Some of you may know that I've been on voice rest for almost a year now. I wasn't able to sing worth a fig for the last four years. The last really serious singing I did was when I lived in St. Paul, almost seven years ago. The voice would go hoarse after just one go through a song and there would be no possibility for a second verse or any kind of proper rehearsal. At Christmas I gave a short concert with a friend and I was humiliated--people couldn't hear me, I went hoarse, and couldn't project sound. Although people thanked me for coming, there were no positive comments about my singing that I remember. So I thought I was finished.
I sought out the local ENT doctor to see what he could tell me. He greased up a flexible camera, slid it down my nostril into my throat and took pictures of my vocal cords. He said I had gastric reflux (I already knew that), and he put me on Nexium. There was the usual admonishment to put the head of the bed up on blocks, don't eat onions, don't eat supper after 7:00 p.m., steer clear from acid foods. He said I had developed a false vocal cord. I didn't know what that was but thought that maybe that was why my voice had a falsetto quality to it. He painted a dire picture of my prospects. Maybe I would be able to sing again, but he didn't hold out any hope. Come to think of it though, he wasn't terribly clear about too much.
I took the Nexium and it did nothing. We got blocks for the head of the bed but they were so high that the bed looked ridiculous. It seemed that we'd end up in a heap at the foot of the bed were we to use them. So I took the Nexium and kept propping myself up with about five chunky pillows at night.
After a year of that and no real change, I went off the Nexium and sought out a voice doctor. He is different from the average ENT man in that he participated in a huge study in Pennslyvania about teachers who go hoarse from using their voices for hours on end. When Dr. V walked into the exam room and found out that I am a teacher, he exclaimed happily, "I just love teachers!" and he was enthusiastic. And amazingly young. I wanted to ask him if he had a driver's license--blond curly hair, and huge blue eyes. He wanted to put a 10-inch rigid steel instrument down my throat, too. "I'm going to pull on your tongue and slip this down your throat. You will then sing an "eeeh" sound. It will sound like an "ahh" sound but think "eeeh" when you sing." I stuck my tongue out and he grasped it with a gauze. He wasn't fooling and I didn't think my tongue could stick out that far! Down went the implement of torture and he instructed me to begin singing. I squawked out low, high, and mid-range notes, all the while he effervesced about the pictures he was getting. A visiting doctor from Beijing and a resident stood by, fascinated by what they were seeing.
When it was all over, he showed me the movies he had taken of me singing. Apparently, I've had a minor vocal cord injury on my left cord, and need to learn how to sing and speak again so it will vibrate normally. But I should have no trouble returning to singing. The problem with gastric reflux remains. I will need to wear a little wire that goes down my nose and dangles in my throat--for 24 hours. It will measure the pH of my saliva there and detect whether or not I have reflux or severe allergies, or both. He thinks it's both. So we have a plan.
When I left his office I was elated. It's surprising how badly I want to sing again. Perhaps it took me losing my voice for four years to really appreciate it. In any event, I can't wait to get started. I've been booked for a classical evensong concert on January 17th and am eager to plan it. I'll probably put together a mixed quartet and sing some Bach motets or something, but I don't know. More on this later. But for now, I have permission to sing--and I'm thrilled beyond words.
Thank you, Lord!
No comments:
Post a Comment