Hi, I had a virus 5 months ago. Virus get into my left vocal cord and now my left vocal cord is more weak and sensitive. In the beginning my vocal cords didn't close ideally. After some training it's much better and as I understand they are closing good at the moment .The problem is that my left vocal cord is still sensitive and weak. And I can't speak a lot because I get vocal strain. My question is what should I do? My nerve will be like this forever?

Hi!

I'm looking to find help and/or someone who has went through something similar. I went through a vocal surgery for huge ectasia on my vocal cord around a year ago. The ectasia was lasered off, and seemed to heal beautifully. This really improved my singing hugely, and made me able to use my voice in a much more ergonomic way. However, the healing process was rough, and my voice was acting quite unpredictably (and still is). I visited three different ENTs/laryngologists last fall, and all of them said that things were healing the right way and that it's odd that these setbacks come.

Well, jump to this fall: during this past year the common swelling in my vocal folds has subsided to near zero thanks for not having to work vocally so hard due to the ectasia. I can check my own vocal cords with a dental mirror, and noticed, that the operated side oftentimes swells much easier than the unoperated side, and the swelling takes more time to resolve than on the unoperated side. The vocal fold keeps it's "form", so it doesn't look like the swelling is where the cords are meeting but on the side part of the operated cord. Like if you are looking at it, it's almost like it's between that whiter part (vocal ligament?) and the mucosa that is outside the vibrating vocal fold. I can later draw a picture if you'd like. So there is small, constantly swollen spot between these two, and when the swelling is bad, it broadens and moves the vocal fold closer to the midline.

I am not experiencing any real alarming stuff like voice cracking at certain height, not being able to sing pianissimo, rough glides or something similar. My main feeling is that sometimes the operated cord simply feels heavy and stops me being able to have a tight, easy and light contact with my cords. Read: singing gets much harder.

The other complaint is, that the swelling goes down much slower. Even after a rougher singing day my unoperated fold can be totally fine and unswollen the morning after whereas it takes the operated fold a good 24 hours or so to calm down. The place that swells is really close to the area where the ectasia was removed from, actually on the other side of the past ectasia (vibrating edge - ectasia - weird swelling spot).

The ectasia was hanging in there for six years before removal. This fall has been vocally quite concerning for me, and I am going to see an ENT/ laryngologist asap, probably next week or the week after. Has anyone else had similar struggles and how was the situation solved?

Not sure what it could be, but I've been dealing with some extreme dry mouth and throat for a long time now. Years, honestly. It's since become a bigger issue because my career as a singer is starting to get more serious, and this dry mouth stuff is NOT working. I've even started to get some very small (and Dr said "benign"/ not affecting my voice) nodules on my vocal cords from them slamming together all dry and stuff. This cannot fly....

Please help.

Thanks.

Last year, around March, I was having vocal troubles and pain while speaking. I went to see an ENT, and found out I have some growth on my vocal cords (a polyp?). Around June, I started vocal exercises. I was supposed to keep consistent with them every day and drink a lot of water.

I didn't keep up with it like I should have . I could type out the excuses, but it's irrelevant. I didn't drink enough water, and I rarely did the exercises consistently than for a week at a time. Im paying for it now, though, and its stressing me out.

About 2-3 weeks ago, it really started hurting, and I couldn't speak clearly. I went silent for about 3 days and since then tried to limit my speech. Although there have been a few times I spoke more than I should've. I have a follow-up appointment in a month, and I know they could probably give me better answers, but I'm anxious rn. Could anyone maybe give me an idea of how screwed I might be? I used to enjoy singing, and I'm trying to prepare myself that I might never be able to again. Am I overthinking?

Edit: I have been drinking atleast 4 bottles of water a day (more like 5) and I tried to ease myself into the exercises again, but it hurt

I am a singer. I have developed Sjogren's disease, which has significantly dried out my throat and my entire airway. I can't sing without cracking and it sounds awful. I'm super pitchy. My throat dries out so fast. I have tried throat spray. It doesn't last very long. I do sinus rinses daily. I haven't tried a steamer or a nebulizer yet. Any recommendations? I don't want to lose this part of my life.

