Vocal Cord Issues after Surgery - anyone else?

[cmac]

Hi everyone,

I thought I would create a new discussion regarding vocal cord damage from cervical neck surgery, in hopes of getting some more precise feedback. I am going on 6 weeks next Tuesday and still am very hoarse and cannot speak very loudly. It is difficult to understand me, especially when I am in a loud or crowded environment - hopefully, the person I am talking to can read lips, because otherwise, forget about it!

I met with an ENT last Friday, and after a laryngoscopy examination, he said my left vocal cord is not moving at all. He stated this was very uncommon from this type of surgery, but I still have a 75% of fully recovering my voice within 3-4 months. Not exactly the news I wanted to hear, but I am remaining cautiously optimistic and will wait 3 months to see if I can heal on my own...

I know quite a few people that have had both ADR and fusion that did not have this problem, and I realize this was a risk going into it, but is there anyone out there that had problems that eventually healed over time, or did they have permanent damage?

The good thing is the ENT said he could perform a Thyroplasty, which is a surgical procedure that involves placing a silicon implant in my neck to move my vocal cord closer towards the center, which would allow me to speak normally again. This procedure is also reversible, if later down the road my vocal cord nerves heal, they can remove the device and I can resume my normal speaking without an implanted aid.

I am going to wait it out until August and see how things go; the problem is that this greatly affects my job performance as I am involved in a lot of new business and existing client meetings. I also become easily winded and lightheaded, because I have to push more air through to try and speak.

If anyone has any insight here, I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks for listening!

Cmac

[Anita]

Sorry to hear of this (hopefuly and probably temporay post op issue). I had something similar after a thyroidectomy......the one question I have in your case is... Have you talked with the anesthesiologist that was in your surgery or the person that intubated you during surgery..there are more questions to be asked in relation to the vocal cord anatomy and the intubation, which includes the extreme extension of your neck position required to perform this surgery. Vocal cords are sensitive and can heal........but I would speak to the anesthesiologist just to be further informed of what may or may not have occured. Its been my experience that anesthesiologists can be a bit sensitive about questions, just ask calmly about your concerns in a non threatening way.

At the very least, get a copy of your surgical report to see if anything occured worth noting.

Just a thought, based on A LOT of personal anesthesia experience, as well as, plenty of observation time in the OR table side of your particular procedure and watching a lot of intubations and body postioning of cervical ADRs..

[cervie queen]

After fusion at C7-T1, I had damage to my recurrent larengeal nerve. I first noticed this while trying to sing in the shower! I could only sing four notes, not the previous three octave range I had in High School. I had several exams including one where a camera went down my throat and you could see only one vocal cord move.

It took a year for this to resolve to as good as it got. I had to have speech therapy because I spoke in a monotone. I still get food like apple, carrot and watermelon stuck in a small pocked deep down my throat.

This was 10 years ago and I still don't have the voice I had years ago.

[cmac]

Thank you for the post Cervie Queen! I had actually found your posts regarding your voice and was going to try and contact you directly and get your feedback. I do appreciate your input.

A couple questions:

Has Thyroplasty ever been an option for you? If so, is there a reason you chose not to do it?
Were both vocal cords damaged or just one?

It sounds like I have the same problem as you. I can't speak very loudly and my voice is very hoarse now. I also have the issue of food getting stuck and swallowing liquids are problematic. It has gotten a little bit better, but I'm not sure if the vocal cord is starting to heal, or I am just learning how to cope with the problem better. I have a little more volume and can speak a little longer without running out of breath and getting light-headed.

Thanks again for your post... seeing I haven't had very many responses leads me to believe this is a very uncommon issue. Unfortunately, we fall in that small percentage...

Take care,

cmac

[cmac]

Anita,

Thank you also for your post. I think I will do a little more digging in regards to the Anesthesiologist and the surgery. I also had a damaged shoulder and had shooting pains in my deltoid, so I'm wondering if that was from the traction and position they had to put me in to perform the surgery.

I'll also get a copy of the report as well.

Ultimately, I will give it more time and hope things heal on their own, but I am also preparing myself mentally for another surgery, should that be my only alternative in the next few months...

Thanks again for your post!

cmac

[cervie queen]

I would wait at least a year to see if your vocal cord heals on its own before I'd opt for more surgery. Most of the time it is simply bruised and will heal on its own.