To everyone...I was just wondering...how long did it take to get your voice back to normal. When i talk it feels like I'm straining and talking from my chest and not my diaphram. Did any of you have that problem? I'm sure everyone's voice gets back to normal or near normal at different rates, but I'm just asking each person to give me the story on their own situation. Thanks!

Mine was normal within weeks of the end of treatment. I did go a few days during the last of Tx when I used a pad to communicate because it hurt to talk and my jaw felt like someone had screwed it shut but other than that I never really had any speech problems.

I'll answer that in a few months.

28007: FYI, I live less than an hour from you. If you ever need someone to talk to, please remember me. Have you ever been to Troy?

Lois

Robs voice deteriorated throughout rads and he never got it back. After two months it was barely a whisper,and yet he had no disease in his throat,it was purely from radiation burns.

I lost mine for about 3-4 weeks... toward the final days of rad, then afterwards. Could barely sustain a whisper for a while, and simply didn't talk, but used a note pad and signals to communicate. Slowly came back, and mine was a direct result of the radiation; kinda cooked my goose... and my goozle. It does pass... it will take some time, but it does pass.

I'm getting used to sounding like Elmer Fudd, LOL , Ihaven't talked in a normal voice since Aug 3rd. As long as I'm still living, I don't care really what it sounds like. Make em wonder what we did say and might keep us from getting our butts kicked.

I'm about 11 weeks post TX and sound OK most of the time. It does have a tendency to come and go. I think its really caused by talking too much...my throat will dry out and I'll drop two oactive's and start to croak more....makes for some wild phone calls tho.....

My story is just the same as GaryG above... as long as I keep my mouth shut, speech is OK. But as soon as I talk for more than a minute or two... look out, it gets ugly.

My voice has been really raspy or froggy since mid-radiation, but got really bad the week that I took my last Fentanyl patch off, and really hasn't recovered. I work all day checking in patients at a medical office, so it's pretty bad by the end of the day. I feel like I have a bubble in my throat most of the time. I also did not have any disease in my throat, only metastasis to the lymph nodes in my neck.

Lisa,

Maybe I'm saying the obvious but I think you need to give your throat a rest. I know when I had laryngitis as a kid my doctor told me that if I talked a lot I might do permanent damage so I didn't. See if you can be temporarily assigned different duties until it gets better all by itself?

David - As much as I hate to admit it, I know you're right. I was so anxious to get back to "normal," so I went back to work starting with just 4 hours a day, then 6, then 8 over a 3-week period. I'll be seeing my RO tomorrow and will discuss it with her. She probably won't be happy as she didn't want me to go back to work full-time until I put on some more weight. I had dropped down to 98 pounds (lost about 15 pounds). I've put on about 5 pounds with the help of an appetite stimulant. Like I said, I just wanted to be normal again, and going back to work has been really good for me.

Yeah we all want that normal stuff to surround us and put us in that comfort zone again so we rush to prove to everyone and ourself that we are "back" but that can be harmful and actually slow our recovery down but hey we're human and that's the way we're programmed. Looking back I know I rushed things to heal my mental side probably to the detriment of the physical side. But as they say, other people's problems are easier to solve.

Hi - John's voice also became rough and raspy during the last 2 weeks of treatment and it was hard for him to speak. It stayed that way for a few weeks post treatment and after which his voice got stronger has he began to heal. It did remain about an octave lower for 2 months or so ( might be different for men and women) but now - over 2 years post treatment - it's pretty much back to normal.

I haven't had a voice since October, I had a polyp removed from my vocal chord and went on voice rest and it just never came back lol. I can whisper but it's because of where the tumour in my throat is. I start radiotherapy next week too so my speech therapist said that she doesn't really want to start working on it until that's finished but I can't wait to have it back! Although it's going to be weird using a proper voice as I'm so used to whispering!