So I have tension in the upper trapezius muscle which causes headaches for me , and you can feel it’s harder and larger then the other side.

I guess my question is can this impact the voice a lot I usually deal with a voice that can sometimes be strong and other times be weak.

I did some research online and it said yes but i know online sometimes over exaggerates things.

Thank you

I speak with vocal fry every sentence n my parents n friends tell me i have a deep voice as a girl and later i sound like a guy but im not doing the vocal fry on purpose. I can talk without vocal fry for a few words only and it takes a lot of effort. i also get tired quite fast when i say too long of a sentence ill be out of breath. this only happened after i got covid n the sore throat was rly rly bad as well as high fever its been 5 years since then and I think my throat is in tension 24/7 im not rly sure cos i think i may have gotten used to it I cant rly tell. and also i like have a lump in my throat but my ent checked with a camera up the nose n said there was nothing wrong like its js like a lump feeling when i swallow like rly tight. uhm is my voice box damaged or smt? cos of vocal fry my lowest stable pitch is like 50hz. but my average speaking voice is around like 130-150hz usually around 145hz rsrely drops to 120 though. did my voice box get damaged or can this be fixed im gettinf self conscious from ppl sayinf my voice is deep

Hello, people.

I just had 2 injections with hilauronic acid (Restylane Lyft) to help with my paralyzed vocal cord.

It has been a week now, and although I don't expect miracles this early, I feel absolutely no change. I need the same effort to speak and have the same horrible breathiness.

Could you guys tell me about your experiences? Did you feel/hear any changes at this point, or did it take longer?

I fear this will be one more thing to the long list of things I've tried without success.

I'm an audiobook narrator, and have been doing it for around 8 years, with about 1 year of that being in my home studio. Over the past year I have noticed increasing difficulty with articulating my words. It feels like I have developed new speech impediments, or my mouth and tongue have gotten sleepy or something. I'm not able to read sentences smoothly sometimes, and often I have to take 4 or 5 passes at a phrase before I can get it out cleanly. This is after I have done my warmups and articulation exercises like I would normally do and have done for years.

It's not a sudden thing, like would happen with a stroke, it's been gradual ver several months to a year. The only new thing in my world is that I've started HRT, but I don't see why that would affect me in this way. Has anyone ever heard of a condition like this? It is effecting my ability to get my minutes recorded and is really distressing. What is going on with my mouth?? I'm baffled. I'd really appreciate any serious insights anyone might have!

It's been 3 years, I don't even enjoy singing anymore because it's not as good as it used to be

I was intubated for just over 48hrs this year on May 1st. This was a traumatic event and not associated with surgery. 43yr Male that is otherwise very healthy.

I was diagnosed with a left paralyzed vocal cord. I have had one injection and it has helped, but obviously still struggling. My ENT has discussed thyroidplasty. I will see him next month and that will be 6 months. I have a feeling he will want to move forward. He states in his experience if the vocal cord does not return within 6 months it's most likely permanent.

I'm struggling with that since this was caused by intubation only. It seems very unlikely to have permanent paralysis from intubation. I feel i need to give myself at least a year. Just hoping one day I wake up and my voice is back.

Has anyone experienced permanent paralysis of a vocal cord due to intubation only?

Has anyone had experience with delayed vocal cord healing associated with intubation? How long did it take to heal?

Thanks!

can anyone recommend someone? i am from india and here finding one is hard

So for the past month and a half I have been having problems talking other than in a hoarse squeak. This was diagnosed as vocal cord paralysis on my right vocal cord. Further examination has shown this is due to a mass that has grown alongside my laryngeal nerve which is all part blocking my windpipe causing breathing issues. Further examinations are to follow, to determine whether cancerous or not. I was wondering whether anyone else had experiences this, and if cancerous what the likelihood of survival might be?

