I have had a horrible bug with laryngitis for the last 5 weeks. My doctor is aware of it and said it can sometimes last for 6 weeks, but will look at ENT refferal if not.

On the positive side I think it is slowly starting to come back today however, when I gently try and sing a few notes it breaks abit And also when talking - still sounds abit croaky. I guess this is normal after several weeks of laryngitis!? I think I just need to be patient - just scary when you love singing and you can't! I will try all the tips you mentioned.

Thanks again. At September 24, at PM , Anonymous said I have a very croaky voice now but it is gradually getting better.. Thank you so much, Judy, for your kind comments back to us. I, too, have been hit by viral laryngitis. I direct movies and have to be on location in two days, and have been panicking that my voice won't follow me there.

Imagine directing actors and crew with no voice! I went to the hospital tonight and was prescribed prednisone pills, which I just took as directed. I hope my voice returns as soon as the doc said it would - she claims it should be back tomorrow!

If this turns out to be true, I'll be back here shortly to tell everyone the good news! Thank you so much for taking the time to teach us proper vocal cord care here on your blog, and for easing our fears at least mine about laryngitis! How scary and horrible this is! At October 4, at PM , Unknown said Hi Heather Hope your voice is better today. While you are directing your actors and crew, I would caution you to be careful not to push your speaking voice!

Hopefully you have a mic or megaphone! Best to talk in a clear, bell-like tone with no vocal fry. Re-injuring already compromised, healing vocal cords can greatly increase your vocal recovery time. Please do report in on your progress Take care! So cool to hear you are getting your voice back, Becky! As to being a bit nervous, that's a good thing if it keeps you from pushing your voice or working it too long too fast.

It's a bad thing if you start the counterproductive, tension building 'guarding' that I refer to in this article. If you need help, take a couple of vocal lessons with someone you trust. Keep us updated on your progress! At November 6, at AM , Rory said I developed a cough back at the end of August and had an important gig which I sang through, I didn't want to let anyone down.

After the gig I was sore and gave singing a rest, but the cough persisted, it was stopping me sleep. In the U. K our personal doctors don't work weekends but I had to see someone quick so saw an emergency Dr, who insisted I just had a cough and phlegm build up which would break down naturally. Well this didn't happen.

I eventually saw my own Dr, she believed the phlegm was producing so much because of an infection down the throat, i've had glandular fever in my time and couldn't feel any pain in my throat but knew myself something was wrong. So by attacking the infection the phlegm build up would stop, my Dr put me on antibiotics The problem I find myself in is that I know I can hit the high notes I am a rock singer btw but after about mins it breaks down and becomes raspy, but give it a minute rest I can belt it out again, then a few minutes later it breaks again.

The antibiotics worked, after a week rest and finished subscription, I went back to practice, it worked fine, a little out of practice but better than it had been for weeks. The cough is gone but I keep getting this phlegm build up when I sing, which really doesn't help.

I thought I was past this but my voice just isn't what it used to be. I am convinced it's something to do with the build up of rubbish in my throat because as I clear it I am ok again, at least until phlegm builds up again. FYI I play a lot of team sport and worried that shouting during this hasn't helped, also exercising in sport causes this excess phlegm which makes me cough it up - have I pulled something that I just haven't given enough time to heal or do I have an infection that hasn't been properly dealt with?

Just to be clear my throat doesn't hurt. My Dr has also suggested an inhaler if the problem isn't rectified. Thanks for any advise. At November 6, at AM , Unknown said Hi Rory… Thank you for your message. First of all, you must understand I am not a doctor, and can only guess at what you are dealing with. My thoughts for you: 1. Get another doc appointment to get a medical opinion as to whether the infection has completely cleared up.

You really need to do this. Lots of times excessive phlegm has allergic causes. You may need to do some detective work and figure out if and what you are allergic to. Then avoid it!! You may be one of those people who do well with the Neti Pot nasal wash. If your outdoor sports activity gets you in touch with your allergens, you'll have to deal with that. May be some decisions you need to make about what's important here.

Make sure you are hydrated enough. More water may thin out your mucous for best workings of your vocal cords. Diluted pineapple juice really may help you as well. Warm them up gently and with perfect form when you do your vocalizes. I recommend NOT pushing your voice. I call it pulling your voice instead of pushing. At November 16, at PM , Anonymous said HI, I just found your site and I'm really worried!

