Please help - I keep loosing my voice.

[VorpalSword]

I could really do with some advice / wise words about this.

Every time I get a cold then I lose my voice completely. I don’t get a sore throat, my vocal cords just stop working. If I touch my throat there is no vibration there.

I had covid just before Christmas and it was 10 days before my voice came back. This time I have a cold, this is now day 3 of no voice.

I’m a teacher so need my voice. So far my voice loss is during the holidays but at some point it will happen when I am supposed to be working.

Is there anything I can do to stop this happening, do I need to see my gp?

I have seen my gp more in the last year than any other time, apart from pregnancy, as some blood tests for perimenopause showed up some funny results that are still being investigated so I’m reluctant to add more.

I am really getting fed up with this, and I am catastrophising in my head -what if one time my voice just doesn’t come back? Especially given my throat is not sore.

Hi @VorpalSword, glad you've had some progress. Donr be afraid to ring the SALT office and chase your appointment.

Today is a shit day. Mid week seems to be the worst time. I’m just totally fed up now and, irrationally, starting to feel my voice is gone forever.

So sorry to hear that. You're just not getting the right support yet. Really feel for you though.

Please get someone to ring salt and plead on your behalf for an opa soon. Dysphonia covers a massive range of problems from those who will have annoying hoarseness to someone like you who has little or no voice and is understandably struggling. You should be top of their list referral wise.

I'm sure you are googling but perhaps there is salt info and exercises on YouTube that may help.

I don't want to state the obvious but really focus on your wellbeing, lots of physical activity and online chatting to distract and medication for the short term if your mood is at rock bottom.

Just read your entire thread, OP, and feel so sorry for you.... can't advise any more than PPs but just offering a handhold x

Vorpal im so sorry. Any information from the British Voice Association website will be legit. Please please ring the SALT department and at least find out how long you might have to wait. At least know you're in the system. If you're not sure who you've been referred to, PM me.

I have got the referral details though with Hobbs Rehabilitation and I have just contacted them. Hopefully they will get back to me with an appointment soon.

Hope you get it soon @VorpalSword

I feel so miserable today. I say the very nice and lovely voice lady on Monday and she gave me exercises to do. Which were making a big difference and yesterday I woke up and could just speak as normal. It faded over the day - I might have talked too much in the thrill of actually being able to talk normally.

Today it has gone completely again. It just seems to always be a few step forward and then right back to where I started.

And I have come to the realisation I don’t actually have any friends. How sad is that?. Being 48 years old without a single friend! I have worked at my school for 6 years and thought that some there had moved from friendly colleagues to friends but have seen that is clearly not the case. I am just an inconvenience that is making everyone’s lives harder. That has been made very clear.

So sorry you are feeling down today op. Some initial success is positive though! maybe as you say it'll be one step forward and 2 back for now. Try and limit social speaking even if some improvement does make you want to chat (understandably so).

I'm sure your friends at school do think they are your friends. Sadly people often don't know what to do when someone is struggling so may back off in the hope others will step in. It is disappointing, people are so very fickle. Are there any voice disorder forums you could join and chat with others in a similar boat?

It’s been 7 weeks now and I’m giving up hope. I know this is minor in the grand scheme of things but I am really struggling.

i had thought that my colleagues were friends but it is really clear that isn’t the case. Not looking forward to going back when my voice finally does come back. My school don’t get external cover they just get other teachers to pick up the slack so me being off is a massive inconvenience for them - but I can’t help being ill. If I had a choice I world be in and teaching, I don’t want this in any way. I really think they believe I could be teaching without speaking and making a drama about not being able to.

Sorry for moaning. My wonderful husband has already heard all this and I don’t have anyone else.

It isn't minor. Communication is a basic part of everyday life, to have problems will massively affect your wellbeing. It'll be hard for others to grasp as they haven't experienced it but as a teacher of course you can't carry on doing silent lessons. I know your boss wasn't supportive re wfh but maybe see if you can have an occupational health referral? they may be able to offer more re support and advice.

