Just had my tonsils and adenoids out on Friday!

[Snax]

Hey friends. sorry I haven't posted much recently but I've been really busy making lures. As some of you know I had my tonsils and adenoids out a couple of days ago and the surgeon told me they were the largest he's ever removed!!! It's a wonder I learned to sing as well as I did with such a huge obstruction. I still have another surgery coming up in April to correct a severely deviated septum. After I've healed up I can hardly wait to slowly build up my new and improved voice! I can't believe the difference in how much more space there is in my throat now! All these years it was like I was breathing through a straw compared to now. I just turned 40 on monday too so the next 40 years should be much more enjoyable as far as breathing and sleeping are concerned.

I'll post some vocal clips once I'm able and we'll see how they compare to the ones I did not long ago before my surgery.

Talk soon buds.

[chele1000]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! WOW....that's a major deal. How long will it take to heal?

[Snax]

I'm guessing around 6 weeks of recovery but that will depend on how well I treat myself during that time. Got to make sure I drink tons of water which is something I try and do anyway. So far though I'm doing very well and surprisingly there's no pain other than some minor discomfort when I swallow. Hope it stays this easy! ;)

[Steven Fraser]

I'm guessing around 6 weeks of recovery but that will depend on how well I treat myself during that time. Got to make sure I drink tons of water which is something I try and do anyway. So far though I'm doing very well and surprisingly there's no pain other than some minor discomfort when I swallow. Hope it stays this easy!

Snax: 6 weeks is about right.

You do not have to wait to begin to familiarize yourself with the new situation. Gentle lip trills, buzzes and humming are fine with a neutral throat position... just don't try to stretch the throat tissues any more than your doctor has recommended.

A bit on what to expect when you do resume singing: Removal of tonsils will create a greater sense of space where they used to be, and there has been a change in dimension of your vocal tract there. This will subtly change your vocal tract resonances, likely toward a little darker sound. However, your sense of the difference will be greater than the actuality. Don't obsess about it. Once you have resumed singing, you will adjust to your new situation just fine, and soon it will feel familiar and normal again.

Your deviated septum operation will likely make difference in the sensations of 'head resonance'. Once the stuffiness subsides, you may notice hightened awareness of these... that they are stronger, and in different places than previously. Remember, though.... these senations are feed-back telling you about laryngeal and vocal tract actions, so while the 'head resonance' may feel strangely different, on its own it will not cause your voice to sound differently.

Here is another way of putting it: The nasal surgery will likely highten the sensitivity and awareness of these vibrations, giving you more sensitive feedback in this area, perhaps more nuances of sensation, a better indicator of the high frequency components of your voice.

Let us know how things are going.

[Snax]

Thanks for the response Steven. I have been doing some light humming and lip bubbles and so far so good. I can really feel the "openness" in my throat which I must say feels 100 times better than before my surgery. No more restriction when sliding through my passagio. This will only help in my expressiveness once the muscle memory takes over and I no longer need as much focus on what I'm doing. Man I'm excited to play with my new voice!:D

[David]

Glad to hear everything is good...

I'd love to hear the comparison when you can..

dr.

[Joanna]

more good wishes for your happy recovery!

Once again Steve has pretty much nailed the acoustic & perception changes to expect.

When your doctor says that stretching exercises ARE safe (sutures out, wounds well-closed), the gentlest one I know is to keep teeth lightly touching, elongate the back of neck, and start a yawn with inhalation but WITHOUT letting back teeth separate. This goes pretty deep into posterior throat. Relax on the exhale. Then (#2) invite the nasal area to widen out by doing a deep/silent inhalation with image of your favorite bakery-oven smell. The quieter the in-breath, the more the back-of-nose area has dilated. Relax on exhale. Go back & forth between these two exercises a few times, here & there through the day, not forcing anything & not to the point of pain, just inviting passageways to open and cells to "line up" rather than form deep scar.

Other indirect health boosters: Before or after your light vocalizing, add some gentle chin-circles, and massage under & behind the jaw, to stimulate lymph "clearance." Take 2-3 times your normal amount of vitamin C, for general support to rebuilding-and-waste-clearing processes. And although you're probably doing a lot of popsicles & sherbet right now: when the immediate pain is down & you can tolerate hot beverages, alternate them with the bites of cold.

just suggestions ... ask your MD & trust your instincts... hope everything continues to go well.

Joanna

[Snax]

Thanks so much for the exercises Joanna! Right now it is the removal of my adenoids that is causing me the most discomfort and is affecting my sleep. When I lie at certain angles I can't breathe through my nose and I wake up choking. no fun but it's just part of the healing so I'm dealing with it. I miss singing already though and look forward to building my new voice from scratch.

[Snax]

Hey gang, I decided to test out my voice after only 11 days post surgery. I'm singing a really tough one too! The song is Jane by Jefferson Starship and is one I could never sing before. I'm still very rough and will only improve but let me know how I did anyway. Here's the track...

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffiles.me.com%2Fmuskysnax%2Faog9lu.mp3&h=f12e8627015167b83699d3cd499f73bd

[chuy67]

You know, I had this done when I was about 8 years old. These past ten years, I have always thought it was a bad thing to have that much space in my throat. But after reading this, I starting to think it is not that bad at all! Good luck with your new voice. I am almost positive your chest voice will have so much more resonance.

[chele1000]

A couple of rough spots but otherwise sounds GREAT! Can't wait to hear you when you're back in tip top shape. Just take it easy while recovering. That is a hard song!! Holy man......go for the gusto why don't you. lol

[johnnyD]

Hi Snax, thanks for sharing your experiences here. Can i ask a favour? Can you post an example of your voice before the operation? Im hoping to hear constriction in your head voice.

Cheers,

J