Can I Lose My Voice in Thyroid Surgery?

You should not lose your voice after thyroid surgery. In this video, Dr. Clayman explains that a vocal cord nerve can become temporarily paralyzed uncommonly and you may experience hoarseness, but you should not lose your voice. If a person does lose their voice as a result of thyroid surgery, it may be temporary, or it may be due to inadvertent injury to a vocal cord nerve that is known or not known to the surgeon. You should ask your surgeon how frequently they perform thyroid surgery and how often a patient loses their voice. An excellent surgeon will tell you the risk is near zero, or way less than one percent. If the surgeon says 2% or more, then you may want to discuss this with another surgeon. The surgeons with the most experience have the lowest complications rate. Nerve monitoring does not prevent injury to a vocal cord nerve and in fact it gives a surgeon a false sense of security because they think they are protected, but what prevents damage to a vocal cord nerve is your surgeon seeing the nerve and preserving the entire nerve and all of its branches. A surgeon should be able to tell you that the risk of injury to your vocal cord nerves is less than one percent, if not, it’s not the right thyroid surgeon for you. If he/she says they are going to monitor your nerve in the operating room to help prevent a nerve injury, then know this is absolutely not true and often increases the risk of nerve injury. These tubes are used to protect the surgeon from lawsuits, not the patient from injury.

Пікірлер: 78

  • @princessmissy50
    @princessmissy505 жыл бұрын

    I'm a patient who had a total thyroidectomy because of a nodule that was so large, it was pressing on my airway and vocal cords. I had no cancer. After waking up from the operation, I was able to speak almost normally, although a bit hoarse. Five days after the surgery, our dog Houdini'd out of her harness and ran into the street, where a car was coming. I yelled, "Bella, come back!" and those were the last audible words I said for over 8 months. My "voice" literally had virtually no volume. (My house got really quiet all of a sudden. I think my husband secretly enjoyed it lol) After 8 months, my ENT decided to do a procedure to put a scope down my throat to get a good look at my vocal cords, and I agreed. I was at the hospital in my lovely backless gown being prepped, and called out to my husband who was in the hall. My ENT heard me & asked if my voice had been that loud lately. "Not till this minute," I said. He put the tube with a light down my nose & throat. He said my vocal cords were healing and I could go home, I did not need the scope procedure and gradually my voice would come back. It did! The ENT is still not sure why my voice went out 5 days after the thyroidectomy. His best guess is that the vocal cord nerve was weakened by the nodule before surgery.

  • @chrisw5742

    @chrisw5742

    5 жыл бұрын

    3 years out from thyroidectomy my voice is still low in pitch. Yesterday I was singing at band practice and I did a heavy song and was screaming. My throat popped and all the sudden higher pitch stuff and screams became painless and I could do it.

  • @barkhasudhaker5025

    @barkhasudhaker5025

    5 жыл бұрын

    After operation my voice has been changed...... it's like a different person sound...... I was a good singer but now I can't speak laud can't fight against any Rong thing because it's need a high pitch but still I am satisfied.......in starting days it was like.....what happened with me why happened with me but my d.r. start voice tharopy that helped little ..... May be I did something Rong with someone....... I am happy very happy

  • @kumarmh7098

    @kumarmh7098

    4 жыл бұрын

    hope you are able to speak normal now.

  • @TastyBadger

    @TastyBadger

    4 жыл бұрын

    How big was the nodule

  • @luisitoputirecors1499

    @luisitoputirecors1499

    Жыл бұрын

    Who Done the surgical?

  • @MommaBearsCorner
    @MommaBearsCorner2 жыл бұрын

    its still a good video. Great they addressed many fears as well. thanks for sharing!

  • @tobor444
    @tobor4443 жыл бұрын

    I had this surgery 3 days ago. My voice is back, just a little hoarse from the intubation tube. I'm glad I didn't see this video before I had the operation!

  • @northwoodslife8456

    @northwoodslife8456

    3 жыл бұрын

    Same! Yikes. I'm so thankful I had no issues.

  • @luisitoputirecors1499

    @luisitoputirecors1499

    Жыл бұрын

    Who operate you!!!???

