Thanks for the compliments, everyone! I really appreciate all the positivity.
Most of the time, my voice is quite raspy due to the constant accumulation of phlegm, so the recording was actually my third attempt, and it went back to being raspy and gurgly from all the phlegm right after.
Elaine: The incision site where my scar is, was stuck to my thyroid cartilage, such that swallowing or raising my pitch would pull up on the skin of my neck. Cadence reported some adhesion in her case, that resolved on its own. Dr. Haben recommended neck rolls and massaging the incision with a hot towel for 20 minutes, three times a day.
I've been doing that as much as possible, and just moving the skin around whenever my hands are free. I'm not sure if that helped, or if it's been unsticking itself on its own as the area heals.
Right now, the adhesion is broken up enough that it doesn't cause any noticeable discomfort, so I'm not too worried. Now that it's healed up better, I've also been more vigorous and forceful with the massaging.
Roni: Right after my first week of voice rest was over, my pitch was actually around 160hz which was easily achievable pre-op. This was because I had to push it low to avoid strain and irritation, and also because I hadn't used a trained voice in public, so my brain was still locked onto my old pitch, so this is what you may be observing except your brain is locked onto your trained pitch.
However, remember that it's really not just about the pitch increase. If it was, we would all just speak in a Bee Gees "Staying Alive"-esque falsetto and call it done, no?
The difference you'll probably notice, is that accidental noises such as throat clearing, coughing, sighing, will sound very different. Even at the same pitches achievable pre and post op, the aural qualities of your voice will be different.This is a matter of physics, not opinion!Example: On a tuned acoustic/classical guitar, the 10th fret on the low E string will produce the same pitch as the D string, but any experienced guitarist can tell the difference with his/her eyes closed, due to the different aural qualities of an effectively shorter thicker string (10th fret low E), and a longer thinner string (D string).
Unlike your pre-op voice, it should be mostly effortless on your part. I say mostly effortless, because I had to retrain my brain to use my new instrument.
In my case, pushing my pitch down was actually far more strenuous than simply speaking at a comfortable pitch, but that was what my brain wanted to do. In your case, I guess you'll have to untrain and retrain your voice at the same time.
Keeping with the instrument analogy:
Pre-op: I had a cello, you had a viola, and we both wanted to sound like a violin. I was unable to, you were through training.
Post-op: We both have violins. My brain still wanted to sound like a cello, so I have to train it to play a violin now. Your brain was already trained to sound like a violin, and you were able to pre and post op.
The difference is now you'll sound like a violin, without having to finger the strings halfway up the fretboard.The odd thing is, my new comfortable pitch of 235hz still sounds the same to me as it did when it was about 200hz. What I did was to memorize my throat/thyroid position when using my comfortable pitch. Ideally, from a rested position, your comfortable pitch should entail no movement of your thyroid cartilage whatsoever.
As the surgical laryngitis has gone down, my pitch has gradually gone up without any conscious effort on my part. Kinda like how a string instrument increases its pitch as the ambient temperature goes down, or humidity changes!
So as your voice heals and the swelling goes down, your maximum pitch will also increase. I was up to 520hz (barely a whisper) more than a week ago, which went down to 400hz after my voice overuse last week, and this morning it was up to 690hz. Keep in mind though, my voice is unusable at those higher pitches currently, but I expect that to improve as it heals.
Try this:From a rested thyroid position, put your hand on your throat and feel your thyroid cartilage, then go from your lowest pitch to your highest pitch. At the same position it was when it was rested, is where you want it to be. This is your new comfortable pitch. Pre-op, the same pitch would only have been achievable by moving your thyroid up into your jawbone.I hope this makes sense, and that you find it helpful. Sorry for the word vomit!
By the way I had more than a few coughing fits in my first week post-op, and I even had small amounts of blood in my phlegm, so your sutures are probably fine.
