My voice
Posted on: Sat, 01/03/2008 - 17:41
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My voice
I was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma Stage 2 in December and am currently undergoing my third cycle of ChlVPP chemotherapy. I had a persistent cough last summer and lost my voice in November when I became ill. I have had tests that show no anotomical reason for my lack of voice and the doctors think it is probably caused by swellings in the lymph glands pressing on the nerve that supplies the vocal folds. Has anyone else had this problem and did their voice come back? If so how long did it take? My doctors said it would probably come back with the treatment but so far it has not.
Ross,
Some of my caners sites included neck,lympth glands, mouth and tongue and like you I suffered for quite a time prior to diagnosis with dry cough together with a sensation of an obstruction in my throat - but my voice remained fine.
It was only after commencing Chemo that I lost my voice - well it was either non existent or so faint that nobody could really hear it anyway - in my case (different from yours I know)after hundreds of hours of Chemo + extensive Radiotherapy my left vocal chord was destroyed HOWEVER my other vocal chord despite being attacked by secondary cancer has in fact developed and I now have a very strong if somewhat "harsh Lee Marvin" voice.
My ENT consultant explained to me when I had no voice that providing one vocal chord is OK speech ability will always remain - I did try always to sound my speech but it took around four to six months for me to regain a loud and robust voice that people could readily hear - and it came back almost as suddenly as I had lost it and now sometimes (for five or ten minutes at a time) even returns to being of normal sound and volume which my Consultant also tells me might return.
The one tip is of course to ensure that you drink plenty of water all the time and if you have any trouble producing saliva ensure that you use an artificial saliva spray - who knows when your voice returns you might become an opera singer!
All the best ,
Matt
Matt J Embleton
Hi
how u now?
Ive just lost my 19 year old son to b cell lymphoma...
His voice kept comimg and going in the last couple of months..
i just like to see how ppl with nhl are doing...
take care love triciax
Hi Tricia: I'm so sorry that cancer has taken the life of your 19 year old son. I know you must miss him terribly. My husband was diagnosed March of 2008 (Easter morning to be exact) with acute lymphoblastic Mantle Cell Lymphoma, after having had a silent heart attack the same day. He battled for six months, with the belief that he was going to beat this stuff. His heart grew too weak to withstand the treatment, and he passed away October 5, 2008. As hard as it is to lose a loved one, it was harder for me to watch him go through what he was; and he was doing really well for 6 months. He'd never been sick in his life and this came on him at age 67 -- shortly after retirement. I celebrated being a 7 year uterine cancer survivor on October 1st and he passed away on October 5th. I know that he is completely healed and whole and in Heaven -- my source of peace.. My Best Always, Nancee Seifert at iggy29@grm.net