7 weeks will seem like ages to you but with voice disorders I'm sorry to say it is still early days. Hang on in there .

It's a horrible thing to deal with, mentally. I found it really difficult. It helped me to talk to people online - keep posting here!

Are any of your colleagues on your social media? Could you try a chat there? Some people are better at "talking" that way anyway.

I'm sure that you will get all the answers that you need but it will take time unfortunately. Hang in there.

I'm so sorry you're in this position- please contact your union.

The school is putting extremely unnecessary pressure on you by making colleagues pick up for your absence.

This sounds severely disabling at the moment and that full voice rest is greatly needed

Oh I'm sorry you're still struggling so much but do take heart in the impact the exercises had and that you saw some improvement, if only temporary.

In terms of colleagues, what would you think if you were them? Would you be annoyed at your ill and absent colleague for being off, or would you be pissed off at the school management for not getting proper cover? It won't be you that they're upset with.

Being ill and off work can have a very depressant effect. You're used to feeling useful and productive and don't feel like it right now. But right now your job is to rest. This is a small blip in the time of your life.

Can you access any professional, emotional/psychological support? An Employee Assistance Programme or anything?

These people look good and they have forums and support networks available

https://www.lary.org.uk/#:~:text=The%20Lary%20Project%20is%20an,of%20recognition%2C%20understanding%20and%20support.

Saw the ENT again today. He is pleased that I am making progress. Today is not a good speaking day but it was good for someone else to see that I have improved.

He is recommending that I go back to work as a phased return as he doesn’t think I will be able to cope with a full teaching day (which has been worrying me). I will talk to HR next week - after my second appointment with speech and language therapy. I am still very quiet so will probably need a headset.

He also thinks that stress is a factor so I’m going to explore that a bit. Though the biggest thing that is stressing me out at the moment is not being able to speak!

I am feeling a lot more positive today and I just need to be patient -I’m just not very good at that!

Glad you had a good appt.

Have you a referral to oc health? They are there for you and would make recommendations on your behalf for a decent phased return and any adjustments

So great to hear you've been making some good progress. Keep your head up... It'll keep getting better.

Reflux, nodules, papilloma can all make your voice change. Suggest you ask for an ENT referral so they can look at your cords (with a little camera up your nose)

Try RTFT

My voice is getting better, it is a bit more consistent now, though still very quiet and gets quieter throughout the day. It is a strange thing to say but my voice get tired and it feels like hard work.

The ENT has written to say a phased return is a good idea and I am waiting to hear back if that will be agreed. I really hope so as I don’t think my voice will physically cope with a full days teaching, though I am not sure it will be accepted. I got the impression earlier that it was all or nothing and the silent teaching will be raised again. So I plan to properly teach some lessons and then be a silent adult in the room while they do textbook/cover work.

Maybe I am being unreasonable but I find that incredibly stressful, I don’t even do cover lesson in silence, you say hello, set up the work, prompt to stay on focus, check progress, answer questions where possible (even if that is using the students to support each other). I know some teachers get a lot of work done in cover lessons I don’t!

(We do cover as standard as we have more frees that our PPAs).

I am also dreading going back socially, as I know some of the colleague (even ones I thought of as friends) think I am putting it on and exaggerating the impact and are unhappy with the extra work it has caused them. We have inset next Friday morning and the a department social, I have to go to the inset but will give the social a miss. It will be far too awkward.

The problem is stress is probably a contributing factor in my dysphonia and yet lack of voice and going back to work is causing me stress! I feel like I can’t win.

I'm glad you're getting some improvement but sad you're under so much pressure at work. Tell me you're in a union? Contact them for support?

I am in a union but have never contacted them. I will see how the back to work meeting goes and if as I fear I am asked to teach silently I will get in touch.

I would email the union up front and take a representative to the meeting with me I'm afraid.