15 weeks post surgery

It’s been 15 weeks since my SLAD/R surgery.   

I still have a weird sort a voice, to me it sounds a bit scratchy or raspy.   

I had a recheck appointment with Dr. Damrose at Stanford University yesterday, he assured me that I am doing great.  He said the Reinnervation will not occur until I am about 9-months post surgery.  When the nerves are cut what you get over the months is much like a Botox treatment, some people get really breathy, others go through the various stages of a high and low pitched voice.  Then once the Reinnervation begins to happen things will level out and the real changes will come about.  For me this will be in March.

I definitely have more volume but not a lot, I still use my voice amplifier when I teach and it seems that my voice gets tired if I try to talk loud for very long, with the amplifier I can talk softer and the sound is projected to the entire classroom.   

Even with the kind of voice I have, it is still better than what I experienced long term with Botox.   

I have been drinking water at times without a straw, it is rare that I choke anymore, though I still keep the main cup I drink out of as one with a built in straw.   

I have noticed that if I am tired or if I have a lack of sleep my voice is weak.  In a perfect world I’d have a great night of sleep every night, but I doubt it will happen every single day.  This is just an observation.