this is the third post about my journey to vocal recovery.
read part 1
read part 2
so, this week, they stuck a needle down my throat. as detailed in my two previous posts, i’ve been seeing a speech therapist to treat my vocal problems. a couple weeks ago, she took a new video of my vocal cords to compare to the first video. the bad news was that the medication and voice/breathing techniques have not reduced the size of the bump on my vocal cord. the good news was that the “mechanics” of my vocal cord usage have improved.
she wanted to show the ENT specialist my videos, because she felt that we needed to do something stronger. the specialist readily agreed with her. they even think that my hoarseness may not be caused by the bump itself, but by the thinning of my vocal cords, due in part to aging. when i speak, the cords do not quite touch like they’re supposed to, and this is causing some “vocal fry”.
they both recommended injections, and it sounded like a good idea to me, too. so they injected a gel-like substance into my vocal cords to plump them up. this way, they’ll be easier for me to move, and they’ll touch each other when i speak. it won’t take so much effort to talk, and that should allow the bump to shrink, since i won’t be “beating it up” so much. once we get that pesky bump out of the way, we can move on to the rest of my therapy.
the substance they injected will last about a month or two, so even if it doesn’t work, it will be gone soon. if it does work, there are other substances they can use in the future that will last longer, if we decide to go that route. having a long needle stuck down my throat is definitely not the most fun i’ve ever had. 🙂 yes, they numbed the area first, but it was still pretty darn uncomfortable.
hopefully though, it will be worth it. currently, my voice is still kinda weak and ragged, but that’s normal, and i can tell it is improving. stay tuned for more updates.
as i mentioned in my last post, the costs related to my therapy and treatments continue to add up, and since i’m self-employed, covering those costs is proving difficult. if you are in a position to help me with these expenses, i would greatly appreciate any amount you can donate to my healing fund, to help me sing in public again. (click “write a note (optional)” and put “vocal recovery”.)
thanks for following my progress and cheering me on in my journey.
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