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My vocal is still not 100% after 15 days

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DennisDo

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Hi everyone,

I'm getting a little worried about my voice. I was talking to someone today and my voice suddenly cracked (like going through puberty sort of thing).

15 days prior, I was playing a sport and I shouted, which accounts for my loss of voice for the next few days. I did give it a rest for about 4-5 days. Then I continued doing my daily vocal training since my voice seemed good enough.

I notice when I do the staccato with a "m", the higher notes sounds scratchy. My throat does sting a little bit whenever I sing as well.

Not sure if it's anything serious but 15 days has been a while to not have my vocal cords 100%, is it not?

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Hi sep, thanks for getting back to me.

I did a quick singing just now and I don't know how to describe it other than it being breathy and very hard to hit my usual notes. I also tried what you told me and I felt a slight sting again inside my neck. Not sure if this is bad or just a case for me to rest my vocals.

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15 days prior, I was playing a sport and I shouted, which accounts for my loss of voice for the next few days. I did give it a rest for about 4-5 days. Then I continued doing my daily vocal training since my voice seemed good enough.

You only rested for 5 days and went right back into your normal vocal workouts, but your voice has obviously not recovered yet. If you continue normal vocal workouts it can delay recovery. If you can, lay off your voice for a couple days at a time, (reduce speaking as well) then do a short easy vocal test to see if it is ready. If not, repeat rest cycle. Many of us have experienced what you're going through. It's scary, but your voice will come back. It always comes back, but you have to give it time.

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I injured myself, twice, because I was an idiot, twice. Each time, it was two weeks before I did anything. And at least, the second time, after another two weeks, I started with falsetto descending slides, no more than 10 minutes at a time, about twice a day, for at least another week. Then, after that, I resolved not to do the stupid thing I had done.

Been fine, ever since.

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Yep, this is a lesson well learned for me. My note still feels hard to reach today so I guess more focusing on my breathing work will do for now.

Hopefully my voice fully recover in a week, I miss singing :( Feels like I lost my identity without it.

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see a doctor, but probably humming and practicing a lot of voicing through a straw while practicing sirens, crescendo/decrescendos and belly accents (on the straw), for a few weeks, would be in most cases even better as therapy than resting, at least that's what ingo titze and katherine verdolini say on their book vocology :)

Agreed, but I think the importance of prolonged uninterrupted rest, and visualization of healing and the muscle memory of being in good voice, should be emphasized more. When I blew out my voice recently from screaming at a concert, those two things seemed to help my recovery a lot more than vocalizing.

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Hmm, are you guys suggesting that I should do light vocalizing to keep my vocal muscles in check, or keep resting? I was told that vocalizing in my comfortable range will help with the swelling. And I did a singing test practice today and unfortunately my higher note still sounds breathy/airy :(

Also, once in a while if I drink water, I'll feel a slight sting. Is that normal?

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im guessing the sting just means your vocal chords are sore/hurt. as for the higher note maybe don't sing that high? might be even better to not sing at all to prevent further damage or at the least so you dont increase the time you need to delay full on singing.

but im not at an expert at ent or singing stuff, but thats what im guessing.

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Hmm, are you guys suggesting that I should do light vocalizing to keep my vocal muscles in check, or keep resting? I was told that vocalizing in my comfortable range will help with the swelling. And I did a singing test practice today and unfortunately my higher note still sounds breathy/airy :(

Also, once in a while if I drink water, I'll feel a slight sting. Is that normal?

You want to do BOTH.

Find a balance. Try 15 minutes light vocalizing a day, and speaking as infrequently and healthily as possible.

And I don't know if this really makes a difference, but when I hurt myself I would do some light vocalizing into a straw immediately before bed and I'd make sure that would be my last vocalizing of the day. The idea I had was that if I reinforce healthy technique before bed it will stick better and somehow that will help me heal faster...I have no idea if there's any science to back that up, it just felt like the right thing to do.

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Hmm, are you guys suggesting that I should do light vocalizing to keep my vocal muscles in check, or keep resting? I was told that vocalizing in my comfortable range will help with the swelling. And I did a singing test practice today and unfortunately my higher note still sounds breathy/airy :(

Also, once in a while if I drink water, I'll feel a slight sting. Is that normal?

