Voice affectations after thyroidectomy

Are there any singers out there who have had a thyroidectomy? How has it affected your singing voice and speaking voice? Please rate the change on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most significant negative change.

Have you lost any range and how much? Is your loss permanent or temporary?

Thank you.
Julia

Hello! I am not a singer, neither is my cousin who had thyroidectomy performed a couple of months ago. I just remember that her voice was hoarse for some time after the surgery. She said that this is because of damage to some nerve that was close to the thyroid. I remember that she was worried that it would stay like that but it didn’t. Her voice is normal now.

I have TT Dec 2005 and still cannot extend my voice or sing. Every case if different. I had no damage to my vocal cords, but still can't even screem. Don't have an real answer from any of my Dr.

It has been over 3 weeks since my partial throidectomy. My voice is very high pitched and weak. My surgeon is Harvard Educated and does hundreds of these suregeries every year. I go on television to sell products which I can't do now. Any suggestions or input!

I had my surgery on 8-14-06 every thing was fine doc said it was a dry surgery and no tube was needed and i went home the next day,, by that friday i felt good enough to venture out and do a few errands, by the end of the eve my neck was in pain... the next morning i went to the ER because of swelling ...my surgeons resident was on staff said every thing was fine and sent me home with a cold compress. One hour later i was back at the ER with a bulge the lentgh of my scar 2inchs and about a inch thick off the skin this time the surgeons associate and res. saw me, he thought it was a fluid build up just underneath the skin , but when he got in there to drain with a suringe found out it was a hematoma and so i had to have it surgically cleaned and fixed up by opening up the exact same site(so much for scars) with drainage tube for about a day(messy)...sent me home again after removing tube....its been four days since that happen but i cant tell if it swelling or another hematoma...Im a pro- singer and can get a note,but all my body pain is gone its a catch 22 situation

I'm going into my 8 month post operative thyroidectomy and I still can't extend my voice or sing. On a scale of 1-10, I'm really below a 0. I actually talk the word, can't hold a tune any more. It has been very distrubing because I am also a public speaker and can't speak for extendeds period of time.

I am a classicly trained singer with follicular and papillary cancer. In 2000, I had a thyroidectomy and also some injury to my parathyroid. I had pain and weakness when singing for the first year after surgery so I stopped singing for about two years. I am now in two choirs and taking voice lessons. I find that when I sing correctly, I do not have pain but that I have weakness when my voice is tired. I make sure that I warm-up before the "warm-ups" when I sing, so now I can sing for two hours at a time. My range is still really good but I sometimes have a hard time with volume where my head and chest voice meet...voice lessons are helping with that.

Julia wrote:

Are there any singers out there who have had a thyroidectomy? How has it affected your singing voice and speaking voice? Please rate the change on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most significant negative change. Have you lost any range and how much? Is your loss permanent or temporary? Thank you. Julia

I am a soprano and I had a total thyroidectomy about 3 1/2 weeks ago. I rate my scale a 1. I tried to sing a few days later and of course it was pretty discouraging. I couldn't even lift my head up all the way let alone sing, though it wasn't a huge suprise. About a week and a half after the surgery, I knew I still wouldn't be able to give it my best because I was so stiff, so I tried lightly testing my range on some staccatto notes and had success with that. Three weeks after the surgery I was singing normally again, full range and all.
My recommendation to you is to find a surgeon who will be equally as concerned with your voice as you are. Really stress it as a concern. My surgeon was great and did his best to avoid the vocal cord nerves and any other dammage. Even to the point where he took the chance of the thyroid nodule being benign just to avoid a nerve.
I would also give yourself AT LEAST a week and a half before lightly testing your range to avoid discouragement because it will be hard to talk let alone sing directly after the surgery. You might end up just straining yourself if you try to sing too soon. Everyone heals differently, after all. Hope this helps

Julia wrote:

Are there any singers out there who have had a thyroidectomy? How has it affected your singing voice and speaking voice? Please rate the change on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most significant negative change. Have you lost any range and how much? Is your loss permanent or temporary? Thank you. Julia

I've just had a total thyroidectomy 1 week ago. My voice post surgery is husky and breathy. My doctor said it should go back to normal but I am really frustrated. I speak in mono tone. Can't do a higher pitch, much less sing a song. I know each individual has different recovery period but if someone can just give me their experience about this voice change, I'd really appreciate it.