From: divasoprano
Subject: Throat & nose problems
To: vocalist
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

I saw an ENT (ear, nose & throat doctor) a couple of days ago because
for the past month I've had a persistent sore throat, hoarseness when
speaking and a loss of my top notes. He looked at my vocal cords,
said there was some redness, and has referred me to someone who
specializes in working with singers. He thinks it's probably due to
reflux (I have a history), despite the fact that I'm doing everything
you're supposed to do to control it. Anyway, my question is whether
it is still okay for me to sing, because using my vocal cords
increases the pain. I've been abstaining for the most part from
singing and speaking as much as possible, but the doctor said there
was no reason for that and I could continue singing. But I've always
subscribed to the "if it hurts, don't do it" school... Is there a
risk if I continue to sing? I'm probably not going to be able to get
in to see the other specialist for at least a couple of months, and
not singing or speaking much for that long a period of time would be
a big problem.

My other question is about my nose. Apparently I have a deviated
septum. The doctor told me it would probably have a positive effect
on my singing if I underwent surgery to fix this. Is this true? I
asked him if I had the surgery if I could get the outside of my nose
fixed at the same time and he said yes, and it would cost
substantially less. However, he said that it would decrease the
resonating space in my nose by about 10% and this could have a
negative effect on my singing. Is this true? I've seen lots of
singers with big voices and small noses...

I'm actually a regular poster to the list, but I'm using a different
e-mail address for this because I don't feel comfortable with the
world knowing about my medical problems. But I'm glad to have a
community to discuss this with!

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