I have a major audition tomorrow that I definitely can't back out of. Today and yesterday I stayed home and have barely talked. All of yesterday and the day before I could only talk in a quiet low raspy voice.

Today I have been off and on; there are moments where I can talk a little and moments where it's as bad as before. Sorry for the essay but I just wanted to know what I could do to be able to sing for tomorrow.

After that I will be able to get a nice long rest. Thank you so much! At November 16, at PM , Unknown said Sorry you're having voice trouble! Hydrate today big time. Do those easy exercises I've listed. Tomorrow, bring cans of Dole pineapple juice to mix with water and drink right before audition. The pineapple soothes throat tissues and makes them feel more hydrated. Try it out today if you can. I have a free 5 pg report with lots of other tips you can get by signing up to my newsletter on my home paged.

Good luck! At November 26, at PM , Laura said I keep loosing my voice, for the last 5 yrs.. I currently have had no voice.. WHEN will I ever get my voice back? Just finishing up with med's from doc. He said it is Laryngitis JUST want to talk! I miss talking to my 9 year old daughter and husband.. At November 26, at PM , Unknown said Laura, I feel for you I always also recommend trying to get at the core of your seasonal issues.

I'd research everything; usually an integrative approach works best with both mainstream medical docs and alternative health practitioners. The bottom line is, find out the cause of the mucous and inflammation this season seems to cause you. And don't rush your healing. You'll lose your voice longer if you try to get it back when it's still inflamed.

I will try the diluted pineapple juice. Recommending this to any singer Ill report back hopefully with good news :. At December 9, at AM , Vix said Judy, I went to the E. The doctor prescribed antibiotics for ten days. My tonsils are swollen and said it was laryngitis. It hurts to talk and to swallow anything.

I can't due to the pain I get from swallowing saliva as I attempt to sleep. I'm a singer and illness' like this worry me. Anything to alleviate the pain of swallowing? I haven't been able to eat or sleep well in the past five days and counting. I think what caused my case of laryngitis was having screamed horribly and woke up the next day with my throat sore. Was already experiencing feeling the need to clear my throat also.

Help please. Dear Victoria; sounds like you are having a singer's nightmare. Glad you went to the doc and got some antibiotics. Yes, screaming can make a raw throat susceptible to pathogens floating by looking for an embed opportunity. I am not a doctor, please note that your docs advice is what you need to heed, but I'd confidently suggest a couple of things: Do go on voice rest.

Don't sing, don't even talk if you can help it, til your infection has gone. Warm or room temp is fine. Try using a neti pot before bed and getting up in the morning. You may find that it dilutes the irritating secretions going down the back of your throat and eases those tissues. My very best wishes for your speedy recovery, and until then, be wise and rest your voice til it's time to start working it back into shape, and you should be fine. At January 17, at PM , Greiana said I lost my voice about 4 weeks ago due to laryngitis for the first time ever!

It was so horrible! But since it was during Christmas, I probably talked a bit more than I should have and drank a little too much Martinelli's instead of water : Now it's been about 4 weeks and my speaking voice is normal, but I'm still having some problems singing in my higher range.

It doesn't seem to be coming back as strong as before. Now of course I'm worried. Is this normal or should I seek out an ENT? I've never lost my voice before I'm 27 so this whole ordeal is something new. I also teach and lead music for my church so I'm wondering if I should just take a few days and rest my voice? Thanks so much! Great blog and great advice for someone who is new to this experience!

Yes, when you experience some major inflammation in the vocal cords it can feel like forever getting it back in shape. That's why I wrote this post. Your inability to sing high is indeed a symptom that swelling is still there, however it is probably just from a lack of toning up.

Imagine an arm muscle that stopped working out for a while. That muscle is flabby and can't do as much as it could. You carefully work it out again and as the muscle tone comes back, so does the ability.

Same with your vocal cords. If however you begin easy vocal exercises, done with correct form, and your voice experiences strain or pain, stop and consider getting 'scoped' - best done by a specialized ENT at a voice clinic. Note that it's common to experience the 'helium effect' that I've mentioned in this post, but NOT pain - and your voice should feel better and stronger the next day. If not, you either exercised wrong or too strenuously, or your cords are still infected.