  • @tobor444

    @tobor444

    Жыл бұрын

    @@luisitoputirecors1499 Dr Applewhite Albany Medical Center New York

  • @intuitiveempathpisces3388
    @intuitiveempathpisces33885 жыл бұрын

    I lost my voice during my Lobectomy surgery. My ENT doctor cut my nerve during surgery . I was unable to speak and breathing funny when I try to talk afterwards. I recently had a procedure where Collagen was put into my vocal cord to pump it up . I was told it will last twelve weeks only and afterward I will need a second surgery. This video was informative to me . I should have checked this doctor out before the surgery because he has had this type of thing happen 10 years ago . This is a lesson learned I will be running back ground check on a doctor before they touch me

  • @kumarmh7098

    @kumarmh7098

    4 жыл бұрын

    very sorry to hear. hope you will be able to speak soon. how are you managing to speak now.

  • @sumathij6800

    @sumathij6800

    2 жыл бұрын

    J

  • @elizabethriska

    @elizabethriska

    Жыл бұрын

    So sorry 😞 ❤️‍🩹

  • @jothcenteno9353
    @jothcenteno9353 Жыл бұрын

    I think, the issue's more on the intubation insertion, which is needed on thyroidectomies. Any hopes the voice would go back to normal if this is the case?

  • @osctre9234
    @osctre9234 Жыл бұрын

    had a partial thyroidectomy about 3 weeks ago now and my voice is still hoarse. I’m worried I hope it recovers I’ll be seeing my ENT next week.

  • @likithamucharla4828
    @likithamucharla48283 жыл бұрын

    I had thyroid adenoma surgery 5 years back..i didn't get my voice for 4 months later ...i got back my voice..but i noticed i am having hoarse voice..can you please suggest what i should do? Thanku

  • @SuzieQGirl
    @SuzieQGirl8 ай бұрын

    My voice has never been the same since thyroid cancer surgery. It feels like a hand is around my throat pressing it. Whilst I’m fortunate to have a voice it’s somewhat difficult due to the constant pressure. The extraction sight became infected with golden staph and swelled up so much that the incision sight is obvious. I wonder if the swelling had anything to do with the damage to my voice. The surgeon also damaged my parathyroid gland. To anyone considering having this surgery I would suggest they think long and hard. Please research extensively before going forward with the total removal. What they don’t tell you is that if your body doesn’t utilise the synthetic thyroid hormones as it did your naturally produced hormones you may well experience chronic exhaustion for the remainder of your life, massive weight gains and many symptoms that are usually associated with menopause. ❤

  • @angeljackson7990
    @angeljackson79905 жыл бұрын

    Can't drink anything with out thickend

  • @Joy-uy5mv
    @Joy-uy5mv Жыл бұрын

    I had a total thyroidectomy three weeks ago and still can’t talk properly 😢

  • @LadyGTarot
    @LadyGTarot Жыл бұрын

    4 1/2 months out of having a total thyroidectomy and I lost all my singing voice and even just speaking rather than getting better seems to be more and more difficult. It is an effort to speak and the voice goes out is very horse and is not pleasant to listen to. Why does it appear to be getting even worse rather than healing and getting better ?

  • @traceyqueally3504
    @traceyqueally35044 жыл бұрын

    Hi my name is Tracey had half my thyroid out last year.still have problems .losing my voice and not able to sing as i was singer past possibity might have rest of thyroid out bloods come back not good so i am very uncertain want to do posslity have under acitive thryroid

  • @milagallardo5068
    @milagallardo50683 жыл бұрын

    I had a total thyroidectomy 5 weeks ago and I still having a hoarse voice. I hope 🤞🏼 I can recovery my regular voice soon . My surgeon said that she was very careful with my vocal cords . I saw online that the first intubation can cause vocal cord injure .

  • @muamerk.7578

    @muamerk.7578

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hello And now

  • @JoyceVanAardt

    @JoyceVanAardt

    2 жыл бұрын

    Please tell me you have your voice now 🥺

  • @milagallardo5068

    @milagallardo5068

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@JoyceVanAardt yes ! I have my voice back !!!

  • @Alsager_Alabyad

    @Alsager_Alabyad

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@milagallardo5068 Thanks God

  • @sulistyorimi122

    @sulistyorimi122

    2 жыл бұрын

    I had a total thyroidectomy on 2 februari 2022 and i still having my voice. My voice not lose...

  • @deborahlewis967
    @deborahlewis9672 жыл бұрын

    I just had Thyroid removed on the 23rd and I'm very hoarse but, I have a voice. There was a Goiter very close to the Nerve and I was given that 1% risk, actually glad I didn't view this until after the surgery, it made me nervous listening after the fact. I did have another complication being, my lung was punctured from a line placed in case the Goiters couldn't be removed above the sternum because I'd had a heart procedure in 2013 and the Nodules were moving down toward the area of past surgery effecting my breathing as a result. All went well. Lung repaired, just waiting on my voice to get back to normal.

