Vocal Cord Damage

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  • DcF72
    DcF72 Member Posts: 2
    #42
    Is There Hope?

    I had a total thyroidectomy 1 month ago. They found papillary thyroid cancer but got it all out- Thank You God! During the surgery my doctor severed the Larngeal nerve that runs to the vocal cord. My left vocal cord is not moving at all. I had just finished college prior to the surgery and now I have very little voice. I speak at a loud whisper and have to take extra breaths between sentences. My cord is in the open position so I get winded very quickly while speaking and sound very breathy. This is a big issue since I also suffer with severe, persistent asthma. I have read through some of the posts and it seems that many of you regained your voice but not the function of the vocal cord. I was wondering if anyone has had the cord start to work again. The surgeon told me that the nerve would regrow but now I wonder if that was a lie. I am frustrated and concerned. Will I ever regain my voice?

  • DcF72
    DcF72 Member Posts: 2
    #43
    BobbyRay said:

    Coping w/VC Damage

    I'm so grateful to have found this site. I'm a newbie, and I'm only a week out from my thyroidectomy (papillary cancer with lymph nodes and trachea affected). So I have no right to complain, seeing how many of you have been struggling for months and years. I have barely a rough growl of a voice and little pitch control. Some cancer adhered to the nerve, which the doctor says is weakened by not severed. My problem is that I've been having little panic attacks, like being in a bad dream and you can't communicate. That keeps me from sleeping sometimes. I'll hang in there--and I'm requesting vocal therapy as soon as the swelling goes down. I'm grateful that the cancer was removed and the prognosis is good, but I still feel scared about limited ability to talk and occasional choking. Any advice?

    Sorry to hear about the panic

    Sorry to hear about the panic attacks. I know how awful they are to deal with. As with you, I am afraid I will never be able to speak well again. I have purchased a voice amplifier to assist me at work. It works well and allows me to be heard by the senior citizens that I work with. Yet, I still worry about my long term prognosis. I have no advice about the panic attacks except for counseling. I lost my son 3 years ago and suffered with attacks myself and counseling helped me.

  • Moosheeta
    Moosheeta Member Posts: 1
    #44
    Vocal Paresis

    I have been reading all the posts concerning Vocal paralysis. I am not a cancer patient and never had thyroid disaese but i was diagnosed with vocal paralysis (on the right side- in the open position) over thirty years ago and I can tell you it is a life changing disability. I simply can never talk above loud noise or crowded places where people are loud - can not be heard. Lately I am having much more trouble swallowing. Whenever you get a cold or cough it feels like you will die because you can't fully expell the air in your lungs. I used to sing long ago and this pretty much took all of that away. People sometimes make fun of my voice but I am used to it now. The surgeries that are available are only to bulk up the other vocal chord and generally not that effective. I have been researching this for years and so far nothing new has come up - in the future there may be some progress with "innervation" which involves nerve stem cells but it is in experimental stages.

    The best thing you can do for this is to eat right and excercise - keep yourself healthy - Dont Smoke! or Drink too much. Avoid getting sick as much as possible.

    The most comforting thing would be to hear from others with the same condition. I would be so grateful to find a group or forum for this misunderstood affliction.

     

     

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