So yes, take some voice rest, chill out and then get to work:. At February 25, at AM , Unknown said Hi; tThanks for signing up for this blog. To get the 5 page report, you sign up for my newsletter. Food poisoning, eh?!! Quick tips: Steam your throat breathe deep in shower, over hot water bowl, etc , get your body more alkaline by eating lots of non-starchy fresh and steamed vegetables — also detox vegetable broth, do the neti pot to soothe throat tissues.

No black tea… drink soothing herb teas, ginger tea. Cayenne pepper is a mucous membrane healer while black pepper is not. Good luck… sign up for the newsletter yourself from this website or send your email address to me at judy judyrodman. At February 26, at PM , Anonymous said Hi, Judy! I have a question about the laryngitis I've been going through. I caught the flu at the beginning of February that got pretty close to being pneumonia.

Luckily, I went to a doctor before it got that bad, but about a week later I lose my voice. It got so bad that I started sounding like Wolf Man Jack or an old blues singer. This amused my friends and I greatly, and I spoke in that voice a lot more than was prudent. Now it's about two weeks later, and although my normal speaking voice is back, I still haven't gotten back my higher singing ranges or my falsetto.

I'm concerned I may have done permanent damage to my throat, so my question is how long does it take for a voice to completely come back from a really bad case? If it doesn't come back by the end of the week, I'm seriously considering going back to see my doctor. At February 27, at PM , Unknown said If you can choose not to sing at all Then carefully apply what I've suggested in this post.

It may very well take 2 or 3 weeks to get your voice back fully. But if by a week it's not better, I would indeed go to a doc, and if possible, a voice clinic. One of the reddest flags pointing to vocal strain or damage that I know of is that of is not being able to make your head voice work. That means your vocal folds cords are swollen.

If you are careful, and there is no active infection or fully formed nodes or polyps, you can often just gently work your voice out and reduce the swelling. Care is key. Let me know how it goes for you! At March 12, at PM , Anonymous said Thanks for the advice!

It's been about a month now since I lost my voice, and my regular speaking voice has come back fully. There are still certain gaps in my range that I'm missing, and I can't do my falsetto at all, but they seem to be trying to come back, if only very slowly. I spoke to one of my theater professors, and he said he once lost his voice and it took almost 8 months for it to come back all the way!

I hope it doesn't take that long, as I really love to sing and do funny voices. It sounds silly, but it makes life more fun. I did go see my doctor, and he gave me some pills for allergies I had a lot of mucous buildup, though I don't think that was the problem.

However, I recently went to see him due to a somewhat serious allergic reaction I was having to some skin-care product I was using, and he gave me some steroids that seem to be helping both the reaction and my voice, so fingers crossed I'll be back to normal soon!

At March 13, at PM , Unknown said Very happy to her you're better. If you continue to have trouble, do consider some vocal training. It shouldn't take 8 months for any voice to come back all the way! At March 16, at PM , Anonymous said Hi Judy, I am a professional singer and have the biggest audition of my life on Mar. Today is the 16th.

I developed laryngitis on Fri. My speaking voice returned on Tues and Wed I carefully warmed up and did another big audition I had. Today is the first I have sung since. I feel a bit like I'm singing through a sock. Could this just still be the recouperating from the laryngitis?? I sang beautifully on Wed. I can sing scales up and down using my full range with no dysphonia, but when I'm trying to sing the actual music I feel this singing through a sock feeling.

My cords feel a little fatigued after just singing 3 songs. I'm starting to worry. Please let me know yours thoughts. Thanks so much!!! Hi Anonymous. OK here's the thing Lots of times when we experience the fear that accompanies laryngitis for a singer, we assume unknowingly a guarded stance, which tightens the throat and compromises breath control and often moves articulation too far towards the jaw. Things just don't work right. This guarding behavior can be quite subtle.

A tightening of the upper cheekbones squinting , shoulders, tongue, neck, ribcage, spine. I experienced this first hand many years ago and it took a professional coach to rid me of it. If you can, touch base with your vocal coach to get to the core of the problems you're having. If you'd like to do a lesson with me, contact me at judy judyrodman. Pull, don't push your voice, get your power coming from the pelvic floor instead of your ribcage.

Keep up with the hydration and let me know what you find helpful and how you fare! At March 30, at PM , Anonymous said Hi Judy, I have always loved singing and for the last 30 years have mainly done choral, classical singing as well as playing the sax and clarinet. I have been finding the transition hard but was doing well up until a few weeks ago.

