Gravelly voice since surgery

[lorilou107]

I have recently had a right sided thyroidectomy and am now on Levo as I have been diagnosed with thyroiditis. I was started on 25 mcg of Levo but this has quickly been doubled by the endo I have just seen. What I wonder is that since the surgery my voice has become deeper and huskier and as I sing in a choir I am struggling with the notes. I was a high soprano before the thyroid problems but now I find my voice completely different. I am just starting to get some higher notes back but when I asked the ent surgeon who did the operation about my voice he saidthat having looked with the endoscope at my vocal chords they do not seem to have been affected. So, i know i am not imagining my voice change and it takes more effort to get notes out and my throat gets croaky if I speak too long, has anyone else noticed this problem. Ent says I should see a speech therapist in 6 months if no improvement but I have always been known for my hugely high soprano range and wonder if I will ever get it back.

Any advice please

Loubelle

[PatsyCline]

After my thyroidectomy my voice changed like yours. It went husky and occasionally broke up when I was talking. I couldn't sing either, my voice broke when I tried. I was only singing along to the radio but it did concern me because I enjoyed singing along. After a time , sorry I can't be more precise, my voice returned to normal when speaking and singing. I do hope that yours recovers soon Lorilou and you are back in the choir reaching you high notes.

[sirlam]

A friend of mine, with autoimmune hypothyroidism, developed a husky voice and was told this indicated too high a dose of levothryroxine. You might want to check this!

[Phoenix605]

Hi a low/husky/croaky voice is a hypo symptom. If you post your thyroid results (with ranges) in a new thread members can give advice but it sounds like your endo is treating you correctly by raising at the moment. Mention the recent surgery and the fact the endo is still titrating your dose or you may get some very voiciferous replies about useless docs under medicating!!

If you dont already have electronic access to your results you can apply via your surgery, you are legally entitled to them but they can charge a small printing cost. It is as well to get into the habit of asking for them and learning to interpret them as many Endos/GPs are very poorly trained in thyroid issues which becomes an issue if a good one moves on and their replacement is lousy.

We are all started on 25-50mcg as a starter dose, bloods should then be retested every 6-8 weeks and another 25mcg increase given. This should be repeated until you are symptom free which will show what part of the ranges are best for you, just somewhere in range isnt good enough.

Unfortunately, the world of hormones is slow, levo, T4 is a storage hormone your body then converts into the active form, T3. It takes time for levels to stabilise after a dose change, hence the test delay. Depending on how hypo the surgery left you it may take several increases to get you well and hopefully resolve your voice issues. Being over medicated can feel as bad as under and rushing risks missing your 'sweet spot' so whilst waiting is frustrating, it is best.