Hi there! I'm Lyn and am/was/will be again a singer who had tongue cancer. i lost 2/3 of the left side of my tongue, had a reconstruction from a flap from my wrist/6 weeks yukky radation (Big Mac with the works) BUT although it was a bit scratchy for a while, my voice is fine. My Op was on Nov 12 last year 2007 and it only took a few weeks after that silly trach and nose tube feeding me, was removed (after much sooking from me)for me to see hear and feel an improvement. The ONLY difference I can notice (apart from the fact i have a little trouble with my "s's" and my "sh's" sound like "sch's' but they are getting better daily. However, get this...I cough differently...kind of lighter...I really want to do a big deep chest cough but its comes out like 'kaff kaff' (VERY polite) Also, and please excuse me before I say tis but I used to delight in my truckie burps!!(as you will know if you read a few posts of mine, i dont hold back)..my burps used to be legendary (esp coke ones) now they are SO wimpy its more embarrasing...they are now like little..."urp's" hahah (NOONE laughs and I quietly say oooh pardon me"...dreaming of the days I could silence a lunch room watching people trying to guess who could have POSSIBLY done a burp that King Kong would have been proud of! hahah.I LOOK innocent enough but l used to like having that secret vice up my sleeve to shock people who were pretending to be who I knew they werent! hahah.
Anyway, try not to worry, stress also tightens up your vocal cords. The tubes going down the back of your throat (to feed you) plus the trach (grr) would have scratched your throat.
My voice will be fine and I have no doubt I WILL sing again (despite several surgeons telling me I wouldnt (dont tell me I cant do something or Im like a kid...I WILL go and do it to spite them!). You may also have a thrush infection in your mouth (which I did) too ...but please dont take my word for it ask the good ole onc if you do and/or to give you something for it. I coughed..no 'kaffed" a bit when i had one of those and the doc just gave me nilsadt(sp?) which cleared it. Try also steaming your throat with warm water (NOTHING in the water like eucalyptus it as tempting is it seems...remember..im a singer) Maybe also get yourself a humidifier for your house or at least bedroom...you can hire them in OZ from the Pharmacies for almost nothing and that will help you when you sleep.
Hope all this has at least helped a little bit. just remember (as my friends here have reminded me when I was freaking out about one thing or another) it does take a while as it is such an unusual operation. We are lucky...ten years ago...maybe less...our voices would be the least of our worries...we would have left this life and been well ensconced in the next trying to sing with the Angels with our lisps and raspy voices! eeek!
Love and take care Lyn x

ME again...Im sorry, I misread your post at first...but i think i can still help you. I also had Polyps and Nodules over ten years back and had my vocal cords STRIPPED (without my permission as the surgeon took it upon himself to not wake me up thinking it is what I would have wanted grr). It did take a while to come back UNTIL I found a great speech therapist...but yep, do wait til after the radio. All the things I just mentioned in my last post apply...esp the vocal steamer...get one right away...you will notice a difference. I have been singing professionally (full time...yep...its my real job haha) for well over ten years SINCE my cords were stripped right up until my tongue op (AFTER the first op on my vocal cords) DONT let anyone tell you your voice is "as good as its gonna get"...it gets better everyday even just a little bit that you dont even notice... and try and find a singers speech therapist (a good vocal and/or music school will help you)..Breathing excersises are also good to heal your vocal chords and throat. BTW try to write more...whispering can do more damage as frustrating as it is...try and aim for one day a week where you just write your answers. People who love you will help you more than you think...get a white board to carry around. Give your voice a really good rest and you will soon see the difference. BTW I agree with your radiotherapist...just wait...its only time...and it will FLY. Email me if you need more support and hints. Just listen to your Drs and the VERY wise people on here...they have been through EVERYTHING and more and will help you through this...publically or privately...whichever you prefer. There is so much support and love here it is mindblowing!
Again love and take care and dont worry! Lyn

I agree with Lyn. I finally realized that even talking on the telephone made my mouth hurt much more than normal, so I asked everyone not to call me. I call them and it's much better on my mouth and under my tongue. After a few days ZI feel much better by not talking so much. LOL My jaws have motors it seems and go nonstop.