Chronically Lost Voice - Any Advice?

[PugBex]

Hi, I'm fairly new here. I just wanted to know if anyone has advice for getting a chronically lost voice down to (probable) ME back? I've recovered pretty well and I'm no longer severe, but I still have no voice :/ It's really frustrating. I can whisper without pain, but anything above that hurts and feels like there's a pressure pushing down on my throat. I'm really unsure what to do because the Internet says that even for a voice lost due to a sore throat you shouldn't whisper because it can damage your vocal cords. But I was wondering that maybe if I start using it all the time to whisper that the pain will eventually stop? I just don't know. Any advice? Has anyone experienced this before?

Thank you so much for reading, and any replies or advice is appreciated

[Aviva]

How long has this been going on? I lost my voice and finally went to an ENT and he found out that the Dr. that did my neck surgery (went through the front) had damaged my left vocal cord. The only reason I went was I did research on Internet and it said if you have the problem over 2 weeks then go to a Dr. I ended up having to get an injection of some type of Teflon or maybe it wasn't that but supposedly long acting stuff and I'm starting to lose my voice again, so I know your frustration and try living with a husband that's practically deaf. lol now that's frustration.

[PugBex in reply to Aviva]

Thanks for the reply Aviva It's been going on for over a year :/ I orginally lost it because of a sore throat and energy, but it's just not coming back even though I'm much better than I was on other fronts, so I would have thought it would have returned by now. I did have an NG tube though so it could have been that? I'm sorry to hear what you're going through and hope you get it back x

[Aviva in reply to PugBex]

I'm wondering if the NG tube somehow hit the nerve to goes to the vocal cord and damaged or irritated it. I still think you should go to an ENT Dr.  He or She can put a tiny tube down through your nose (it doesn't hurt as they spray inside your nose and it numbs it and your throat) anyway there's a camera in it and he can look right at the vocal cord to see what's going one he will have you make an 'eeeeee' should while he looks at how they are coming together or if they are not doing what they are suppose to be doing.  Anyway I think they need to be looked at just to make sure there isn't a growth or something that should be corrected.  Good Luck.

[jessica9]

Hi some years ago i too lost my voice for over a year. My husband at the time (I'm on no. 2 and no wish to make it to no. 3😊) was completely deaf in onecear due to an accident. I therefore understand that its not thebmakings of good communication AT ALL. For us, it was probably one of the contributing factors in our marriage failure. It was awful. I couldn't speak and what little noise I did manage to make, he could not here.

When out with friends I tried writing what i wanted to say down...by the time i had written a reply they had moved onto another subject. Very lonely and disheartened by it all,i eventually,through my GP, went to speech therapy at the local hospital. It wasn't easy, some of the exercises involved me doing some of the most bizarre exercises with my mouth and lips. My daughter went to the appointment with me once and I was convinced she would laugh at how silly I looked when going thorough the exercises which made me feel totally silly. To my complete and utter dismay she never laughed at all. Not so much as a titter passed her lips. She told me that she didnt realise i had to workvso hard to get my voice back. I cant remember how long it took at this present moment but I know it was much less than a year before i was talking very much the same as i had done before M.E. had claimed my voice.

M.E hit me when my immune system was very low. I was in the grips of a throat infection which just didn't want to go. The infection was viral so no amount of antibiotics would make it go away. That was over 16 years ago now but to this day, it is my voice that goes when tiredness, that's M.E. and fibro tiredness,sets in. If I talk too much and here I mean too much for MY body to deal with ,my voice begins to disappear. A friend of mine used to say that unfortunately they could work it out when I was lacking in energy because when I spoke my voice had a huskiness affect it.

I hope this may have been some help in where a possible solutionb might lie I.

C -x-

[PugBex in reply to jessica9]

Thanks for your response Jessica. That sounds very similar so I think I'll see if I can get hold of a speech therapist in case they can help me get it back.

I'm sorry you're still effected to this day by it when the ME/fibro hits you :/ Does it get painful to speak when you're getting near to your limit?

[loglegmomma]

I had speech therapy & the best advice I got was to do impressions of other people talking because it makes you use your voice differently.  Also, belly breathe like you are singing.... It's not perfect, but it is an improvement!