Lost My Voice

talk to me
Joan,

Everything Pat said. It just became easier to not talk for a short while. I never knew if the voice coming out was going to be a whisper, frogman or normal (frogman is just about retired). I still have my trying moments, but if I get prepared I can talk on phone just fine. So, for now rest and put up with your ‘interesting” new voice, but realize it might get worse for a while, but will come back (you still have a few weeks of zap left).

Keep swallowing and drinking lots of water.

Best,

Matt

fisrpotpe said:

Many
many of my local friends at some point in treatments lost their voices to some degree. i lost mine gone for 9-10 weeks, i used a child's magna doodle to talk... it was paperless and easy. as an extra the pen was attached and never lost.

mine happened in the third week and came back very slowly about 6 weeks post treatment.

john

What they said....
I too lost my voice almost completely. I finished rads at the beginning of July and I still sound very raspy however my scc was vocal cord. In my case they say I will sound much like Demi Moore when I'm totally healed. But I'm here and I'm NED!!!
Just rest your voice for now.
Billie

I lost my voice and my
I lost my voice and my throat wasn't even the primary spot they were radiating! It is so frustrating though. By the time I lost my voice though my mouth hurt bad enough that I didn't really want to talk. I just carried a pen and paper around with me to communicate. The only thing that made me sad was that I have a very young daughter & she did not understand why I couldn't talk to her. It will come back. You may feel like you don't sound like your old self for a while. I am 6 months out from Rads and have felt like my voice is finally back to normal just within the last month or 2. Hope you have a quick recovery!

ggpierce said:

Lost Voice
Me too, after about week 3 I lost it completely. Couldn't say a peep. Guess my wife liked that! It stayed gone for a month, then came back. Even now I have a hoarse voice, and sometimes get a little squeeky. I never know what's going to come out of me.

I am a speaker for the ACS Heroes of Hope program, so it gets a little frustrating from time to time.

All in all, I can't complain.

Cant say I lost it
but it was so distorted I had my wife or friends oder our food at drive ins or handle phone conversations. My voice is much better now and I can handle lengthy conversations, I just have to slow my talk and so far so good. Although my voice is still to me much different than before dx.

tackstrip said:

Losing voice

I start my radiation treatment for my tonsil cancer tomorrow. My voice started going after getting 6 teeth pulled last week (17th). But I believe it is the tumor around tonsil that is causing voice going. Mine is a unoperable  stage 4 that has spread to lung. Been reading here for a couple months but first post. Im at a very good medical cancer center in Ann Arbor. Just hoping they can shrink tumor as tonsil, carotid, and jugular are all involved. Just 4 weeks radiation to start then maybe chemo. Wish me luck. Wayne 

lost voice too

Hi Wayne,

 

Welcome to the H&N forum, but I am sorry you passed the entrance test (cancer).

 

I invite you to start a new thread where everyone might get a chance to meet you.  The problem with posting to these older threads as not very many participate (again) and you end up being overlooked.

 

I am 9 months post from stage IVa, scc, bot, hpv+ and have been treated with surgery, rads and chemo.  I had someone today ask about my voice (it comes and goes).

 

Best,

 

Matt

tackstrip said:

Losing voice

I start my radiation treatment for my tonsil cancer tomorrow. My voice started going after getting 6 teeth pulled last week (17th). But I believe it is the tumor around tonsil that is causing voice going. Mine is a unoperable  stage 4 that has spread to lung. Been reading here for a couple months but first post. Im at a very good medical cancer center in Ann Arbor. Just hoping they can shrink tumor as tonsil, carotid, and jugular are all involved. Just 4 weeks radiation to start then maybe chemo. Wish me luck. Wayne 

Welcome TS...

I was STGIII SCC Tonsils, HPV+, with a lymhnode involved...

I received nine weeks (three week cycles) Cisplatin, Taxotere and 5FU, then an additional seven weeks of concurrent weekly Carboplatin and 35 daily rads sessions.

They took the tonsils out first thing, but opted to leave the tumor for the same reasons you stated, mainly location. They were hoping that the treatment would either shrink, dissolve or have no effect on the tumor.

For me I was lucky, the tumor completely disappeared mid-way through the third cycle, confirmed by a CT, and never appeared again.

Hopefully similar will happen for you..., and they can get the lungs under control as well.

Thoughts & Prayers ~ John

 

 

my voice

I did not have chemo nor radiation, had surgery by de vinci robot, to remove my epiglottis...my voice went to a quiet whisper for about 8 months...my speech theripist worked with me and one day it was just back, clear and strong.

tackstrip said:

Day one

That certainly is encouraging news John. Thanks to everybody for your support and encouragment. Going to take a 5mg valium before I go just to calm nerves.  Will try to report back later this evening on how things went. Just trying to absorb all this last minute advice. Thanks again. Wayne

rad treatment

Well made it through 1st treatment on friday. Uncomfortable but not to bad. But couldn't do it today. Had to say no. Felt bad. It was early in morn and just to much phlem or stuff in throat that couldn't lay down and still breath. Between mouth guards, phlem and mask just to much. Will try again monday in afternoon. Now I have to hope my throat is clear enough. Took valium to. But I have hard time sleeping because of same problem. I am constantly doing sinus rinse's to get rid of stuff. Doc said could take sudafed also, though not sure when. Wish me luck. Wayne

Grandmax4 said:

my voice

I did not have chemo nor radiation, had surgery by de vinci robot, to remove my epiglottis...my voice went to a quiet whisper for about 8 months...my speech theripist worked with me and one day it was just back, clear and strong.

loss of voice

I actually caused a scene at the rad center at the start of week #2. Went in demanding to see the rad Dr, and the rad Teck did not take me serious enough, I guess- I was delaying them from starting my rad session. I went into a room, she followed,  then I turned and slammed the side of my fist down on a counter top, pointed at her, and demanded to see the Dr. She promptly agreed to this, and within a minute the rad Dr came into the room, settled me down with assurances that my already-impaired voice would come back. She was right. Liquids and humidity do help, but reduced to whispering is very common.

 

kcass

tackstrip said:

Voice

Well its been almost 3 months since I last posted here. Made it through my Radiation Treatment. It got tough, voice did get a little better  month back but now I am at whisper again. I feel like I can't catch my breath when I try to talk to some one. Like something not working right. Starting to get the mucous build up again to. But I am eating pretty good again. Go for PET scan next week just to see where were at. Then maybe start me on chemo for the spots they found on lung in November. Just looking for an ear.

Thoughts and Prayers...

Hoping all will be resolved and a game plan establishe from the PET.

Have yo communicate with your MD's concerning your current issues?

Best,

John