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ENT examination trauma?
I had started tiring after 1/2-1 hour of singing, so went to consult an ENT specialist, who told me I had bilateral singer's nodules. 1 week later, he said 1 of them had shrunk, and another 2 weeks later, he said that both of them had shrunk.
Here I want to mention that the examination procedure was to depress my tongue, and ask me to say EE very loudly, which was quite traumatic, especially on the 3rd examination which an assistant conducted.
When even 3 months of voice rest etc,instead of improving it became worse because previously I used to tire on singing but could speak endlessly, now speaking 3 minutes on the phone makes my voice hoarse.
So i went to another doc who examined me in a less traumatic way through the nose, and said I have SULCUS VOCALIS (some part of the vocal cords peeled off)
My question is: Could the 3 traumatic initial examinations have precipitated the damage to the vocal cords ?
I would be very grateful for an informed answer.
Thank you Peter. I was actually told it is a sort of furrow, which I misinterpreted as peeling.
Earlier I could sing for 3/4 hr before vocal cords gave up, but could speak tirelessly. After I emerged from voice rest , the paradox is that I can sing moderately for 1/2 an hour but can't speak for 5 minutes. The doc of course says that examination can't be responsible, but can you explain why the pattern changed if not due to the exams ?
I agree that long term strain of singing is why I a problem occurred, but why can i sing now but not speak after what to me were traumatic examinations, even though they were short term ? Surely this pattern suggests that the additional traumas were the straws that broke the camel's back ?
1 Answer
- Peter HLv 77 years agoFavorite Answer
I think you need to have another chat with your second doctor, and to take a pen and paper to write it all down. I'm sure he/she did not tell you that sulcus vocalis involves peeling off part of the vocal cords, because that is not what happens. The sulcus (groove) represents tethering of the membrane to the underlying vocal cord, not loosening.
There are various causes of sulcus vocalis, which your doctor can explain to you. What he and I will almost certainly agree on is that it represents long-term trauma to the cords rather than one-off episodes. Indeed, I suggest that the initial examinations were distressing but not traumatic. It is incredibly unlikely that the examinations as described could have injured the cords in any way.
