The Throat Doctor by Françoise P. Chagnon
/ June 1, 1997
Version française...
Hello, my name is Emily and I
am an 18 year old college freshman from Oregon. Earlier this year my
new voice teacher noticed that my voice had some "frogginess". I had
previously attributed this to my feeling of having the beginnings of
a cold. I went to my primary care physician several times and tried
all types of antibiotics. When this didn't seem to help, I went to a
local throat doctor who completed a fiber optic laryngoscopy and
said that my vocal cords looked slightly swollen and reddened due to
some post-nasal drainage. I went to an allergist and found that I
have allergies to all types of molds, grass, trees, pollen, etc. I
have begun taking injections for my allergies in addition to
Claritin and the nasal spray Flonase--neither of which have seemed
to alleviate many of my symptoms.
My questions are: 1) How much
should I be singing with "slightly swollen" vocal cords? My throat
doctor wasn't very familiar with the special needs of singers and
couldn't help me with this question. I have been advised by my voice
teacher to try vocal rest, which I haven't done yet. 2) Do you know
of any side effects of the nasal spray Flonase that would be of
concern to singers? I have noticed that I feel more drainage when I
use it and it would seem like this would only further aggravate my
vocal cords.
Emily Esther Rice, Oregon,
US
Dear Emily,
The first line of treatment
for allergies is a combination of topical intranasal steroid spray,
systemic antihistamines and immunotherapy (ie: "allergy shots").
Compliance with therapy over the long-term is important.
Persistence of post-nasal drip
while on treatment may signal the presence of sinusitis. Sinus
radiographs may be warranted. Switching to a non aqueous nasal spray
is sometimes useful in decreasing post-nasal drip. You should always
clear your throat of any residue of the nasal sprays by gargling
with salt water after their use.
Allergies can affect your
voice by the accumulation of tenacious secretions and swelling on
your vocal cords. While singing with slightly swollen vocal cords
you will note a decreased vocal range and a breathiness or fuzziness
in higher pitches. This may strain the vocal mechanism and injure
the vocal cords. Rest your voice every day. You should also consider
an evaluation for concomitant allergy induced asthma.
Dr. Chagnon
Françoise P. Chagnon is the
Director of the Voice Lab at the Montréal General Hospital
Version française... | 
