Ever become voiceless?

KindGrind · Post by **KindGrind** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:40 am

Long story short, I've been off work all summer and now I've been back to work for 2 weeks. Yesterday I woke up and could only speak faintly. I went to work (I'm a high school teacher) and by noon I couldn't speak at all. Woke up today and things are the way they were yesterday. Good thing I don't have classes today... If I were in another line of work I wouldn't be preocupated, but obviously I have to speak quite a bit at work. This is the first time this ever happens to me, and it's not the result of an intense hangover or anything.

Question is, did this ever happen to you? Often? Any tricks to bring it back? Input appreciated, as always!

Lordstar · Post by **Lordstar** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:48 am

hard to tell
try lemon juice and then drink water. The lemon tightens the vocal cords and water just cleans everyhting else away.

I mean does your throat feel dry oe is it congested and full of mucus? does it hurt to speak or it just does not speak at all?

KindGrind · Post by **KindGrind** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 11:53 am

Does't hurt when I don't try to speak louder than a whisper. I had lemon juice in mind for some reason, thanks for bringing that up!

Lordstar · Post by **Lordstar** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 12:11 pm

and water! that will just lubricate your throat and help the healing process since it sounds like you have strained your voice somehow. You sleep talk? I used to sleep talk really bad to the point where i would scream in my sleep i would wake up with a fucked throat like I hade been drinking in a karaoke bar all night

Diabollokus · Post by **Diabollokus** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 12:13 pm

See a doctor, could be a virus I've not seen this before. Theres always a reason.

KindGrind · Post by **KindGrind** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 12:59 pm

If by Sunday there's no improvement I'll definitely see one.

@Lordstar: I don't sleeptalk... don't think so anyways!

Ozymandiaz1260 · Post by **Ozymandiaz1260** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 1:22 pm

It happened to me once when I was like 9 or 10, I could barely whisper and if I tried to talk normally I would just start coughing uncontrollably. It was laryngitis... I went to the doctor, took some antibiotics, ate a bunch of popsicles, and it was gone in three days. That article says it could last a lot longer though, so it probably is a good idea to go to a doctor.

JBC · Post by **JBC** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 2:13 pm

Once i read a story about a guy who had his skin pigment altered to live as a black man for a short time in order to see things from a different perspective. I thought about it alot and decided to see how differently people treat you when they think you are mute.

I spent about 3 days doing this. People were very nice to me but alot of them spoke with a tone i didn't like, as if i were a child or mentally challenged. I'd imagine that must be a pretty common and irritating occurrence for mutes.

I've also lost my voice from metal vocals a few times. I threw it out singing a Wintersun song for about a week and couldn't sing properly for almost two months afterword.

Pixel_Outlaw · Post by **Pixel_Outlaw** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:47 pm

I have lost my voice for about 2 weeks. Also it took about 2 months before I was back to 100%.

Daigohji · Post by **Daigohji** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 6:45 pm

Could be throat polyps. IIRC they're caused by straining your voice, which could be applicable since you're a teacher and presumably need to project your voice. Then again, that was only the first thing that came to mind because it was in Trauma Centre...

captpain · Post by **captpain** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:18 pm

This has happened to like everybody ever

Do you ever go outside?

KindGrind · Post by **KindGrind** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:56 pm

I know this isn't uncommon, just asked out of curiosity, that's all.

Pixel_Outlaw · Post by **Pixel_Outlaw** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 9:21 pm

If you have laryngitis there is nothing you can do about it.

Ruldra · Post by **Ruldra** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:37 am

Is it normal having your voice strained after speaking non-stop for 5 minutes? Because that's what happens to me. I start coughing like mad if I speak for that long without short breaks.

Lordstar · Post by **Lordstar** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:43 am

Ruldra wrote:Is it normal having your voice strained after speaking non-stop for 5 minutes? Because that's what happens to me. I start coughing like mad if I speak for that long without short breaks.

you should try breathing between words and sentences.

captpain · Post by **captpain** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:58 am

Is it normal to start spraying gallons of blood out of your mouth after you speak for more than 30 seconds?

Ruldra · Post by **Ruldra** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 1:35 am

Lordstar wrote:you should try breathing between words and sentences.

Hey, when I said 'non-stop', I didn't mean it that way

Think of it as, if I was a teacher, I'd strain my voice 10-15 minutes after class started.

Neon · Post by **Neon** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 1:38 am

circuitface wrote:I've also lost my voice from metal vocals a few times. I threw it out singing a Wintersun song for about a week and couldn't sing properly for almost two months afterword.

This is almost, but not quite as awesome as the kool-aid guy picture.

I approve of this post

tekneekz · Post by **tekneekz** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 5:07 am

this is pretty common, (lost of voice), some ppl have it for days some for a week or so,ive had it twice before which lasted about 2 days, its like when u try to talk your throat tightens up and all u can do is whisper. dont stress over it much, if u talk alot ull get it once in a blue moon.

zap · Post by **zap** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:42 am

Got this once when I was a kid, had to stay home from school so rented Tomb Raider II to play on the PSX!

When I was back in school I hadn't recover completely. When it was my turn to talk to teacher said "hey you gotta speak louder", I was like "fuck u too"

And a friend got it last week.

Jockel · Post by **Jockel** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 12:21 pm

Neon wrote:
circuitface wrote:I've also lost my voice from metal vocals a few times. I threw it out singing a Wintersun song for about a week and couldn't sing properly for almost two months afterword.
This is almost, but not quite as awesome as the kool-aid guy picture.

I approve of this post

oO i shouted about 2 hours at band rehearsals a few times, but always recovered in like 2 days.
BTW the music was uber-crap xD
Imagine Amusement Parks on Fire instrumental mixed with Nasum vocals.
Man, i totally didn't fit in there. They should have played some proper grindcore

trivial · Post by **trivial** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 3:46 pm

Never strained the cords to the point where I couldn't speak. Having met several people with traches in the course of my clinical practice, I have absolutely no sympathy for people who just shouted and smoked too much with an upper respiratory infection. I would encourage them to try journalling their urgent requests, if I didn't suspect they were also illiterate.

Kum-ba-ya.

Nate · Post by **Nate** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 6:54 pm

WebMD calls the condition "aphonia". I had it a couple of years ago for about a day and a half. I'd never had it before that in all my 34 years.

I don't know how it's caused. I remember not wanting to gargle for fear that the liquid would have no vibration keeping it up and thusly having an ounce or two of liquid slipping into my lungs and drowning myself...funny notion, I know; but what makes the gargle effect happen? The air coming from your lungs, or the vibration of your voice?

Just give it a day and your voice will come back. Rest.