Maintaining A Healthy Voice with Subglottic Stenosis

Say you’re a singer, and you find out you have a rare disease that causes scar tissue to grow across your trachea directly below your vocal cords….that’s me.  In June I went in for the 3rd surgery on my throat since my diagnosis 2 1/2 years ago, with likely many, many more to come.  As I’ve gotten to know the effects of the scar tissue (significant difficulties breathing, and the urge to cough and clear the throat incessantly) and the surgeries that come with snipping/stretching back the scar tissue (temporary hoarseness, loss of range, stamina, and power in the singing voice) I thought I would make a video this month, post-surgery, with tips I have found helpful to keeping your voice healthy to share with this small community of people with subglottic stenosis.  This video has three parts:

• Part One is about clearing the mucus from the throat (lovely, I know)

• Part Two discusses maximizing your breath capacity

• Part Three focuses on hoarseness, and vocal exercises for a hoarse voice. 

  If your voice isn’t gradually improving, you may have damage to your voice (hopefully temporary!).  At that point, it’s best to contact your ENT, who will check you, and refer you to a voice therapist if needed.