voice is shot

It'll take a few weeks but it does return. I was nearly mute for a week, then the frog voice arrived. Three months out and its only about 90% returned. It's also challenging learning how to talk properly again, but just practice and don't get frustrated. 

CivilMatt said:

I hear you and all you have to say

Dd333,

If you can croak like a frog (or sound like a frog) all is not lost.  Many of your fellow H&N members (me included), as you said, croaked like a frog, whispered like a secret, were as quiet as a mouse and chose our words carefully to say only the bare minimum.  This may be new land for you, but it was staked out by radiation and chemo infused oral cancer survivors many years ago and with time, with a little perseverance, and for me speech therapy, you will soon be told to keep it down and eat your soup.

Can you still write and read?

Now get off that radiation table and get back into life. We will be looking and listening for your reply.

Matt

Well said, Matt!    except I couldn't hear you, my ears are still not working quite right.:)

My husband was not able to speak much at all for several months.  I wasn't really sure if his voice would come back.  In fact, I was not sure he would be able to work again because of it.  Talking on the phone or ordering at a drive through for example was almost impossible. The Cancer Center made no promises but slowly over time it came back.  A year after his last treatment, his voice is back but I will say it is vulnerable in a way it wasn't before treatment.  For example, he doesn't have the same volume he had before.  If he tries to project his voice, in not too much time, his voice will get raspy.  If he gets a cold or gets outisde around a campfire, I notice he has a change in the quality of his voice.  He is working fulltime and talks on the phone without problems.  People who did not know him before treatment would probably not notice at all in most encounters.  Give it time.  I always say his recovery was as slow as a glacier before global warming but he did recover.  Be patient and try not to worrry too much.  

But it did get raspy and five months later still is especially first thing in the morning. It's lower in tone and can't do high notes at all now.

I sound like one of the chipmunks.  Good to know it is a known symptom, and others have had it, with some getting their voice back.  It was news to me to lose it.

I had aggressive proton therapy for a recurrence of a tumor in nasopharnex.  I am 6 weeks out from radiation and split dose Cisplatin.  Just lost the voice.

I just finished week 3 in treatments (kinda early) and I have lost my voice also. Think I'm one week behind you Darkdancer. I think I received a good concise answer from my speech therapist yesterday. She told me that radiation sweets our throat tissues and also it's very very dry where are voice box and vocal chords are. Vocal chords need Lots of moisture to produce our talking. So therefore sips or drinks of water won't help with getting our voice back cause we can't keep it moisturized for a long period of time. And don't forget radiation every day will dry it out more. Just another lovely side effect to be so happy about. Little sarcasm. Hope this info helps you with no singing voice. Mine sounds raspy n like a newborn kitty trying to meow and you can barely hear it. Oh n my therapist said having no voice might last till the end of treatments and months after. Yippee! Not!

E 

7 Years since 34 Radiation Treatments and my wife tells me my singing is as bad as it ever was, and as loud.