Suddenly I started to sound more "choral" again and my throat was painful after rehearsals despite being careful. I also found I was clearing my throat more. I saw my Gp a few days ago after a really bad rehearsal where my ears also felt strange. I asked for how long and he just said till I feel better and gave me an inhaler and ibuprofen to bring the swelling down.

I dont have a sore throat or hoarse voice but do feel completely wiped out. How am I supposed to work out when to try singing again without the "classic" laryngitis symptoms?

At March 30, at PM , Unknown said DO NOT try to do vocal exercise, sing or even talk much when you are feeling wiped out. You just will NOT be able to control your air pressure and you will end up inevitably over-blowing your vocal cords.

Have patience; wait til you feel your physical stamina is back. It's hard enough to do what you already know how to do, much less try to learn something new when your stamina is sub par. When you do start back, re-read this blogpost and you may find some help to keep you safe as you build your voice back. And do consider getting a vocal coach to help you change your style from classical to contemporary.

There are lots of issues that need navigation there. At April 5, at PM , Anonymous said Hello again, I was the guy who was sick with the flu and lost his voice. My falsetto is coming back now in bits and pieces. I can hit some of my higher notes, but my low notes still cut out, and overall it's just not as strong or consistent as it used to be.

I've described it as a "goose going through puberty. I'm very pleased it's coming back, but I'm still a little worried that it may never come back all the way. And unfortunately, I lost my job recently so a trip to an ENT doctor is a luxury I can't afford at the moment. At April 14, at PM , Anonymous said Hi I am a cantor music songleader for my church and I have to cantor this weekend.

I got sick with sinus infection about one month ago and now I can only sing in my very low range. I am a Soprano one and I have none of those notes. I have been struggling with the loss of my voice for about one month now. I am getting so worried about it as I enjoy my ministry and have been singing my entire life.

Do you think that this could be laryngitis or could this be more serious? I really cant afford to go to a bunch of specialists to figure out what the problem is.

Is there any natural remedies I can use to get my voice back? I can sing but it is very breathy and my high range of my voice cuts in and out constantly. When I speak I am a little hoarse but I talk just fine. I know that there is no quick solution but can you suggest somethings that I can do to aid my voice coming back. Dear Anonymous I know how it feels to have singing be a huge part of my life and lose my voice for a long time. Some forms of laryngitis caused by croup or epiglottitis can be dangerous to children because of potential respiratory blockage.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, is a potential cause of laryngitis. GERD is the more serious and frequent form of gastroesophageal reflux, commonly called acid reflux. In gastroesophageal reflux, stomach contents come up into your esophagus. When acid reflux occurs you may taste a bitter fluid in your throat or get heartburn.

Vigorous and intense exercise and activities that involve bending over and creating abdominal pressure may aggravate GERD, leading to laryngitis and other health problems. Depending on the symptoms associated with your laryngitis, exercise may or may not be okay.

The American College of Sports Medicine advises that exercise is usually fine if your symptoms are above the neck, like nasal congestion and minor throat irritation.

Assuming you have run-of-the-mill, short-term laryngitis, what can you do? Here are 7 solutions. Heal your whole body with Rodale's day liver detox for total body health.

Along with singers and those who must speak loudly for their jobs, some people may experience laryngitis simply because of the shape or anatomy of their throat and skull, Comer says. Whatever the cause of your worn-out vocal cords, resting your voice is one of the best ways to relieve laryngitis, he says. Just don't whisper. Drinking fluids and keeping your throat hydrated and lubricated is important for a quick recovery, Comer says.

Water is best. Skip anything with caffeine, which can dehydrate you, he adds. Also, don't drink soda , which can cause or worsen the kinds of acid reflux issues that can lead to laryngitis. Allergies —whether to pets, pollen, or peanuts—can lead to throat irritation and inflammation, which could result in laryngitis, Comer says. If you experience laryngitis every few weeks or months and you're not sure why, taking your allergy meds and avoiding your allergy triggers could help, he adds.

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Too Sick to Sweat? When you're feeling genuinely under the weather, does activity help or hurt? By Sheryl Kraft. Red light: Go home and rest When you have a temperature of Yellow light: Proceed with caution When you have a headache. Green light: Continue with a moderate workout When you have a cold but no fever; with symptoms "above the neck" runny or stuffy nose, sneezing or sore throat without a persistent or hacking cough.