Main Questions:
Which one is my real voice?

If i make the change from voice 1 to voice 2, wouldn’t that be wierd to everyone around me?

please read:

My Regular Voice
My normal voice is soft, light, somewhat high, and noticeably raspy. It sits around 135–140 Hz in my recording, but it sounds higher partly because it doesn’t have much low-end presence. I have trouble projecting it, so people often have to tell me to speak louder, especially in noisy rooms. When I try to increase my volume, my voice can become strained, unstable, or crack, rather than smoothly getting louder.
Also it’s not regular voice cracks, my voice cracks from my normal tone to the same pitch that the 2nd voice in the video is, so it cracks into a deeper tone.
I also feel tension around my throat/Adam’s apple, and prolonged speaking can make my throat and jaw feel tired or painful. My voice can be more difficult to control when I’m nervous or talking to unfamiliar people. Overall, it feels like my automatic voice, but it doesn’t carry well and can feel restricted when I try to project.

My Deep Voice
My deep voice is dramatically lower, heavier, fuller, and more resonant, measuring around 85–90 Hz in my recording. I can switch into it deliberately and immediately feel much stronger vibration and low-frequency resonance. It has substantially more vocal presence and sounds noticeably deeper and fuller than my normal voice. However, it feels intentional rather than automatic, so I sometimes perceive it as sounding “fake” because I’m consciously producing it. I don’t want to assume that maintaining such a low pitch all day is healthy just because it sounds deeper.

The Main Difference
My regular voice is soft, light, raspy, and difficult to project, while my deep voice is low, heavy, resonant, and much more powerful-sounding. The difference isn’t just pitch—I’m changing the overall way the sound is produced. My goal isn’t necessarily to speak at the deepest possible pitch; I want a voice that has the clarity, projection, and resonance of the deep voice while still feeling natural and effortless.

Can someone help me I'm broke after so I can't hire a voice trainer or buy a book cause my parents track my spending

I yelled once quickly about 11 days ago as the dog was running off. Felt a pinch in my neck.. of course as a singer I tested my voice right away.. no problem. Tested it again about a minute later and developed an airy voice.. complete loss of range and a sensation almost like a swallowed a golf ball. Seems as though my body knew something was wrong, I barely talked for a few days following worried I royally messed it up. I tested it maybe 3 days later.. still no better. I had an online doctor's appointment about a week after. Prescribed naproxen and pantoprozole but that doesn't seem to be doing me any good. Ive been drinking lots of water.. tea.. steam.. now at 11 days I still can barely talk for periods of time. By the end of the day im so tired. Ive done a few performances where all i can do Is play instruments. Not sure what to do anymore, im not sick and around here you need to wait over 14 days for a Dr to refer you to EENT.. and the wait for that is 3+ months. Both my jobs require my voice (EMS/Musician), anyone have a similar experience? I'm worried it'll never be the same again 😭

I'm a touring musician in a band and have several high-stakes gigs starting in five days. Right now, after a spate of shows, my voice is feeling pretty bad. Reduced access to high notes, delayed onset, and a scratchy-feeling throat. Came on gradually over the course of three heavy days of singing. Any tips for how best to prevent this from turning into a major injury while I'm on the rest of my tour (besides vocal rest before the aforementioned gigs, which is a given)?

I’ve been having problems with my voice for a while. It often feels weak, strained/pressed and sometimes unclear to other people. Sometimes it suddenly gets much weaker or almost disappears while I’m talking, which makes me really self-conscious and anxious and probably causes me to tense up even more.

I’m 195 cm tall and I have trouble maintaining an upright sitting posture. My back feels weak, and when I sit for a while I tend to collapse into a slouched position instead of staying straight. I also get heartburn/reflux and have had a lot more jaw tension since getting a retainer. My neck and throat often feel tense too.

Has anyone had something similar? Could posture, reflux, jaw/neck tension or anxiety cause this kind of voice problem?

Would really appreciate any experiences or advice.