Lost singing voice

[StellarForge]

2months after triple heart bypass and I find I cannot sing as I did before the operation...is this normal?

[Hidden]

Hello

I am not a singer but when you have a Bypass they deflate your lungs and it takes time for them to get back to full capacity

Keep up your breathing exercises and 2 months is nothing you are still in early recovery and I am sure eventually you will get your singing voice back

Hope the rest of your recovery is going well x

[StellarForge in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for the reply...methinks its not my lungs as I'm now walking 5km daily, but saying that I'm no expert...prior to the op' I had a 2.5 octave range, now I can just barely do 2...I've arranged a chat with the surgeon...see what he says...thanks again!

[Hidden in reply to StellarForge]

Hello

I think you will get it back in time but I am sure your Surgeon will be able to give you reassurance and why this may have happened in this stage of your recovery

I hope in time you will get back to where you were x

[Chappychap]

"is this normal?"

It's not normal, but it's not unknown and has been mentioned before on this forum.

The breathing tube that's inserted down your throat during open heart surgery rests alongside the vocal cords. Consequently most patients report at least some degree of hoarseness following the operation. But in about one in twenty or thirty operations the tube causes more serious damage or even scarring to the vocal cords. In addition the nerves that control the vocal cords lie alongside some of the heart arteries so can easily be damaged during CABG surgery.

Another possibility is medication. Most people with heart disease are prescribed Ramipril, which often has a side effect of a dry, tickly cough. What's less well known is that another Ramipril side effect is a degree of hoarseness. I'm nearly five years post bypass surgery, but following an evening at a loud and talkative party, or following a day's sailing when I've had to shout to be heard over the wind and waves, I'll often have a sore throat and a croaky voice.

For me this is a small price to pay for the benefits that Ramipril brings, not only does it reduce the strain on the heart it also works particularly well with statins to stabilise arterial plaque and reduce the risk of heart attacks.

However, if singing is a central part of your life then you may arrive at a different conclusion, in which case raise it with your GP. There are alternatives to Ramipril and some people on this forum report that they have fewer side effects.

Good luck!

[ParrotLover22 in reply to Chappychap]

Great explanation CC :). I still get it now occasionally and it will be 3 years this September since I had my Bypass!

[1959DarkBurst]

I have lost my singing voice too. I've had angina and after having a stent fitted thought everything should be back to normal but I struggle to to sing more than a couple of verses of a hymn. I seem to have lost my breath control and my like you my range has decreased. I sing bass in a male voice choir. I got referred to a cardiac rehab occupational therapist who thinks it could be a fatigue issue but another idea is that it could be my beta blocker or one of the other drugs. Anyway it's a bit of a mystery. After close to a year my wife has noticed that I'm singing more around the house so it may be coming back! Good luck!

[Hidden]

After my bypass whenever I spoke I could feel the words were not coming out.I would start talking then the words would fade away.After my op when back on the ward I had air left in my stomach they had to put an NG tube up my nose and down my throat to my stomach.It was worse than the op.I was then rushed back to ITU where they have all the super drugs.I was out of it for 3 days.They told me if they hadn't picked it up I would either have had a stroke or heart attack.It took me about 2 years to get my voice back tidy.x

[Art-99]

I had OHS two and a half years ago. On regaining consciousness I had virtually no strength in my voice basically I could only whisper . I assumed that a prolonged spell with tubes down my throat there had been some bruising which would eventually heal. Once discharged and home I visited a ENT specialist who examined my throat and declared my left vocal chord was paralysed, I had about 3 subsequent visits and my voice gradually strengthened because the right vocal chord began to compensate,he also advised me to take vitamin B complex . On visiting another doctor on an entirely different matter, I mentioned my voice problem and he said it was quite likely the nerve connected to my vocal chord had been damaged /severed during OHS rather than intubation. I still have occasional problems with hoarseness which is frustrating; unlike you I am not a singer and hope your voice fully recovers. Please note my operation was carried out in Cyprus , where we have lived for a few years.

[marypw]

Lindsay Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) had problems with his voice after OHS, but he has been touring again etc