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voice change after 5 months

I am a singer.  I've been to thyroid surgery.  My voice never changed after that but after 5 months I suddenly got hoarse voice.  The doctor gave me some medicines to take but my voice did not back to normal.  I can't sing the songs that I've sing before.  It's too high for me.  It's been 1 week now since I have this problem.  Is this something to do with the operation or not?  Please give me some advice.  I really need to have my voice back.  
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it's your Adam's apple
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Avatar universal
In the 1980s I slowly grew a thyroid cyst which was not detected for quite a time, until I started seeing a bulge on the left side of my neck accompanied by a feeling of pressure in my esophagus and a significant loss of a whole octave of my upper soprano singing range.  The presence of a tumor was confirmed by ultrasound and surgery was scheduled in 1986.  What was expected to be a one hour procedure became two hours when it was discovered that  the tumor was much larger than detectable because most of it was hiding behind the sternum where radiation could not see it.  I emerged from surgery with a weak bass range speaking voice.

I referred myself to a voice therapist who was also an experienced professional singer, and over the course of 4 years of treatment, two or three sessions per week made great improvement in my voice.  

I was never able to return to professional solo singing, but was able to return to voice teaching and classroom lecturing, and singing in choirs.  My voice students who had worked with me before and after my surgery and therapy said my teaching was "better than ever".  I did have the advantage of having studied vocal pedagogy based in anatomy and physiology of the voice, which helped me to understand my medical issue.

Now 30 years later, and still taking levothyroxine thyroid replacement hormone, am wondering as I approach age 80 how much the thyroidectomy  and thyroid hormone replacement might be affecting my voice. My vibrato is my main concern now.  I have gradually moved from singing second soprano to first alto in choirs, but am concerned about too much vibrato. It is a a little too fast and intense, and stands out to my ears in choirs dominated by untrained, straight tone singers.

I have discovered through experience that daily singing is ESSENTIAL to maintaining my voice.  I would be interested to hear from others about vibrato and aging combined with thyroid replacement therapy.
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
You've attached to a very old thread... Marie478 has not been active on the forum since she posted this thread over 4 yrs ago, so we don't know how she turned out.  Hopefully, with time, everything was resolved.

Often, when we have acid reflux, particularly, GERD it's not because we have too much acid, it's because we don't have enough.  I took very strong acid reducer (Aciphex) for years and had 2 surgeries on my vocal cords... Someone finally suggested that I try drinking dill pickle juice or vinegar water to add acid, rather than trying to get rid of it... it took that and getting my thyroid hormone levels where I needed them to get rid of my reflux.  I no longer take anything for it.

Are you on a thyroid hormone replacement medication?
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Avatar universal
I have LPR (laryngo-pharyngeal reflux).  Similar to GERD as MANmom referenced, only this (in my case) is silent (I had no idea I was refluxing as I have NO acidity AFAIK, but the proof is in the pudding)

I'm a work in progress.  Prilosec is just making me tired.  My vocal cords hurt just sitting here.  Sigh!
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Wondering how you are now?  I, too, am a singer, and I've had vocal problems that resolved with T3 (not synthroid).  However, they've started again recently.  I have appt with ENT and wondering what finally helped you.  I'm a soprano, but I just won't sing because I don't sound good to me, and my voice cracks like a teenaged boy's (higher range thought) and it seems I have to force to get sound out.
Talking sounds weird to me, too. Feels almost like partial laryngitis, so, at minimum, I believe my vocal cords must be swollen because they aren't vibrating correctly.
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Good luck, as a singer, I know the frustration...
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Thank you very much for the information.  I went to the ENT doctor today.  He's the one who made the surgery.  He said it's not something to do with my operation.  He check my throat and said it's just an infection.  My throat is red.  Last week he gave me medicine and still my voice is not normal.  Today he gave me a strong medicine and asked me to come back next week if it works.  I don't cough after eating.  My sleep is just normal.  I will observe if there's any development after taking this set of medicine that the doctor gave me.  Thank you very much for your time answering my questions.  
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Avatar universal
Gastro Esophogeal Reflux Disorder, essentially your stomach acid comes up your esophagus causing coughing, hoarseness and sometimes cancer if it is not checked.  You should have a Ear, Nose, Throat doctor check your vocal chords. They can place a scope down your nasal passage and into your throat...it isn't pleasant, but they can see if your chords or your throat  are being irritated.   If you are not on the correct medication for the thyroid, your voice will be tired.  If you have GERD, you could have damage or irritation of the vocal chords.  Do you cough after you eat?  Do you have trouble sleeping because of acid indigestion?  Get checked out, it may be treatable.
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Avatar universal
It's thyroidectomy.  I had hypothyroidism before.  The doctor decided to have surgery coz it's getting bigger.  What is GERD? I'm really worried.  I can't sing the high part of the song.  It's like broken voice.  Please reply back. Thanks for your time.
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Avatar universal
What did you have done?  Thyroidectomy?  Lobectomy?  If everything was OK after the surgery, I would look at other things.  I also am a singer, after my thyroidectomy my voice was better.  If you have no thyroid, check on GERD...it could be that.  Also have them use a scope to check your vocal chords, it could be not related at all to the thyroid.
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