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1153642 tn?1266253989

Total Thyroidectomy - How long for voice recovery?

I'm having a Total Thyroidectomy next week for multinodular goiter and I've heard that your voice can be weak and whispery for awhile after even if you don't have vocal chord damage. I am a consultant and talking to people is my job...I'm planning on going back to work after 10 days and hopefully working from home on the phone prior to those 10 days.

Did you have voice issues after your TT? If so, how long did they last?

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Avatar universal
i had a Total Thyroidectomy at St. Lukes Global City Taguig City Philippines last June 9,2018.  Every morning when i wake up 5days after the surgery , my voice sound fuller but after noon time it became so raspy , my family had difficulty understanding what i am saying. I work in a call center and  the voice is important  aside from that i am a non professional singer. I started to feel upset because my friend who had this kind of surgery said it must go back after a day or two, it has been 9th day now and it still hasnt come back yet. Per my surgeon before the surgery he said it will come back as normal.  Its frustrating.
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Avatar universal
After my TT, upon waking my voice was perfectly normal, felt real groggy though.    
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Avatar universal
My voice has never returned to normal as I have a paralyzed vocal cord.  Most people think I sound normal but it takes an effortmtomspeak and start my voice.mmit took quite a while to be able to raise my voice. I did have speech therapy and also a steroid injection into the cord with no improvement. It's tolerable.
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Avatar universal
I had mine done three months ago for the same reason. I defiantly had a weaker voice and could tell I sounded different, but no one else could.  I think swelling had a lot to do with it.  Make sure you ice and really rest.  My doctor said a week off was mandatory, but two weeks was optimal.  Pushing it before it is ready won't help you heal faster.
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Avatar universal
Thats not necessarily true. I had a very experienced surgeon but still have vocal problems. Everything listed above including contraction of the muscles. Like any number of surgeries, physical therapy is required on a unique and individual basis, and the sooner after surgery the better. That doesnt mean physical therapy wont help everyone who has issues, but the results are best if you start early. This post will get you started, and dont under estimate stretching! It is essential in getting those anatomical parts back into correct orientation with each other, increasing blood/oxygen/nutrient flow, and proper mechanical movement.  Google this: Voice exercises after thyroid surgery;radumihai.info;Oxford Radcliffe Hospital
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Avatar universal
I had an total thyroidectomy on 2/10/2017.The moment i came out of surgery on completely woke up my voice was fine.I was even allowed to eat.As long as you do your homework on your surgeon you should be fine.


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Avatar universal
I went through TT 4 months ago.my doc said usually it takes around 4 weeks to get the voice back but my nodules were too big so more vocal nerves were damaged so I panicked coz my voice was bad even after three months of surgery and also my doc had asked me to practice saying 'eeeeeee' (long e :)) which helped really well.now my voice is perfect.I can sing.so in case ur voice is taking time ,don't panick.it's going to get back to normal.Just keep ur throat hydrated,drink a lot of water.yup...the throat needs regular hydration.b practice e ....n u can sing again.
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Avatar universal
I had a thyroidectomy a little over a year ago and I'm still rasping. I also can't raise my voice to a yell (the dog had to learn to respond to hand claps). My voice doesn't hurt at all, and when I first start talking,  my voice can sound normal. By the end of the first sentence or so I start going down by the octave and sounds raspy. It is better than it was,  and it may be getting better very slowly. It's better than thyroid cancer though, which was my alternative!
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Avatar universal
God bless you. I went to Riverside Methodist Hosptial in Columbus, Ohio and had a total thyroidectomy on May 7. My surgeon does approx 200 operations of this magnitude yearly, so he knows what he is doing. I rest my voice alots.

I have noticed tingling in my lips and numbness on the left side of my face. In the meanitme, my surgeon has increased my calcuim intake. Time will bring about healing, everything is a process, so trust God and allow Him to heal you.

Be blessed

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Avatar universal
I had two surgeries and I had a super surgeon.  I too, am a singer, it was very important to me to have a voice afterwards, so the head of the department did the surgery both times, I had NO problems!  I was singing the next day, lightly, but I could tell there was no damage.  Some people get hoarse or whispy for 3 weeks or so, but if your surgeon is good, you will be OK.  A good vocal exercise to start with is either lightly rolling your rrrr's on a pitch up and down, or using a bbbb sound with your lips doing the same thing.  I am also a voice teacher, my speech therapist that I saw prior to surgery agreed that those were good exercises to strengthen before and after surgery.  Good luck...
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168348 tn?1379357075
It can be fine right away ... at least I think so ?

The first thing they had me do when I woke up was recite the alphabet .. I was 1/2 asleep .. but they wanted to ascertain no vocal chord damage ASAP "on the table" it seemed!

C~
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1027416 tn?1252355428
After my TT my voice was really weak and raspy for about a week then each day it got stronger, I'm 5 months post-op and I would say that its almost back to normal, I still can't yell very loud much to the delight of my husband and kids, LOL!!  Best of luck with your surgery, you'll do great!!
Helpful - 0
929504 tn?1332585934
The mistake that most people make is: using the voice too much after surgery. Try not to talk alot for a couple of days and that is a plus. My voice became very weak after 3 - 4 days because i was talking too much because i thought that i could. Also, drink warm liquids as well. My voice was full force again after about a month, but everyone is different and it depends on you! God Bless You on your surgery and everything will go well...
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
First off, good luck, I had a partial removal (left lobe) Its not too bad really. You will probably have some voice issues. One, make sure the surgeon knows what he or she is doing. The laryngeal nerve is everything. Tell them you sing part time or something so they know your voice is critical. Next, when the anesthesiologist puts a breathing tube down your throat, it will probably paralyze your vocal chords. This is temporary.

After surgery, don't clear your throat if you can help it. Drink a ton of fluids hydration is everything. Try not to talk too much a few days after the surgery. I did real light humming to try to get the chords moving. You will probably feel like your voice is messed up, but its just the chords not vibrating like they should because of the trauma from the tube.

Keep doing the humming and working the chords lightly. They will eventually sync up and vibrate again like they should.

FYI - This can take months, so be patient. I sing non professionally and it took me 2 months to get back to pretty good. My surgeon does 3 of these surgeries a week, so he was good.

Let me know if you have any other questions. Sorry to ramble.

Fuel
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