Scar tissue above vocal cords

Kent Cass said:

Small world

Karen

   My left cord is paralyzed, and has been since the auto accident when I was 13, and the 1963 Mercury Comet did a number on my throat= "crushed windpipe at the larynx" was what they called it, and only 3 hospitals in the USA could deal with my problem, back then. Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's and Dr. Stanton Friedberg was my ENT. My recovery involved some 18 Ops., there, and one of the main headaches was SCAR TISSUE. With each Op. they would put a slightly bigger mold into the windpipe for two months, then do the same with the next Op, and so on. No big deal, right? Post-Op I wouldn't be in pain, but would ache for the rest of the day. Doc explained at some point that it was due to the clearing-out of the scar tissue that had formed over the prior two months.  I don't know if my growing body had anything to do with the constant development of scar tissue- can't honestly say I know how it could keep developing over such a long period of time. 

   And, take note, there was even a two-week period of time when I was 15 that my Mom had to drive me the 100+ miles up to Chicago three times/week for Doc to rip scar tissue out from inside my windpipe thru the trachea hole with bent tweezers. He could freeze the outer surface of the scar tissue, but not the area it was being ripped from, and it was the most painful thing I experienced in the Chicago part of my accident recovery. SO- YOU'RE VERY RIGHT THAT IT WILL BE AN OP., and you will most likely wake with a good aching that'll last a short while. The good side is that it won't be aggravated by anything ingested that's not hot/spicey, I would think, and hopefully he'll be able to apply something on it to aid in healing.

   Best of luck to you, Karen- my fellow survivor with a half-paralyzed voice box/larynx.

   kcass

What a recovery you went through!!!  The only problem with my paralyzed cord is sometimes I have spasms which makes it hard to inhale, very scary.  This happens if I aspirate some food/water.  I was really scared the radiation would make that worse but its only happened once since.  Another operation could fix that, some sort of window cut in the cord.  I am sick of surgeries even though I've only had a couple.  As a nurse I tend to hate medical procedures lol.  All this throat clearing just makes me wonder.  I have coughing fits at inopportune times too.  Just weird I grew scar tissue from rads.  

Kent Cass said:

Karen

Did your ENT say anything about a "protrusion" narrowing the air passage diameter in your windpipe, due to the paralyzed half? That is the state of mine, and has been since 11/68. Specifically, what I've been told is the parlalyzed half of my larynx protrudes out into my windpipe, narrowing the air passage space, and I wonder if that could be in play with your difficulty inhaling? 

I also have a silicone stint skin-grafted into my windpipe below the larynx, but I've never been told that it narrows the air passage, though logic says it might a little. Kinda funny, Karen, after all these years with what Doc did for me between 1968-70; that, after C&R, on one of my visits to the ENT and when he was looking down my windpipe with the warmed mirror, he said, "Ah, your windpipes a mess, but it's been that way for a long time." My response was with a big smile, "Yes, it has. But it works just fine."

kcass

No it doesnt protrude.  It just kind of hangs out and the other vocal cord crosses over the midline to try and meet it.  If it has a spasm it kind of clamps shut leaving a little space between which is hard to move air through until it passes.. I have learned to sit my butt down and relax and try to stay calm when it happens.  It doesnt happen but a couple of times a year now so I dont want any surgery if I can help it.  This new scar tissue though makes me wonder.