  • @CarLucci24

    @CarLucci24

    2 жыл бұрын

    Did they decide to remove the entire thyroid because of your goiter??? I'm asking because I have bad goiter. It's painful, still after 2 years of treatment thanks to hashimotos...

  • @parvateedanhoo6231
    @parvateedanhoo62312 жыл бұрын

    Hello i had my thyroid surgery its been 2 months but still can talk i cannot drink water or milk properly because of the coughing which harm me as i drink it... I dnt know what to do any solution please im from Mauritius. Thanks

  • @BS-dq1kz
    @BS-dq1kz5 жыл бұрын

    I'm REALLY scared now because my ENT told me he's using a box thing to make sure he knows where my nerves are. That's what this dr says I don't want to hear? I hadn't even been a bit anxious until now! Omg! I pray this works because I have Graves' disease and I really want my life back. I have three kids to raise and I have been so sick on and off that I haven't worked in years. My husband wanted me home to take care of our children for a few years anyhow after our baby(the one we have biologically together)was born. Then, I wanted to go back to work when she started school but I got sicker and sicker. No doctor listened to me until finally a cardiologist found my Graves' disease. So, I truly need my life back. What if I can't talk to my kids and tell them the things I need to tell them?! Like "I Love you." That would be horrible. I'm sure it's going to be fine though. I'm sure it's going to be fine. My dr is a super nice man! I pray he knows what he's doing!

  • @kennymustapha5510

    @kennymustapha5510

    4 жыл бұрын

    BS17 how are you now

  • @aeshaali2962
    @aeshaali29622 жыл бұрын

    It’s been 6 months and I still didn’t get my voice back

  • @MaydaTiger
    @MaydaTiger5 жыл бұрын

    that's all sheer numbers i had my thyroid removed because of cancer by an experienced surgeon and i have no voice at all for 3 month after the operation and god knows if i ll ever get it back

  • @kennymustapha5510

    @kennymustapha5510

    4 жыл бұрын

    Can you like not talk at all

  • @kennymustapha5510

    @kennymustapha5510

    4 жыл бұрын

    How are you now

  • @kumarmh7098

    @kumarmh7098

    4 жыл бұрын

    Dear Mayda, how are you doing now.can you try speaking?

  • @ldav2006

    @ldav2006

    3 ай бұрын

    Had surgery 5 yrs. ago. Still cannot sing! Maybe should have come to your hospital but just found you 3 yrs too late.

  • @user-gu4qw9ry6g
    @user-gu4qw9ry6g10 ай бұрын

    I lost my voice after thyroid surgery it's now 4months I pray that my voice will came back soon 😂 I'm tried of hoarse voice

  • @kharisaayu6722

    @kharisaayu6722

    4 ай бұрын

    How's your voice now? Is it back or still hoarse?

  • @angeljackson7990
    @angeljackson79905 жыл бұрын

    Can't talk voice is gone. Now need second surgery

  • @fitridayanti7041

    @fitridayanti7041

    4 жыл бұрын

    angel jackson may i ask what kind of second surgery is that and hows ur voice now?

  • @MommaBearsCorner
    @MommaBearsCorner5 жыл бұрын

    vocal cord nerve can ALSO BE permissively paralyze long term too! it IS one of the risk so stop making it like it is not a big risk. and MOST surgeon with lower success wont tell ya that lol. i have several cancers in thyroid at nerves PLUS 5.7cm large goiter at my artery. i choose alternative due to risk results. cancer shrunk and other cancers gone. working on goiter now too. I will not choose surgery until or unless no other option. Not being butchered nor spending rest of life not talking. sad these docs like cancer specialist will NOT tell people full options speak or to try alternatives first. cause they are not trained in such & medical boards do not allow doctors to speak up even if they do know. way too many docs are clearly just pharma reps and pull pushers though. Still, He does seem to be good doc here. is good video.

  • @northwoodslife8456

    @northwoodslife8456

    3 жыл бұрын

    Did you choose RFA treatment as your alternative? Would love to hear more!

  • @rodrigomadera3048

    @rodrigomadera3048

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hi there, i would love to hear what alternative did you take. My sister i going through this surgery for the second time in 4 years. The First time they removed her thyroid complitely. Now, cancer came back in the exact same spot, but this time there is no thyroid to remove so it may be risquier for her vocal cords. no need to say we are all incredible worried.

