# Hoarseness BEFORE surgery??



## CareBear3030 (Jun 9, 2010)

My voice right now is very hoarse. You can hear it when I talk, even when I sing I cannot. I get to a certain note and my voice just quits. Is it the thyroid or something else?

Some background, dx of Graves, I rebelled and quit taking my meth, was only on it for about 2 weeks, been off of it for about 3 months. My t3, t4 seem to be coming back into normal ranges, tsh still untraceable. Biopsy shows pap cancer, so will be doing a TT, and then RAI to get the rest.

When I asked my endo if my voice will go back to normal, he said it "could" be from the thyroid being enlarged that once its gone it "could" get better. He's really unsure until after that.

When I asked the surgeon he said it is most certainly not from the thyroid and once we take care of the cancer we can figure that out.

Could it be throat cancer that they are not seeing yet? Did anyone else have this hoarse sore throat, and then got better after removing the thyroid?


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## desrtbloom (May 23, 2010)

Hi:

Yes, I was very hoarse off and on for the last several months prior to my surgery. It has to do with the thyroid being enlarged and pushing on your vocal chords. I don't think it is throat cancer. A hoarse voice is very common with thyroid issues, so I wouldn't stress too much.

I just had my TT and I am still hoarse at times. It comes and go. It will most likely go away completely as I continue to heal.

Patti


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## Be Informed (Aug 25, 2010)

I was hoarse a lot before my thyroid was removed. I was constantly losing my voice as well. Now that it is gone, this is rarely ever a problem. Don't worry. 
However, I have had a number of complications since my surgery and radioactive iodine treatment. Please ask your doctor about the proper procedures to keep your salivary flow going strong as the Iodine 131 treatment can affect the parotid gland and its ducts. Also, make sure you have a good endocrinologist who is up on the latest research and looks at your symptoms, not just your test results.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

CareBear3030 said:


> My voice right now is very hoarse. You can hear it when I talk, even when I sing I cannot. I get to a certain note and my voice just quits. Is it the thyroid or something else?
> 
> Some background, dx of Graves, I rebelled and quit taking my meth, was only on it for about 2 weeks, been off of it for about 3 months. My t3, t4 seem to be coming back into normal ranges, tsh still untraceable. Biopsy shows pap cancer, so will be doing a TT, and then RAI to get the rest.
> 
> ...


Oh, Lord!! Our poor friend is frightened and I sure don't blame you one bit. Here's the scoop. Usually, an inflamed thyroid will cause a painful throat and quite often ear aches as well.

No one can say for sure that this is the only thing that is going on but from all my years on the boards, this seems to be a 99% certainty that it is only your agitated thyroid. And so many have gone on after TT to fully regain their singing voices. You "must" rest your throat at first though and let healing take place before straining the vocal cords.

{{{{{ Carebear}}}}}


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## butterfly (Jun 26, 2010)

I was hoarse for the last few years before surgery! It got progressively worse, and I found out after surgery that the nodules were wrapped around my esophagus and into my windpipe. Since surgery, my voice has improved a lot. I still can't sing any high notes, or even moderately high, but even that is getting better. I did have a microcarcinoma, and my surgeon said it may take up to three months for my voice to go back to normal. Don't worry, from what I understand, hoarseness is often linked to thyroid issues/nodules, and I bet you'll feel LOTS better once surgery is behind you - I sure did!!


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