HI Chris,

Sorry to hear of your throat problems. Let me explain what happened to me. About 2 years ago I noticed my voice getting hoarse and this lasted about a month so went to the doctor who then referred me to the ENT dept at st Barts hospital in london where I had an endoscopy which didn't really show anything other than a slight soreness and what they thought was a polyp on my left vocal chord. I had some voice therapy and started taking medication for reflux as they thought this might be causing it. After that I had a couple more endoscopys as it wasn't improving and this year they decided to that an operation to remove the polyp was necessary and as a precaution they would send it to the lab to get it checked out, again they weren't expecting to find anything untoward. However when the result came back it was severe dysplasia ( T1 type cancer) This was obviously a great shock to me as I really wasn't expecting it as apart from the hoarse voice I felt completely well. They said it was very early and could be treated with 98 per cent success rate and that it was localised and had not gone anywhere else, which I was relieved about.

I had my first laser treatment about 2 weeks later and he actually lasered away the area of dysplasia and some healthy tissue around it just to make sure it had all gone. After the laser my throat felt sore like having mild tonsilitus and I was hoarse for about 10 days after which my voice came back almost like normal which I was surprised about, it was the first time I could speak properly for about a year, and I could even sing! Everyone noticed how much better it sounded. Just after this I got a call from the consultant to say the biopsys around the affected area were all clear and that they would keep an eye on me but hopefully it was sorted. During this time my voice was pretty good sometimes a little husky at the end of the day but ok. When I went for my monthly check up to my surprise and disappointment he said that it looked inflamed and put me on a weeks course of steroids and antibiotics which didn't really have much effect but my voice was still ok. When I saw him again he suggested having another laser treatment as he said it may have returned which obviously filled me with dread but he said it was quite common after this type of surgery. I had my last laser 15th dec again hoarse and sore for a week but by xmas eve my voice had returned almost back to normal. I got my result last week and he said there was a slight return on the surface but again all the surrounding areas are clear which he was pleased about and reassured me not to worry and that things were looking good.

I have mentioned several times about having to have radiotherapy as like your self I am not sure what this entails and from what i'd heard it wasn't something I was keen to embark on unless it was absolutely necessary. He said it didn't warrant radiotherapy and he thinks this can be treated by laser alone and that radiotherapy was something, as he put it, to be saved if I needed it later down the line, he also said I may never need it. I am slightly puzzled that if you have already been told you have severe dyspasia would they not have lasered it away when they did your biopsy? I know every case is different but it might be worth mentioning this to your consultant, and exploring that option rather than going for radiotherapy straight away as you may not need it. I know how frustrated you must feel not being able to talk properly,I had the same problem and it drove me mad, i'm a personal trainer so it made my job really difficult and made me feel really self conscious going out as everybody would say whats wrong with your voice? I think that once you get rid of the irritation caused by the dyslpasia your voice will improve as i can't believe how much better my voice is now than before the surgery. I hope this has ben some help to you and that it is not too long winded. I wish you all the best with your treatment and remember we are in sense lucky as it is an early stage and we are being monitored. If you have any other questions just ask.

Best Wishes

Andy

Hi Joeninty,

thanks for this. hope all is well with now.

Andy

Hi Marion,

Only just got your last msg sent on new years day. Thank you for thinking of me. I got my result from the last laser on jan 6th and he says there was a slight surface return of dysplasia which he lasered away and that the deeper biopsys he did were all clear which he says is looking good so fingers crossed, its ok. I wish you all the bset for 2010.

Andy x

Thanks Marion same to you too.

Hi Marion, Andy,

Firstly thanks for replies, it is nice to be in contact with people who have been through the same as I am going through now.

I got my results back on wednesday and thankfully the dysplasia has reduced to moderate from severe and the consultant was happy with this and also that the time between the last two procedures was nine months. They were being done every three months before this and also he commented that the growths were greatly reduced and not as angry as the previous ones. Hopefully this is all a continous move in the right direction. I am not due to see the consultant for 3 months so hopefully nothing will return in this time.

My voice is varying on a daily basis with it either being good or quite hoarse. The only thing which is dissapointing is that I struggle in crowded places. Hopefully this will improve over the coming weeks. Is this something you have come across whist recovering? I am so desperate to get my voice back to a good level. It is functional but not ideal.

Once again thanks for your replies. I will keep you posted of my progress.

Chris

Hi Chris

I'm so pleased that your results were good. The fact that your consultant is happy to see you every 3 months shows he's not too worried or he would want to see you sooner.

I used to panic about being in crowded places as you naturally speak a lot louder over background noise. I'm sure we've all been there - everything goes quiet and you realise you are shouting! When I'm in a noisy pub or if there's music playing, I get closer to the ear of the person I'm talking to, rather than shouting across people.

Try and look after your voice - drink plenty of water and try not to strain it. If you are very hoarse, then rest your voice for a couple of days and only speak when you really have to. Try and avoid long periods on the phone as you naturally talk louder than face to face.

As I mentioned before, my voice is better now after radiotherapy than when I had dysplacia but I used to vary between husky and barely audible depending on how much I had abused my voice over the weekend! Even now, my voice sometimes gets croaky and then I panic thinking the cancer's come back but I wait a couple of days and it goes back to normal again.

I wish you well and try not to worry (I know easier said than done)! Keep us posted.

Take care,

Marion x

HI Chris glad to hear your news, its good that you are being well monitered and it sounds like they are on top of the situation. Even though my voice is a lot better than it was I still sometimes have problems in crowds especially if there is loud music and I've had a few drinks my voice can sometimes go hoarse. Like marion I tend to get closer to people to and talk in to their ear if I can,usually my voice is ok when I get home. Sometimes it can be slightly difficult at work as I'm a personal trainer and work in a gym which can be quite noisy but again I find talking with your face to other person a little closer if they don't mind makes it easier. Real no no's for me are coffee as that tends to dry my voice out and it can become hoarse after 1 cup! Try and drink lots of water, and rest your voice as much as you can, I guess you know all this already. I have my next check up 10 feb so keeping my fingers crossed that all will be ok. All the best.

Andy

Marion, Andy,

Thanks once again for your repies. It is good to be able to be in communication with people who have had the same experiencies it really is a great help.

I will take on board both your comments regarding water as at the moment I am not drinking hardly any and am mainly on tea all day long with I am sure will dry it out. I have been advised not to drink in case it aggrevates the dysplasia until my next check up so I may go crazy and have a cordial or two next time I am out!!!!!

I hope that my voice returns to the levels both yours have as I am struggling at work at the moment as I have to hold a lot of meetings on construction sites so you can imagine the background noises I am up against. I think I have been pencilled in for some speech therapy in the the next couple of weeks so hopefully this also will have a positive effect. I think at the moment I may be expecting too much as it is only just over 3 weeks since my op so I would of thought they will still be swollen from the lasers.

Once again thanks and I will keep you posted.

Chris

Hi Andy

Just wanted to say good luck for your appointment on 10th Feb - what a coincedence, mine is the same day!! Let's post afterwards and compare notes?

Best Wishes

Marion x