Husky / Hoarse voice

Hi Rhondda. 
yes even now at 33 months as the day goes on I notice especially if I’ve been busy talking my voice is drier. I find drinking water helps . Great news re pet ct scan and the latest check with camera. Mention to your consultant at next meeting or phone call just to put your mind at ease  lije you say when you wake voice is normal it’s as the day goes on it’s gets hoarse 

Hazel x

Unknown said:

but the back of the throat was scarred due to the treatment

Hi Rhondda

I think you have the answer there. I have scarring in my throat. I can see it with a torch but is further forward at the back of my tongue. 
Scar tissue is inflexible and I should imagine after you have been using the muscles round about all day your voice suffers 

Hi Rhondda,

Yes a hoarse or husky voice seems a fairly common effect of radiotherapy for oropharyngeal cancer. There are different causes, but principally it’s as a result of the radio damage to vocal cord area, but seems poorly understood and under reported. My voice began to be croaky about 3 months after treatment finished. In the 3 years since it has varied quite a bit. Sometimes husky, sometimes just weak and sometimes seems normal. Can’t sing like I could either, which I miss. I spoke to my Oncologist about it and she referred me for Speech therapy, but despite a lot of practice with exercises, I couldn’t get any improvement. It’s ok, just annoying when it’s bad, and for me always worse in the morning. They always say my vocal cords look normal when examined with camera. A friend who had the same treatment says her similarly croaky voice has fully recovered after about 2 years and she says singing all the time at home helped! So maybe mention to your team and see if something can be offered. It may well improve, and at only 8 months post-treatment lymphoedema might be contributing and should ease. So hang in there and good luck,

Hilary

Thank you Hazel. I’ve mentioned it at each telephone consultation but the professionals don’t seem overly concerned, although they tend to ring in the morning when it’s at its best. I’m not unduly concerned but was interested to see if others were also experiencing this and whether their voice had improved over time.

Carol x

Thank you Dani, it’s reassuring to hear that I’m not the only one with a husky voice. If I answer the phone late afternoon and during the evening I’ve even had my family querying if it’s actually me on the phone LOL. 

Carol x

Hi Hilary, yes my voice started to get hoarse at about the same point as yours. I am currently lucky enough to be seeing a Lymphoedema nurse to help with my “turkey gobbler neck” so yes I can appreciate that this might also be a contributing factor.

You made me smile when you mentioned the singing, I’m the same now and can’t  sing as it comes out all squeaky and croaky and sometimes nothing comes out at all. That though is a Godsend to my husband and family who for years have always told me that I sound dreadful when I sing and plead with me to stop, although to me I sound wonderful. But there’s more to this,  I joined the WRAF in 1973 as a telegraphist (Morse code operator) but struggled during the training to differentiate between the different tones (the dah’s and dit’s). I was subjected to various tests where it was confirmed I was actually tone deaf and as a result I had to re-train to a different trade. So not only was I tone deaf and I hasten to add from  the Land of Song but I’m probably one of the very few certified tone deaf Welsh singers. LOL 

Carol x