time.

“There had been many times when I wanted to quit basketball because of the pain and anxiety it caused.” she said. “However, I continued to persevere because basketball was an integral part of my life.

“VCD could potentially have prevented me from having the endurance and stamina necessary at the varsity level. It made it difficult for me to reach my athletic potential, but it never prevented me from continuing to play the sport I love.”

Carman says suffering through this disability developed her character in many ways.

“It gave me confidence and a stronger sense of self to overcome adversity in the future,' she said. “ It taught me that hard work and perseverance can lead to overcoming obstacles. I have learned to deal with pain and to not let anything stop me from pursuing my goals and passions.”

Carman said her commitment to her teammates, her passion for the game and the support of her father and family would not allow her to give up on basketball.

“Once I saw the speech therapist, I learned what I should do when I couldn't breathe on the court,” she said. “The therapist taught me several ways to relax and open my vocal cords so I could get a good breath.

“This helped me increase my endurance while playing and decrease my anxiety about having this condition.”

VCD is usually found in female athletes who exercise at high to moderate intensities.

Many times it is thought that athletes who have difficulty breathing (dyspnea) during exercise suffer from “exercise-induced asthma.”

When athletes don't get substantial relief of the dyspnea from inhalers, further investigation is needed to determine if the athlete suffers from VCD.

The first step is to see a pulmonologist for lung function testing and to see if the diagnosis of exercise-induced asthma is correct.

Carman's pulmonary function test showed her lung function was 130 percent better than other girls her age. That was the first indication that she did not have “asthmatic type” lungs.

The next step is to have a cardiopulmonary stress test with video fluoroscopy. The athlete has a small tube with a tiny video camera on the tip, inserted into a nostril.

Then the athlete runs at full speed on a treadmill until he or she experiences the dyspnea.

The doctors hook up the video camera tube to a TV and they are able to visualize the vocal cords to see if they are not opening properly to let air in.

Carman experienced “chinking” which is partial closure, not complete. Her opening was only about 30 percent of the normal opening size, explaining why she felt like she was breathing “through a straw” when on the basketball court.

Once the diagnosis of VCD is confirmed, the next step is to see a speech therapist to educate the athlete on daily exercises to strengthen the vocal cords and how to actually force the vocal cords to open all the way when experiencing difficulty breathing during exercise.

Carman's speech therapist went running with her outside until she had difficulty breathing. Then she was taught right there on the spot how to make the vocal cords open.

According to references on the subject, the dysfunction of the vocal cords may be due to postnasal drip from allergies or stomach acid reflux. Both areas should be looked into and discussed with the athletes' physician.

It has been stated that athletic individuals diagnosed with VCD are usually identified in character profiles as high achievers who push themselves to great lengths to accomplish their goals.

Carman is starting to prepare spring and summer golf tournaments.

Last summer, she had mononucleosis and missed out on playing in six IJGA tournaments so she felt she wasn't as prepared as she had wanted to be going into her final prep season last fall.

Men's track

North Central's John Wood (Fremd) won the pole vault competition at 17 feet, 1¾ inches at the Chicagoland Championships in Naperville. His finish helped the Cardinals dominate the 18-team field. Wood also earned his second College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin “Field Athlete of the Week” honor for his performance.

Ÿ Dionte Hackler (Schaumburg) won the 200-meter dash (22.32) and finished second in the 400-meter dash (49.36) at the Chicagoland Championships in Naperville. His finishes helped North Central dominate the 18-team field.

Ÿ Augustana senior Mike Tisza (Hersey) was part of the distance medley team that established a new field house record while winning in 10:34.73 at the Dubuque Invitational.

Women's basketball

Colorado Springs freshman Abby Kirchoff scored a combined 52 points in wins over Adams State and Fort Lewis to earn Rocky Mountain Athletic “Offensive Player of the Week.”

Kirchoff leads the Mountain Lions in scoring with 12.5 points per game.

Ÿ Please email Sports Notes items to jleusch@dailyherald.com or FAX to (847) 427-1173.