yeson - postoperative voice exercises

[thegreenrabbit]

Just curious to hear what type of postoperative exercises are given after the yeson glottoplasty procedure?
Is it treated as a continuation of regular speech therapy or is it like having to learn a new musical instrument.
What are the first sounds like immediately after the silent period.

[iKate]

It's on the website.

http://www.yesonvc.net/disease/voiceMovie.asp

[thegreenrabbit]

I must have missed this whilst scouring the website. I wonder if these exercises have a particular order, for example I couldn't see it as advisable to "vocal fry" or "massage" would be beneficial during the early postoperative days.

[iKate]

Somewhere in the main thread I believe Jenny had posted the list. I can't find it now but if you look back through there you would see it

[thegreenrabbit]

How did you combat things like coughing or the urge too clear your throat?

[Eva]

Hi GreenRabbit, I cant comment on the post op voice exercises but I had a web glottoplasty with Dr Haben in NY and I found lots of ice water and sugar free cough drops helpful to control the sometimes sudden urge to cough  

Dr Haben said I could start lightly using my voice after the first week and thats what I did... It was very weak and monotone for the first two months then it started getting better but it would come and go and Id lose it if I talked too much....  Now at 5 months its a lot better but I cant really get loud and keep it sounding good but Im hoping that will keep getting better

[thegreenrabbit]

I've tried all sorts to stop the urge to clear the throat. Ice cream, cold water, cough toffee (sugar free and the other :-))
Seems to be worse when I am just sitting and doing nothing. Sleeping at night is trouble free, sleeping on the side helped there
I was hyper nervous during the first week about coughing, but take it more in my stride during the second week.

[anjaq]

At Yeson they gave us cough suppressants and medication to make the mucous more liquid, so one has to cough less and if one has to cough, it is possible to make it "silently" by just letting the air out in a H-sound instead of a K-AH-sound. Also always carry a bottle of water to take a sip if any roughness occurs that may lead to coughing.

Be careful about these voice exercises - not all the videos on the Yeson website are voice exercises for this procedure. It makes sense to watch them if you have gotten the instructions before what to to. I can send you a copy of the sheet they gave me describing the voice exercises to do.

Mona, that sounds interesting - what did you learn about your voice in the no-talking period?