Voice Sample 10 Weeks SLAD/R

Time passes quickly!

It’s been 10 weeks since my SLAD/R surgery.   

I’m still dealing with this weird puberty type of voice.  It seems that it is high and it cracks at times.  Other times my voice is just tired and it sounds weak. 

I have also found that I’ve had some trouble drinking water, even though I use a straw it seems that I still choke.  I try to keep my chin down slightly and this helps, I am drinking much less water than I used to just because I worry about choking when I am at work and in public. 

I cannot raise my voice, though I can sing and that feels good!  I use my voice amplifier while I am at work and will be buying another to use at home this week, as the quality of the sound is so much better when I talk soft.   

My scar is healing up okay, it certainly doesn’t bother me to see it but I can still see the red line. 

 

 

Voice Sample 9 Weeks SLAD/R

The Puberty Stage

It’s been 9 weeks since my SLAD/R surgery.   

I’ve been hesitant to record anything or even write about my progress because I am going through the changing voice stage, a “puberty” type of change.  One hour my voice is high, the next hour it is deep, then it goes soft,  and then it is froggy sounding at some point.   

After having a good voice for so many weeks I’ve noticed that I have gotten very casual with my voice.  I forget that I do not have the capability at this point to produce much volume so I try and it just sounds awful (to me).  It is not a voice where there are spasms like I had pre-SLAD/R surgery, it is just a raspy or froggy sounding voice.  I haven’t liked this phase!  I find it strange how we get used to something so quickly, like my new voice, or adapting to having SD and dealing with it, and now I expect my voice to be perfect every single day.  It is not perfect. 

My best sound is still with my voice amplifier (microphone) that I use with teaching.  By using this I can talk really quiet and the sound is amplified and my voice is very smooth.  I do not use it at home though and when I leave campus I leave the amplifier.  

When I leave work, I will call out to people in the parking lot to say good-bye and they cannot hear me, my voice just cannot get any volume yet. 

On a good note, it is really nice to be able to sing in church.  I have only mouthed the words for years and now I really sing the songs.  I cannot sing any high notes and sound more like an alto, that’s okay though, it is so nice to sing!! 

I often take sips of water without a straw, I am fine doing this but it is still easy to choke so I use a straw for most of what I drink.