I am 19 & my voice still hasn't changed. Do you recommend any medication??
It might be spasams of the vocal cord. I think its called spasmotic dysphomia.
rthomas003:
Hi, I answered your previous post from 9/19/06, did you check that.
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/symptoms/messages/2986.html
Carol
I'm a vocal instructor, and you probably have developed what are called nodules, or nodes for short. They are essentially like callouses that form on your vocal cords, similar to what would appear on your hands after a long day's manual labor.
They are caused by excessive use/overuse/abuse of the cords. Rock singing is VERY highly the likely cause of this. The symptoms would be decreased range, shorter phrases (breath issues) and sometimes even a feeling of pain or pressure in the vocal area. This would cause your voice to sound shaky, scratchy, hoarse, etc.
Cheerleaders, singers, teachers all can develop nodules simply the overuse, or in a rock singers' case, abuse of the vocal cords.
Try some vocal rest. The very worst thing you can do is talk, and whispering is a no-no. Talking is something we do by "habit" so we usually don't support that sound with adequate breath support. If you find that it is getting worse, you can find an ENT (Ear, nose, throat doc) in your area, and try to find one that specializes in singers. One way to do this is to call any local Universities that have music departments, ask for one of the vocal instructors, and he/she will very likely be able to recommend someone for you.
Try to stay away from surgery, because the odds are high that your voice will change after surgery. Vocal therapy, sometimes steroid injections, and vocal rest will usually do the trick. Stay hydrated, with water, and remember to stay quiet as much as possible. Especially before a show---
What type of music do you sing?
If you have heard of Avenged Sevenfold, as proof this can happen, he ripped his vocal cords by screaming hard enough in what it is most widely known as "screamo"
Also..
Have you had your wisdom teeth taken a look at? you may still have them and an infection is causing your throat to maybe be sore or swell.. and crack.
Smoking is very hard on the vocal cords, especially in singers. Rock singers who actually scream during a number can damage the vocal cords over time. Both will cause a cracking voice. Allergies to milk products will cause this problem, and also Thyroid disorders may cause changes in voice, especially if the voice is getting deeper, cracking, or you are having problems with swallowing. If this persists, have the doc run some Thyroid tests (including an ultrasound), have a scope done of the throat to see if any lesions are on the vocal cords, and try to rest the voice just in case it is simply an overuse problem. good luck