Vocal chord damage in thyroidectomy

[Peppermint20]

Hi all, I had a total Thyroidectomy 2 days ago which was a difficult op. My thyroid had grown so large it was pressing on my larynx, growing downwards to my chest, and growing round the back of my oesophagus. In previous surgery for breast cancer 2 years ago they were unable to get the breathing tube down my throat which had highlighted the seriousness and I then pursued the options to deal with it. Had been seeing an Endo for 10 years before this for autoimmune thyroiditis, the swelling in my neck had continuously grown but he was never concerned about it as ultrasound had shown benign multinodular goitre. I asked to be referred to a surgeon to talk it through and here we are. I was very confident in my experienced surgeon (she had been recommended to me) and I know she did her best for me but due to the huge growth there were complications and my left vocal chord has been damaged and is not working at all at the moment. I had a camera up the nose and down yesterday morning and it was fascinating to see the chords - the right one is compensating for the left and doing all the work so I have a weak, hoarse voice at present. There will be a referral to Speech Therapy and my surgeon has arranged for me to see an ENT Consultant on Tuesday who may be able to do a new procedure whereby the vocal chord is injected to support it, obviously I need to find out more about it but suffice to say my lovely surgeon is doing everything she can to support me and explore options.

I feel really annoyed that I wasn’t referred earlier for this surgery, when it would have been smaller and easier to remove. If I hadn’t pushed for it myself it would never have happened. I accept there are risks with surgery but I dread to think what would have happened if my thyroid had continued to grow, the risks would have been greater I feel.

We are not giving up hope that my vocal chord may recover, but I have to accept that I may be in the unlucky 1% of people for whom damage is permanent. I can still talk, just more quietly, so all is not lost - and some people might be grateful for that!😉

Sorry for the essay here but just wondered if anyone else had experienced the same and could share progress and some positivity, as I’m in the post-op slump and feeling and bit rough and low. Many thanks.

[humanbean]

I'm sorry to hear that you were not taken seriously soon enough and it has left you with voice damage.

I found this document on the subject :

patientinfolibrary.royalmar...

and on page 4 it does talk about the voice and how quickly it might recover, or if it might recover.

I thought this link looked informative too :

topdoctors.co.uk/medical-ar...

[Peppermint20 in reply to humanbean]

Thank you so much, I will take some time to read these articles.

[Lily905]

I'm sorry about your unnecessary suffering. When my thyroid was totally removed I had a very deep voice for months. I read on here about singing to get my vocal range back. I've never been able to sing - so I was singing along to songs at home by myself which were in the low base range which was all I had. My voice got stronger. Then I bought a book on vocal exercises for singers, tried them & my voice returned. It took about 6 months from the op. I know what happened to you is completely different to me. It may be worth asking one of your specialists about vocal exercises for singers. Best Wishes

[Peppermint20 in reply to Lily905]

Thank you. I get the impression recovery is slow for all after this op but with damage to chord as well it could take even longer. I guess speech therapy will teach me some of those exercises. I’m finding it quite frustrating at the moment as I have no strength in my voice at all so talking on the phone is difficult, and I went out for coffee with a friend yesterday but struggled in that environment - I had to ask her to sit right next to me as I couldn’t talk across the table. I have two very lively young grandchildren who I love being with but goodness knows how I’m going to cope when I can’t raise my voice! We’ll have to work out a new system to get their attention!

[Lily905 in reply to Peppermint20]

I was vocal chords are muscles so you can slowly build them back up. I know exactly what you mean about having no strength or volume in your voice. Face to face or on the phone people telling you to speak up because they can't hear & it's impossible because you Are speaking as loud as you can! Your voice will get stronger but unfortunately it will take a few months. Luckily speech therapy will fast track you. Best Wishes

[molrom]

It took quite some time for my voice to recover following a TT, but it did come back. For a few months I had to really limit the talking. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

[Peppermint20 in reply to molrom]

Thank you, it’s good to know that what I’m experiencing is the norm. The hospital have now given me a date for the op to have the injection. I’m a bit unsure about it but it sounds as if it’s quite successful for most people with damage to their vocal cord, although it’s only a temporary fix. I think I’m just feeling a bit risk averse at the moment as the risk of damage in the TT op is extremely low but it has unfortunately happened to me.