No, stinging when drinking water is not normal. That's kind of strange. It really depends on your injury, but compete vocal rest is not a bad idea either. Some nice hot herbal tea never hurts.

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The reason why I haven't drank tea or taken honey is because I heard it was all a myth in regards to it not affecting the vocal fold directly.

If I'm correct, we digest liquid/food that goes through a different hole where the vocal cord isn't located. How does drinking tea/honey be beneficial? Just curious if this is really a myth.

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The reason why I haven't drank tea or taken honey is because I heard it was all a myth in regards to it not affecting the vocal fold directly.

If I'm correct, we digest liquid/food that goes through a different hole where the vocal cord isn't located. How does drinking tea/honey be beneficial? Just curious if this is really a myth.

You are correct. There is some benefit but I don't think so in your case.

It indeed doesn't pass through the vocal folds but it does pass through the pharynx which is also highly involved in singing.

So I think that means the honey/tea stuff is more helpful for alleviating a sore throat. If what you're experiencing now is purely a vocal fold function issue then yes, the idea that those things are still going to help somehow is probably a myth.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Helping the vocal folds is a myth. The point of the honey, particularly manuka, is that it disinfects the pharyngeal region to avoid infection. Tea, however, I don't see as beneficial, except that it's a fluid that will eventually reach the vocal folds for hydration and it tastes better with the honey.

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What about steamers? Do you think that has any effect in helping the vocal cords?

Currently almost a month and although my voice has definitely improved since the last time I've made this thread, my falsetto voice is still scratchy/airy. Does it usually take this long to fully heal?

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I don't think it should take that long.

Have you been vocalizing lightly for about 15 minutes a day?

The things that I think would slow down the healing are 1. so much rest that you lose muscle memory (this is just as bad as just deciding to stop practicing for a month - of course you'll be rusty and have a scratchy falsetto - although you will probably physically heal fastest from this, your vocal ability will take longer to return) 2. too much vocalizing 3. vocalizing too heavy 4. vocalizing WAY too light 5. bad technique of any kind in your voice usage during the healing process

so make sure you aren't making those mistakes.

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I've been vocalizing about 45 minutes. Some days I just don't do anything and some day I just rest. My voice is still scratchy when doing the staccato m sound. This has been such a depressing month for me, if I don't recover in a week, I'll go to the ENT.

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I've been vocalizing about 45 minutes. Some days I just don't do anything and some day I just rest. My voice is still scratchy when doing the staccato m sound. This has been such a depressing month for me, if I don't recover in a week, I'll go to the ENT.

45 minutes a day is WAY too much time vocalizing if you are supposed to be resting and healing, especially if you don't break that up into segments. And alternating that with days of no vocalizing is not the greatest idea ever.

Try 15 minutes EVERY DAY for the next week.

But if this is only affecting one exercise you are probably mostly healed anyways?

I don't think you need to see an ENT but that's just me...I get the sense you are making a bigger deal of this than it is and that you are, in part, mistakenly blaming poor or rusty technique on not being fully healed, but of course it's impossible to know through text. If YOU feel you need to see the ENT, do it.

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Thanks for the suggestion Owen, I'll break it into segments then :) I've noticed that whenever I do vocal fry, my high notes go scratchy afterwards, so I'll lay off of that. If it doesn't heal after a week, ENT it is.

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Thanks for the suggestion Owen, I'll break it into segments then :) I've noticed that whenever I do vocal fry, my high notes go scratchy afterwards, so I'll lay off of that. If it doesn't heal after a week, ENT it is.

I think it would better to just do one 15 minutes vocalizing session per day though.

Yes, lay off any exercise that is causing problems

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  • 1 month later...

Hi guys, just wanted to update you all.

After waiting to find an ENT around my area (had to wait for a month!) The Dr told me today that I have no nodules burn still have inflammation. On medication atm.

Disheartening to say, I was told to lay off the vocalizing for a month. Really glad that some of you suggest I go see an ENT.

Thanks guys.

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