Are any of you singers?

Yes - I had to drop out of one rehearsal schedule and performance recently.  I WAS a soprano, then put myself in the Altos, then dropped out altogether.  It is quite a bit better now and I am singing again, but not too much, and I don't have my top range.  I'm hopeful it will continue to improve.  So what has helped?  To be honest I'm not sure.  I've been taking PPIs since February, I find Manuka honey very soothing, I'm gargling and drinking alkalised water.  Also, having recently been to see a chest and respiratory specialist, I am using an anti-inflammatory puffer 4 times a day (Seretide 125) and my 'LPR' symptoms are greatly improved.  I went to see him as asthma-type attacks had become the most troublesome thing for me.  Now I'm beginning to wonder if I've really had LPR?  My cough has nearly gone and I'm doing much less throat clearing.  Throat still feels 'coated' and the voice is still a bit affected.  This may not be relevant to you but I pass on my experience in case it is of interest.  I read this forum avidly from the winter onwards and have felt very down at times but feel a lot better now so it's probably worth recording.  I just hope it lasts and continues!

Oh dear. The bad news is that acid reflux and he meds I was prescribed for it have  ruined my singing voice because my GP and subsequent hospital speciaists cannot fix it for me. 

During tests they found I had high blood pressure which they pounced on as important, and the tablets I was given (as I have only just found out) actually cause a dry persistant cough.  I have had it for 15 YEARS so please insist that this is fully investigated as I fear I shall never have the pleasure of singing in public again.  I am devastated but console myself it isn't life threatening.

Don't let it happen to you!

Hi,

I'm not a professional singer but I did used to sing a lot and like you, I can't anymore which makes me really sad. I also can't read like I used to and sing to my children because my voice gives out. I miss that so much. I'm a teacher and it affects my job, too but as much as I worry about straining my voice, I have to keep working. I'm about to buy some Manuka honey and have made lots of changes to my diet. I'm hoping this might help and that I might get my voice back someday.

Take care,

mo

Used to belong to a choir and had bad problems - seemed to be sinus and ears, lost my voice and much else.  Had an operation on my nose and the voice is ok now (the op was to remove bits of bone and skin so I could breath easier) but now keep getting problems with my stomach - ears - headaches etc, which can be awful. Taking pp2s but not sure they are a good idea or that they help anymore. Have been reading about acid and alkaline etc and considering giving this a go.

Living in the UK everything is different and doctors do not believe in or have knowledge of nutrition and diet, with them it's all about tablets for symptoms with causes and prevention of no interest.

Hi there,

One of the things I hate about seeing the doctor is that they always think they know yet they have studied very little if nothing about the side effects - especially long term - of the various things they are quick to prescribe or how nutrition etc can play a part for good or for bad.  This is how things are with me now.

But it has taken years. I am a lot older than you. But when mine started it was my nose and it seemed to be only the nose like bad sinus with polyps always growing. These would regularly be shrunk by polyps and I was given anti biotics about once every month or so. In those days I blindly did as I was told thinking the doctor knew it all. But every time the pollyps grew back and I started to worry this could not go on forever and researched steroids and antibiotics and as horrified by what I read.  Then my doctor changed and my new doctor went on about how it was bad to take steroids - which was the total opposite of the previous one.

So I started to eat less salt, less sugar, more vegetables, less processed and refined food. I dont drink or smoke anyway.  And I took a multi vitamin each day. In those days when my head was bad it was awful and I would cry with the pain of how much it throbbed and totally took over the whole of my head and filled my ears.  Yet if you said to someone you had a sinus problem they would not understand why you felt so bad or were depressed!    I felt too ill to go out or do anything.  But I did gradually get better and eventualy my ears were empty again and I felt quite well.  Till a few years later I got it again and had to take antibiotics and steroids again.  It went away but then I had stomach ulcers immediately after. I am certain these were as a result of the antibiotics and steroids but the doctor will not see or admit to this.  I took pp1s but had a bad reaction to them. Then after abit stopped taking them and stomach ok.  But got bad headaches all the time.  The doctor would not connect anything which drove me mad. I often had to research things and suggest medicine or ideas to him.    Then I was put on cimetidine for the stomach and quite by chance found the headaches went away, which was wonderful, so I was keen to continue with them.  But I tried to stop taking them and next thing I new I had a glass of orange juice and it sorted of rushed up into my head and into my ear and has been there ever since. This was about a month ago.  One doctor says it is sinus and the orange juice thing is coincidence (I don;'t accept that) the other agrees with me that it is acid coming up and orange juice is very acidic. So now I am trying to work out the best thing to do.   A

Yes, I also sing in a choir. Sometmes it is really difficult. I went to a group session run by a speech therapist (NHS) who gave some good advice. Drink plenty of water and avoid clearing your throat - more easily siad than done! Do try and keep singing.

 

Sorry - I see admin has deleted my last message - it was possibly because I'd sent you a link to another webpage which I thought might be helpful.

I can only think that doctors are taught to put everything into catagories .... ie - this patient has acid reflux (prescribe XXX medecine), this patient has a bowel problem (prescribe YYY medecine) and so on - but they never see the whole picture and consider that one medication might react against the other as its one patient they're dealing with - not two (although it may be two illnesses).

Have you looked at your medication and noted any inter-reactions that may have made matters worse? 

I've been waiting 2 weeks for an appointment to discus this issue with my GP, so I'll let you know on Tuesday when it finally comes round.  Lets see If I get any joy!