Vocal Cord injection

fisrpotpe

history first, 16 years ago diagnosed with SCC in 5 golf ball sized node wrapped around carotid on left side of neck. treatments were 38 radiation treatments concurrent with chemo fallowed by neck dissection. 4 years ago congronicrosis (spelling) with antibiotic and HBO treatments. 3 years ago SCC on tongue small enough to only need surgery with small amount of tongue removed. 10 years ago LH vocal cord went dead which slowly over the years cause trouble talking, running out of air while talking, sometimes no voice and hoarse almost all the time.

i had three ENT's review just a couple weeks ago and all believed it was time to inject material behind the cord to push it half way closed so the active cord could touch. no certainty it would work. So today i went in for the procedure and after waking up was told they could not do the procedure as an amity and damage from the radiation would not let a straight shot to the area so the wood putty(ha ha) be put in place.

Question is has this happened to anyone else out there? and off so what did they do? where did you have it done.

Radiation... the special gift that keeps on giving!

john

katenorwood

Hello John !
I wish I had something to say on your issues...but I wanted to let you know I'm sending warm thoughts your way. I would advise a second opinion ? Katie

ratface

katenorwood said:

Hello John !
I wish I had something to say on your issues...but I wanted to let you know I'm sending warm thoughts your way. I would advise a second opinion ? Katie

Botox
John, a friend of mine gets a Botox injection every six months for the symptoms you describe but his is not cancer related. The injection allows him to speak clearly and gets rid of the hoarseness for six months at a time. He told me only a handful of people do it and he goes to Northwestern in Chicago, Il.

fisrpotpe

katenorwood said:

Hello John !
I wish I had something to say on your issues...but I wanted to let you know I'm sending warm thoughts your way. I would advise a second opinion ? Katie

thanks
certainly will be looking at opinion 3-4-5 or more. if it turns out there are no other options without huge risk it will be what it is and i will deal with it.

thanks again
john

fisrpotpe

ratface said:

Botox
John, a friend of mine gets a Botox injection every six months for the symptoms you describe but his is not cancer related. The injection allows him to speak clearly and gets rid of the hoarseness for six months at a time. He told me only a handful of people do it and he goes to Northwestern in Chicago, Il.

Thanks for info
Thanks so much for the info, i will see what my other team doctor's have to say and may need to head to Northwester. the procedure you friend has had sound like the same as the one they were going to do with a more short term material. problem is access to the vocal cord, and not straight shot to it for the needle to get where it needs to get too. hard part might be the necrosis i had 4 years ago may have caused the access part. i hope to find out more when i see doc on the 18th.

john

dennis318

same as you
l/s larynx dead..they tried te block insertion that was where the horror story started and removed it, I amd finished but the l/s stopped...the botox is used to stregthen your voice. or is there a chance to make it sound better...let me know i would like to ask about this...thanks john

Billie67

fisrpotpe said:

thanks
certainly will be looking at opinion 3-4-5 or more. if it turns out there are no other options without huge risk it will be what it is and i will deal with it.

thanks again
john

Don't know where you are
Don't know where you are located but my Dr at USC does many injections and has a pretty good track record.

Ingrid K

fisrpotpe said:

Thanks for info
Thanks so much for the info, i will see what my other team doctor's have to say and may need to head to Northwester. the procedure you friend has had sound like the same as the one they were going to do with a more short term material. problem is access to the vocal cord, and not straight shot to it for the needle to get where it needs to get too. hard part might be the necrosis i had 4 years ago may have caused the access part. i hope to find out more when i see doc on the 18th.

john

you can crash here if needed
John,
if you end up coming up to Chicago to go to Northwestern, you are more than welcome to stay with us. door is always open for fellow survivors.

But hope you don't have to make the trip.

CivilMatt

special person
Hi John,

I stand humbled by your story. You’ve lived all my pain 12 years ago. I truly hope the best for you.

Best,

Matt

fisrpotpe

Ingrid K said:

you can crash here if needed
John,
if you end up coming up to Chicago to go to Northwestern, you are more than welcome to stay with us. door is always open for fellow survivors.

But hope you don't have to make the trip.

Thanks
your so kind, thanks.

i will be doing alot of research before my next step.

john

fisrpotpe

Billie67 said:

Don't know where you are
Don't know where you are located but my Dr at USC does many injections and has a pretty good track record.

Champaign
Champaign, IL Billie67. my surgeon has done lots too. in fact i have seen his work with a couple of our local Round Table Discussion for Head and Neck members have had it down. i must be more odd than i thought. :-)

Thanks for the information, ya never know i might be contacting you.

john

fisrpotpe

dennis318 said:

same as you
l/s larynx dead..they tried te block insertion that was where the horror story started and removed it, I amd finished but the l/s stopped...the botox is used to stregthen your voice. or is there a chance to make it sound better...let me know i would like to ask about this...thanks john

gain
Dennis, they told me some times it works and sometimes not. my problem was they just could not get a straight shot at it to inject.

the gain from the shot if it works is strength of your voice so you do not need to use so much air, another if it works is to take some of the raspy and wimpy sounds away and last when cord is stuck open like mine the longer you talk the faster you run out of air and then you do not feel as tired because half the air leaves and does nothing with the open cord.

i actually drove a friend to have his done, on the way i could not hear his voice. after injection on the way home i could understand and hear everything. weeks later it was like years ago, much stronger and certainly very clear.

i wat told three options, needle injection with botox and that would last 4-6-8 weeks, second needle injection with another material that would last if it worked approx. a year. the third was surgery thru the neck that would be some sort of implant, that option neither of the three wanted to do because of the slow healing and huge risk of infection that may lead to necrosis.

time will tell but sure looks like it has become another of my new normal life change.

john

fisrpotpe

CivilMatt said:

special person
Hi John,

I stand humbled by your story. You’ve lived all my pain 12 years ago. I truly hope the best for you.

Best,

Matt

All
we here on csn and all the other survivors are SPECIAL PEOPLE. it'a another new normal gift from our friend RADIATION. i pray no others have to get the gift of a dead vocal cord.

Matt congrats on being a special 12 year SURVIVOR.

thanks for the kind words
john