Vocal Cord Damage During Heart Surgery

[Chappychap]

Interesting article today about Fleetwood Mac guitarist, Lindsey Buckingham, having open heart surgery and suffering damage to his vocal cords as a result.

bbc.co.uk/news/entertainmen...

Apparently the nerves that serve the larynx (voice box) are located close to the heart and it's not unknown for them to be damaged during heart surgery. Here's another reference to this problem,

rehabilitateyourheart.wordp...

[Rosanna75]

That is a very interesting article, I wish I would have come across before my surgery to see what to really expect and be prepared for it.

I had tachycardia after my open heart surgery that hasn't completely gone and taking medication for it and I also had pleural effusion that resulted in the need of surgically removing 2 litres of fluid from my left lung.

Reading about the vocal cord it is interesting as many ppl have said that my voice has changedd after the surgery and I had episodes where by phone couple of friends didnt recognise my voice.

My voice seems to be lower and when I talk sometimes feels as if it going ...really bizarre

[Nanny72 in reply to Rosanna75]

I lost my voice almost completely after my valve replacement.

Took almost 12 weeks to get speech back.

Speech and Language therapists helped. Also had semi liquid diet with thickening agents for almost four months.

Don't think my voice is the same since.

This was all put down to eight days on a ventilator after the surgery

[Rosanna75 in reply to Nanny72]

Oh wow, sorry to hear you went through so much.

I hope your life has improved since your valve replacement.

For me, it is early days yet, but after 3 months since my surgery I already feel better than I used to. Despite getting tired early I seem to have more energy.

But I have had a change of mind in priorities and I feel very strong about priority number one...myself !

[Nanny72 in reply to Rosanna75]

My life is definitely improved since my surgery. No longer breathless. Walking my dog and, like you, realising that my priority should be myself

[jimmyq]

So that's why the wife banned me from singing! 😀

[Hidden in reply to jimmyq]

My wife was by my bedside when I woke up and was devastated when I was able to talk to her - a shattered opportunity she called it.

[Mew2]

My vocal chords were paralysed permanently on one side during aortic root replacement. I had no voice for a year until I had op to fix the damaged side permanently shut in stead of open. It gave me a voice, a!beit very hoarse and quiet. That was 20yrs ago. Lost count of the number of people who ask me ' whats wrong with your voice?' Even been told I sound like a porn star from 70s. Lol

[Rob6868 in reply to Mew2]

That's fantastic lol

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Wish I had seen the link pre surgery rather than overly optimistic recovery time scales. Whilst electrolyte imbalance and anemia were one of those things problems with the fourth and fifth fingers on my right hand were unexpected. After about four months including using physio from a trigger finger issue years ago things were virtually back to normal. They do get uncomfortable in cold weather though. What annoyed me was the medical professionals seemed happy to tell me to speak to someone else. One even suggested it was my diabetes! Along the line one of them should have known of this problem. Maybe my surgeon did but I never got to see him again after going home on day eight.