HAVE YOU LOST YOUR VOICE DURING TREATMENT

luv4lacrosse
luv4lacrosse Member Posts: 1,410 Member
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
All, I am experiencing all of the normal side effects such as burt skin, open sores on skin by neck and clavicle, huge mucous problems, tongue and throat pain ETC.
I also lost my voice about 3 weeks ago, and it came back for 2 days while I was having my feeding tube inserted. The voice actually came back during insertion of the feeding tube, while they pushed another tube throught my nose and into my stomach to inflate. I guess I gagged so severly that I had to use a suction catheter to suck out the largest grossest looking thing I had ever seen. The voice lasted all of 2 days and has been gone ever since.

My doc's do not appear to be worried, and I hope it is just another side effect.

ANYONE HAVE THIS DILEMMA???

MIKE

Comments

  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #2
    I lost my voice for almost
    I lost my voice for almost two months. My voice still isn't right. I think many of us have had problems with voice thru treatment.
  • miccmill
    miccmill Member Posts: 248
    #3
    sweetblood22 said:

    I lost my voice for almost
    I lost my voice for almost two months. My voice still isn't right. I think many of us have had problems with voice thru treatment.

    Voice still not the same
    Glenn lost his voice completely for the last two weeks of treatment. It started coming back almost right after treatment ended until he had about a week of his old normal voice.
    Now it's low and gravely and it's stayed that way for the last 9 weeks.
  • RushFan
    RushFan Member Posts: 224
    #4
    miccmill said:

    Voice still not the same
    Glenn lost his voice completely for the last two weeks of treatment. It started coming back almost right after treatment ended until he had about a week of his old normal voice.
    Now it's low and gravely and it's stayed that way for the last 9 weeks.

    Gravely
    I lost mine too...which didn't matter too much as I didn't feel like talking much toward the later part of treatment. I'm almost six weeks post treatment...voice is gravely, some days more so than others.

    Best regards,
    Chuck.
  • Bigfuzzydoug
    Bigfuzzydoug Member Posts: 154
    #5
    You betcha!
    It comes and it goes. It's due to inflammation and swelling of your larynx and vocal chords from the rads. With the swelling, you can't make a smooth seal inside your larynx to control sound and your voice is affected. On some days the inflammation is worse than others. I'm exactly 15 days out from my last rad treatment. Days 9-13 I was practically a mute. Nothing at all but raspy croaks. Then I woke up Thursday morning and replied to my wife, "good morning," and she almost feel over how clear it was.

    I went to see my ENT yesterday for my first post-treatment scope and I asked him about it. "Your voice should come back to about 80% within the next 2-4 weeks. It may then takes months or even up to 5 years to get it back to 100%. We don't know why it sometimes takes so long for the inflammation to go away and the voice to come back. I've seen it as quick as 5 months and as long as 5 years."

    Don't be surprised if it comes back and then goes away and then comes back again. Hope this helps.
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #6
    Hi Mike
    You may never sound the same again, but you will sound again
  • TheDane
    TheDane Member Posts: 27
    #7
    Halfway
    To be completely honest, there are probably more than a few people who would love for me to lose my voice for a while. Ha!
  • Greg53
    Greg53 Member Posts: 849
    #8
    TheDane said:

    Halfway
    To be completely honest, there are probably more than a few people who would love for me to lose my voice for a while. Ha!

    Yep
    Lost my voice for about a month. Six months out and it still comes and goes and so far I can't find out what the trigger is that makes it go out. Oh well, another "thing".

    Best to all!

    Greg
  • staceya
    staceya Member Posts: 720
    #9
    Greg53 said:

    Yep
    Lost my voice for about a month. Six months out and it still comes and goes and so far I can't find out what the trigger is that makes it go out. Oh well, another "thing".

    Best to all!

    Greg

    My voice is about 85% back
    My voice is about 85% back after 7 months. I kept updating my voice mail as it improved.
    It is more gravely in the mornings.
    Good Luck
    Stacey
  • frank10g
    frank10g Member Posts: 37
    #10
    staceya said:

    My voice is about 85% back
    My voice is about 85% back after 7 months. I kept updating my voice mail as it improved.
    It is more gravely in the mornings.
    Good Luck
    Stacey

    lost mine too
    I lost my voice half way during treatment and got it back about 2 weeks after treatment. My voice is still raspy now. You will be fine. - Frank -

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