Vocal cord surgery
in Health ·
Hey everyone.
Back in July 2018, I had surgery on my vocal cords—specifically a polyp. I went to the Mayo Clinic in Boston to have Dr. Aida Volić perform the procedure.
I’ve been singing for years, which is exactly why this happened in the first place.
The change in my voice started creeping up around February. My throat just wouldn't recover after gigs, and since I was performing almost every single weekend back then, there wasn't much downtime. I initially went to a clinic in Pittsburgh for an exam, where they told me I had some mucosal thickening. I figured, fine, it'll pass. But three weeks later, I felt about 5% better at best.
During my second follow-up, they gave me the same story, mostly because those guys in Pittsburgh didn't have the right equipment; they were just using a handheld mirror for exams. They recommended I head over to the phoniatry department at the Mayo Clinic to see Dr. Aida Volić, because they actually have the specialized cameras needed to get a real look at the vocal cords. So, that's what I did. Honestly, sitting there hearing that I had a polyp on my left vocal cord was a tough pill to swallow.
About four years prior, I had to have a polyp removed from my left nostril, so the doctors mentioned this would be a much simpler procedure by comparison.
I was admitted on Wednesday. On Thursday, I was wheeled into the OR around 9:45 AM, and I was back in my room by 10:15 AM. The whole thing took maybe twenty minutes.
Waking up, nothing felt out of the ordinary in my throat—everything seemed normal. I could talk, but I wasn't allowed to. That lasted about seven days. To be fair, the anesthesia didn't leave me feeling groggy or messed up; it was a light dose, so I felt pretty good once I came around.
The only thing that really got to me was the fasting. I was stuck with tea and nothing else. I had my last meal at 5:00 PM the day I was admitted, drank liquids until 10:00 PM, and then the entire day after the surgery, I couldn't eat a single thing. I didn't get to eat again until breakfast on Friday—that's nearly 40 hours without food. Needless to say, I was losing my mind.🤦
Truth be told, during those seven days of vocal rest, I’d occasionally sneak a few words out, though I wasn't being reckless about it. Recovery went smoothly. At my first check-up a couple of days later, they told me things looked great, though I was strictly forbidden from singing for about two months.
About a month and a half later, I started singing a little bit again, very carefully. Now, it's been almost three months since the surgery, and I feel incredible. My voice has never sounded better.
If anyone has questions, feel free to ask.
Cheers. :-)
Back in July 2018, I had surgery on my vocal cords—specifically a polyp. I went to the Mayo Clinic in Boston to have Dr. Aida Volić perform the procedure.
I’ve been singing for years, which is exactly why this happened in the first place.
The change in my voice started creeping up around February. My throat just wouldn't recover after gigs, and since I was performing almost every single weekend back then, there wasn't much downtime. I initially went to a clinic in Pittsburgh for an exam, where they told me I had some mucosal thickening. I figured, fine, it'll pass. But three weeks later, I felt about 5% better at best.
During my second follow-up, they gave me the same story, mostly because those guys in Pittsburgh didn't have the right equipment; they were just using a handheld mirror for exams. They recommended I head over to the phoniatry department at the Mayo Clinic to see Dr. Aida Volić, because they actually have the specialized cameras needed to get a real look at the vocal cords. So, that's what I did. Honestly, sitting there hearing that I had a polyp on my left vocal cord was a tough pill to swallow.
About four years prior, I had to have a polyp removed from my left nostril, so the doctors mentioned this would be a much simpler procedure by comparison.
I was admitted on Wednesday. On Thursday, I was wheeled into the OR around 9:45 AM, and I was back in my room by 10:15 AM. The whole thing took maybe twenty minutes.
Waking up, nothing felt out of the ordinary in my throat—everything seemed normal. I could talk, but I wasn't allowed to. That lasted about seven days. To be fair, the anesthesia didn't leave me feeling groggy or messed up; it was a light dose, so I felt pretty good once I came around.
The only thing that really got to me was the fasting. I was stuck with tea and nothing else. I had my last meal at 5:00 PM the day I was admitted, drank liquids until 10:00 PM, and then the entire day after the surgery, I couldn't eat a single thing. I didn't get to eat again until breakfast on Friday—that's nearly 40 hours without food. Needless to say, I was losing my mind.🤦
Truth be told, during those seven days of vocal rest, I’d occasionally sneak a few words out, though I wasn't being reckless about it. Recovery went smoothly. At my first check-up a couple of days later, they told me things looked great, though I was strictly forbidden from singing for about two months.
About a month and a half later, I started singing a little bit again, very carefully. Now, it's been almost three months since the surgery, and I feel incredible. My voice has never sounded better.
If anyone has questions, feel free to ask.
Cheers. :-)