Thursday, July 5, 2007

Scan and voice

Tomorrow I will have my next CT scan to see whether anything has happened since the last one. If it is different, I assume I get the privilege of another PET scan. I'm not sure whether I will get the results tomorrow or Monday. Please pray that Jessica and I will continue to trust God as we await the outcome - and that it's a good one!

I also saw the speech therapist again yesterday and learned a few more things. First, I found that my left vocal cord is paralysed in a paramedial position (partially 'on', rather than fully 'off' as I had thought) and this is why my voice has returned to the level that it has (i.e. more than nothing, less than it was). Second, she very kindly invited me to a workshop she is organising for speech therapists to watch a world-famous voice teacher work with some of her patiences (one of whom will be me!). So I get a free consultation with a lady who normally charges over $200. The only price is that I'll have twenty therapists watching me as I do so. And third, I found that if I do end up having surgery on my larynx, this would involve the insertion of a bioplastic wedge to jam my left chord more fully on (rather than a collagen injection as I had previously thought). Compared to the injection, this sounds like a more uncomfortable procedure (a local anathestic while they cut your neck open; they need you awake so you can be testing your voice as they do it!); however, the injection needs to be repeated every few months, while this procedure would be permanent. Either option might only have a marginal effect on my voice (or none at all), though if I'm going to use my voice for a living, this could be worth it.

2 comments:

Justin said...

PLeading on your behalf, Byron.

byron smith said...

Thanks! About to head in now.