Stiff person syndrome feels like someone is choking you

Celine Dion has gotten candid about the effect of Stiff Person Syndrome on her voice.

The five-time Grammy Award winner, 56, spoke about her condition to NBC News’ Hoda Kotb, in her first televised interview about her health since revealing her diagnosis in 2022.

“that it As if someone is choking you. “It’s like someone is pushing your larynx/pharynx,” she said in a video. Preview of the conversation Which was broadcast on today She is shown Friday, June 7, raising her voice to demonstrate the impact. “It was like talking like that, you can’t go high or low.”

“He went into convulsions,” Dionne continued. “It started [in the throat]. [And I thought]”No, okay, it’ll be fine.” “But it could also be in the abdomen, or in the spine, or in the ribs.”

Never miss a story – subscribe People’s free daily newsletter To stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

She continued, saying that the rigidity can sometimes feel like it is fixed in place.

“It’s like if I point my feet, they’ll stay in.” [that position]“The Power of Love singer said.
Or, if I’m cooking – because I love to cook – my fingers and hands will fall into place. … It’s spastic but it’s like a position where you can’t open it.”

“I broke my ribs at one point, because sometimes when the condition is very severe, they can break,” she said.

In December 2022, Dion revealed that she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a rare and incurable neurological disease that can cause debilitating muscle spasms, prompting her to cancel all upcoming shows.

As the vocal powerhouse said at the time: “Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life…sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing in the way I used to.”

“All I know is singing,” she added. “This is what I’ve done my whole life. This is what I love to do most.”

Condition, depending Tough Person Syndrome FoundationIt affects the central nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord.

“Patients can be disabled, wheelchair-bound or bedridden, and unable to function and care for themselves,” they say, adding that a neurological disease with autoimmune features can include symptoms such as “excessive rigidity, debilitating pain, and chronic anxiety.” . The muscle spasms are “so violent that they can dislocate joints and even break bones.”

Speaking about her interview with Dionne last month to co-host Jenna Bush Hager, Kotb, 59, said: “[Céline] “She’s much better now, but she almost died at one point, which is what you’re saying.”

“It was a scary time, and she’s dealing with this,” Kotb added.

Dionne’s conversation with Kotb airs in its entirety on Tuesday, June 11 at 10pm ET on NBC. today It airs weekdays on the network starting at 7 a.m. ET.