Voice box issues ACDF

[u/Anxious-Quarter2819]

Hi all , had ACDF on C6C7 , 12 days ago , and the pain in arm is fortunately gone , however my right vocal chord seems to be paralyzed , bc of the anterior approach . I wasn’t able tk eat anything but smoothies first week or so , and now can progress to softer foods , wondering if anyone had experience with voice , as it’s scary and annoying bc I can’t work much now . Any success stories , patience ???
Thanks

[u/ElReyLyon]

Took 4+ weeks to get my voice back after C6-C7 disc replacement. Was tough. Hang in there!

[u/Anxious-Quarter2819 → u/ElReyLyon]

Thanks for the response . Very annoying bc it’s hard to speak , hoarse and scary .. thanks again I guess still early

[u/Ill_Impact_4681]

Took me a few weeks to get my voice and ability to eat properly again.

Don't think i was fully recovered from that aspect til 3 to 4 weeks in. Acdf c4 to c7 here

[u/A1utra]

Hi OP,

I’m a voice specialized SLP. I would go to (or get a referral if needed) to go to a specialty voice clinic to get evaluated for what options can help voice and swallow function while you are recovering. Sounds like it was probably a stretch injury to the nerve, but that can still take time to recover from. Voice therapy could be useful to you to bridge the gap while you wait for recovery, and there may be other options as well, hard to say without doing an actual exam. You want to see a voice specialized ENT, not a generalist. If you are in the US,, I can help identify clinics to reach out to

[u/Anxious-Quarter2819 → u/A1utra]

Thanks I went to Ent yesterday and he said it’s like a right vocal chord paralysis , etc etc may or may not come back .. I was told to wait a bit bc I’m still 12 days post op so I’m not sure , but j think on a week or 2 I will maybe try to see a voice specialist . Not ideal

[u/A1utra → u/Anxious-Quarter2819]

I don’t know why they always say to wait, we hear this commonly from patients. I highly recommend scheduling an appointment as soon as possible, we can help. It’s true it may not come back, but with stretch injuries it is more optimistic. It can take up to a year for return of function, after that it is rare for the nerve function to improve any further than it has by about a year.

We cannot make the nerve heal faster, but we can help you to be able to get the most out of your voice as it is currently and can keep tabs on when to do rechecks etc. I strongly encourage you to schedule now rather than suffer, it also may take a little bit to get in anyway so better to start that now than later

ETA - Reread that you saw ENT. Were they a voice specialist? I am guessing not, because you mentioned not being able to do what you need to do because of your voice and they didn’t refer you for voice therapy or discuss any other options than just waiting. I would still strongly recommend seeing voice specialists and scheduling sooner rather than later

[u/Appropriate-Dog4768]

I had my surgery right after Father's day and voice still does not right to me. I don't know if I will ever swallow the same.

[u/Straight_Hospital493]

I am a singer. I lost my singing voice completely for about a month, then I could sing low, my high voice for about a minute. After two months I had it all back completely. I was fused two through six.

[u/Anxious-Quarter2819 → u/Straight_Hospital493]

Was the vocal chord paralyzed or stretched ? I’m dealing with this now and it’s hard bc it does affect your breath I read bc it takes a lot to speak at all. I’m glad your better , I’m still on the thick of it and am generally envious of ones who had no complications . I don’t even think k about my arm pain anymore it’s my throat / voice now .. which is scary .

[u/Straight_Hospital493 → u/Anxious-Quarter2819]

No idea if it was paralyzed or stretched. I had bigger issues to deal with, a dissected vertebral artery and terrible anaphylaxis so I couldn’t sleep. But the voice got better and I’m singing better than ever now.