Your Voice, Your Choice, Part 4

By Abby White

SURGERY AND MEDICATIONS
Unless a physician’s evaluation reveals a serious diagnosis, such as cancer of the larynx or another condition that would not be improved by behavioral voice therapy, surgery should only be considered after the patient has consulted with an otolaryngologist who is a voice specialist and with a speech therapist who specializes in the singing voice. According to Watts, “The decision for surgery is dependent upon the etiology of the voice disorder”; in other words, what has caused the disorder to occur. Along with the other medical professionals I spoke with, Watts said that voice therapy should always be the initial treatment method. While the surgical removal of lesions such as polyps, nodules or cysts can be effective, there are many risks associated with a surgical procedure. Scarring may occur post-surgery and can cause irregular vibrations of the vocal fold, which becomes stiff as a result of the scarring. This leads to problems with vocal fold closure, which leads to hoarseness and breathiness. Other possible complications resulting from surgery include injury to the larynx, bleeding and infection and, in some cases, reoccurrence of the lesion. In addition, surgery for vocal nodules should never be used as a quick f x. If the patient is suffering from nodules, he should seek supervision and therapy, and learn proper vocal techniques rather than resorting to surgery, which could inflict irreversible damage. “Although surgery is much more successful for these problems than in the past,” Dr. Hooper comments, “It is always easier, cheaper and safer to prevent them in the first place.”

In 1997, Julie Andrews, who began having problems with her voice during the Broadway run of Victor/Victoria, had benign nodules removed from her vocal cords and discovered upon recovery that she had lost control of her famous four-octave voice. Andrews sued the court in 2000. While she has yet to regain her pre-surgery vocal quality, Andrews has done limited singing on TV specials and other brief appearances.

Rod Stewart underwent surgery in 2000 to remove a nodule from his thyroid. The growth turned out to be non-cancerous and Stewart’s voice was not adversely affected by the procedure. Louis Armstrong, another singer with a famously rough voice, reportedly experienced problems with his vocal cords that required surgery. Elton John underwent surgery in 1986, and while he now tends to perform in a lower register, he has committed to an impressive performance schedule since the procedure.

If you do opt for surgery, be sure to consult your doctor to find out how long you should rest your voice after the operation for optimal recovery. In 1975, Neil Young had vocal surgery and had to bow out early on his subsequent tour with Stephen Stills—even Neil needs to take a break from rockin’ in the free world every once and awhile.

Bottom line: Surgery for the voice is not guaranteed to return the voice to optimum quality and can actually make the condition worse. Make sure you know the risks involved before you even consider it.

IN CLOSING
We’ve covered some pretty frightening stuff , so I’d like to stress the fact that vocal disorders are not uncommon. Even the most famous singers in the world succumb to them. Last year, Sting canceled the bulk of his European tour because of an ongoing battle with laryngitis. “This is a bitter blow for me,” he said. “It is a terrible beginning for the U. K. tour to be in my hometown and not be able to sing.”

Most singers are going to get hoarse every once in awhile. We just want you to be aware of the different types of vocal disorders and the ways in which you can prevent experiencing them. And if you choose to ignore that “prevention is the best medicine” mantra and partake in behavior that is detrimental to your voice, at least adopt some healthy habits to combat the bad ones. If you think you may be suffering from a vocal disorder, it’s important to identify the problem accurately before you permanently damage your voice.

And unless you’re one of those rock stars who regularly destroys your instrument onstage, you probably treat your guitar, drumset or flugelhorn with as much care as your mother’s china. Since you wouldn’t dare leave your guitar out in the rain, remember to treat your voice with the same respect, attention and care that you would give to any other instrument. It’s the only one you can’t replace.