  • @MommaBearsCorner

    @MommaBearsCorner

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@northwoodslife8456 no. i did the Oldest method that most things are based off of. I did Gerson Cancer Institute Diet therapy. it worked. I had a dozen in tyroid. they all shunk and gone. Docs were not happy I did not go forward with surgery, i can tell ya that much. But USUALLY, thyroid cancer grows slow. You have TIME to research. dont rush into anything! I now have a totally different cancer, 3 yrs later and its partly doctors fault misdiagnosing it to be honest for spine arthritis! But some of it is my fault knowing what I know, I should have stayed on the diet therapy much longer and it would have solved that issue too. But I did not know I also have another cancer in me. so now i am addressing it IN FULL for the next 2 yrs the same way, but much more intense. but it should have been caught and was not by doctors. the PET shows the thyroid is cancer is gone. This cancer is totally a different type. If i had just stayed on diet longer, I most likely would not have this one. The virus came, i went off the diet, and like many, i started eating western diet, all the things I should not have and did not change my lifestyle habits in eating. Does not mean you can never go back to normal foods, but means you should change to better choices for sure. however, I had no surgery, no meds, ONLY about 1/3 of the gerson diet and they all went away naturally. This time i have to do the whole thing for a long time. Going to be tough! but i know better now. I also did essiac tea (can look that up, but make it yourself! people that sell it do not put the roots and change it) and did do cbd with 15% thc which is legal in every state since 2015. The biggest thing is juicing the Gerson Juices ONLY several times a day, many vitamins, essiac tea, cbd.. that did it for me with thyroid. Ya have to give up all processed foods, dairy, meats, bread, and sweets during that time..is no picnic of course, however, is much better than a knife and I kept my thyroids. No pills. thyroids doing good now though. Anyway, is what i did. I used the Gerson cancer Institute diet out of Mexico. you can look that up.. :)

  • @MommaBearsCorner

    @MommaBearsCorner

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@rodrigomadera3048 see below comment, its in it.

  • @MommaBearsCorner

    @MommaBearsCorner

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@northwoodslife8456 yea see below comment i made, i put it in there.

  • @servicedogchopper7613
    @servicedogchopper76134 жыл бұрын

    I am a week and a half post op of a thyroidectomy. I made triple sure to tell every single person I spoke with before surgery that I speak for a living. Right after surgery I was horse but could talk. My surgeron said that the nodule was very oozy and sticky and stuck to my right nerve but that it was intact. Now, a week and a half later I have no voice at all unless I press on the right side of my neck and press it in or if I sweeze both sides of my neck. I don't know if its swelling or if my vocal folds are too far apart or what. I have my post op appointment with my surgeron tomorrow and I pray to go she scopes me because I speak for a living and have to go back to work in 10 days with no ability to extend that. I took 3 and a half weeks off for this. This is the worst outcome for me! I am terrified. What could this be? I am using ice on my neck and inhaling steam and using a nebulizer with albuterol and gargling with warm salt water. I am doing everything I can to get my voice back to no avail. And its getting worse, not better. It looks like I might have to work by squeezing my neck all day for 8 hrs and that is ridiculous!

  • @joyajoyce03

    @joyajoyce03

    4 жыл бұрын

    My prayer for you is that you will have a full recover. I understand completely b/c. I had a total thyroidectomy 2 and 1 half weeks ago and left me with a very weaken and waspy voice. I'm an. ICU nurse and i n charge of a 22 bed unit in a major US city. I use my voice to communicate to medical staff , patients , families and administration. Im also in graduate school for ministry and can only speak with a waspy voice in class or my field study assignments. My life has to adjust. However i am staying hopeful that my voice would be restored. I hope this for you. I was informed of the risks involved and this Dr in the video skirted around the risk of surgery and didn't appear confident in the outcomes of this procedure.

  • @kumarmh7098

    @kumarmh7098

    4 жыл бұрын

    My Prayers. Hoping you will be able to speak

  • @adamreilly6227

    @adamreilly6227

    4 жыл бұрын

    get rfa of the throid nodual@@kumarmh7098

  • @Trulyfunfam29

    @Trulyfunfam29

    4 жыл бұрын

    Joyce Richardson hi joyce, how are you? I have seen your post. Have you recovered so far? What about your voice? Has it already come back to normal? I had total thyroidectomy too and have a hoarse voice. Its been more 6 weeks and theres no improvement.

  • @servicedogchopper7613

    @servicedogchopper7613

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@Trulyfunfam29 I know you weren't asking me but mine has. Took about 4 or 5 months but it came back. Edited to add: And my vocal folds weren't moving/vibrating and then my body started to compensate but eventually they started to move one at a time.

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