My Voice Taught me to Not Assume

 December 2022. I started to have a strange feeling of heaviness & strain after using my voice for a considerable amount of time. The fatigue made me anxious.

Initially, I assumed it to be related to temporary stress that I had put my voice to with my overseas coordination work that last month where I worked for long hours.

With the breathing exercises, rest and gulping warm water, the issue seemed to recede. One month passed. I went on with my recordings & classes. Then, I started to feel more pressure.

I went ahead and started working out with focus on Thyroid. Yes, I assumed that this could be because of thyroid and I feared that the doctor might recommend medication. I did not want to be dependent on thyroid medicine for the rest of my life.

One more month passed. When I used my voice minimally, I would be fine. Somedays, it will be aggravated. Now, I had to go to the general physician. She heard my symptoms and recommended that I use antacid as there could be acid-reflux that is causing me to experience such hoarseness and stress on my throat.

I also got a check for thyroid and it was in the normal range.

I started using the medication, taking precautions by not eating spicy foods and finishing my dinner before sunset. I resumed my usage of voice as always.

Eventually, I realized that I am irritated to speak with the fear of strain and it had nothing to do with the acid reflux. We re-visited the doctor. She asked me to continue with what I was doing for one more month and if the problem persisted, she would recommend a specialist who might test me further.

With all the appointment availability and everything, I anticipated a few more months to know the cause of this trauma on my voice. With a suggestion from a friend, I went to an Ayurvedic doctor. She suggested some medications and I started to use them while I awaited the specialist’s appointment.

In the meanwhile, we booked our tickets to India and decided that we would meet with the specialist after coming back. There is a strain in the voice all this while and I began to exert more energy into speaking without even being aware of it.

However, all this while my husband or I did not anticipate any serious issue...until..my voice screeched horribly on one karaoke night before we left for India.

This was like a final warning for us and my husband could not wait till we got back to the US. Also, the initial diagnosis, the waiting period for the specialist did not create any confidence to get treated here.

So, we visited the reputed ENT Specialist, Dr Shakuntala Ghosh who my father went to many times and vouched for her to be the best.

Within 10 minutes, she did my endoscopy, identified the polyps in vocal cords and recommended surgery where the polyps would be removed.

I was advised for 100% voice rest for a week with some dietary restrictions and got checked for the healing before returning.

Surgical procedure was smooth and successful under her expert guidance and I am still resting my voice as recommended by the doctor for a month.

Finally, I found the issue and the solution. I do not know what damage would have happened if I waited any longer.

It is not my diligence at all. I attribute it to God’s grace as he took charge of my life’s script.

I want to share some lessons that I learnt in this entire endurance period.

1. Do NOT assume that your healthy lifestyle is keeping your inner organs safe.

Age, genetics, over usage of medications or vitamins, stress — These and many others may change your inner bodily environment over a period of time.

When you sense an abnormality, go get it checked. Yes, if you do not see any result from the doctor’s diagnosis, get a second opinion from another one, ASAP.

Also, make sure to get your Annual checkup done. Our present environments, radiation, pollution, quality of food or our mindsets change our bodies every year. Being aware of our bodies is essential.

2. Will alternative medicine work?

The answer depends on various factors. Have they performed any tests to even know the problem?

“Assumption”and “Analysis”, based on what the patient says, will not work for every problem.

The doctor, whether they are from Western Medicine or Eastern, must do further examination (like endoscopy for me, in this case) to know the root-cause of the situation when the patient is not healed for longer periods of time from their initial diagnosis.

Medication given without even being sure of the benign growth in the organs will not only delay the problem to be solved but could be dangerous too.

I do believe in alternative medicine and am using it to speed up my recovery, post surgery.

3. Do NOT be your own doctor for everything & procrastinate

Yes, there are viruses, colds and coughs and fevers to which we have home medication.

They work too.

However, there may be bigger issues than these.

Prolonged periods of pain in the chest, cramps, numbness in toes, fatigue, chronic constipation, heaviness in throat and so on and so forth.

Please consult the experts in those fields without delay. Do not fear what you are going to hear. Act fast, face the problem and find the solution.

If you find out it is a thyroid malfunction, work with your doctor and take the medicine if necessary.

As a next step, work with your yoga trainer or an Ayurvedic practitioner to heal faster and make changes in your lifestyle.

4. Gift of God

We have been given this vehicle called “body”. As long as this runs smoothly, we forge ahead to win the world. The moment the vehicle screeches, it’s time to pay attention to it. Do not ignore the signs.

Let us not take this for granted.

Last but not the least — take care of your mental health. Mind has the power to create anything. It has the potential to keep you at ease or create disease!

Sarve Janaah sukhinobhavantu !