Surgery Consultation + Details

Hello! I had my surgery consultation today to discuss the surgery process, risks, etc. My doctor did notice that I project my voice better now and I'm rarely hoarse, but the issue of my voice still being unnaturally low-pitched/deep is there.

But also some surprise news: it turns out that they're not going to be doing laser surgery. I'm getting a microlaryngoscopy, which means they'll be cutting the nodules off.

I copy pasted more detailed specifics:

"A microlaryngoscopy is a surgical procedure that allows doctors to closely examine the larynx (voice box) and vocal cords using a special microscope. During the procedure, a thin, rigid tube called a laryngoscope is inserted through the mouth and into the throat to view the larynx. The microscope provides a magnified view, which helps the surgeon to see fine details. This procedure is often used to diagnose and treat conditions such as vocal cord lesions, nodules, polyps, or other abnormalities. If necessary, surgical instruments can be passed through the laryngoscope to remove growths, take biopsies, or perform other treatments on the vocal cords."

I will be under anesthesia during the whole procedure, and since the doctor knows I have anxiety they'll be giving me an anxiety pill pre-op to calm me down.

I wasn't expecting this and honestly the thought of being put to sleep and having things cut off of me is scary, but I'm trying to be brave about it ;-; The doctor did say recovery is faster with microlaryngoscopy patients vs laser surgery patients so I'm like okay, that's cool.

I'm currently waiting to get called by my doctor's assistant within the next week to schedule my surgery (he said I should get a call Monday), but he did mention he usually operates on Thursdays, so either this upcoming Thursday or within the next 1-2 Thursdays afterward I should be getting the surgery.

The Friday, Saturday and Sunday after my surgery will be vocal rest, and then the Monday after they want me to return to the exercises I've been doing in speech therapy to promote my healing and make sure my voice doesn't stiffen up and is back to normal when I finish recovering.

I also have been recording some speaking and singing audios the past few months so I can actually compare them to my voice after my recovery 🫶 But hopefully everything goes okay!