JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Microphone and Vocalist Forum Rare disease & nerves

OK, So I got your attention just because the title seemed so odd...I am a singer with a problem that drives me nuts when I perform and moreso when I record. I have always suffered from post-nasal drip. I never knew what it was, just this nagging urge to clear my throat often. Recently an ENT discovered a rare but quite serious Sphenoid disease. The sphenoid is a sinus that sits right in front of your brain, deep in the center of your head. A CT scan showed that left sphenoid was completely blocked, no air inside....it should be all air! Well, upon going to Boston to find the best surgeon for this very risky surgery (because of the proximity to the brain, occipital nerve and carotid artery) I asked him about something I had read while researching that concerned me...it said that the surgery I needed posed a risk to vocal quality and for singers to beware. When I asked him if my resonance would be damaged, he said, if anything it would improve. So as scary as it all was, I had the surgery in October. It was a slow and difficult recovery, yet not much changed. At follow-up he said it was only 50% successful and I need to do it again. Ugh! ANYWAY, this is leading somewhere...when I sing or record and if I get nervous,mainly because of thinking, "I have to get this just right...", this drainage/clearing my throat thing gets worse. It builds and then makes it very difficult to perform. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? And have you found any sort of remedy?

Hello,
Analyzing what is written makes me wonder if you had a precision allergy test performed. Allergies can cause all sorts of irritations like runny nose, inflamed sinus, weakness, shortness of breath et cetera.

Allergies can be from food/drinks, air particles/pollution, chemicals cleaners perfumes... needless to say I could not possibly list all the possible things you might be allergic to.

Seems the doctors and other specialists would have caught the condition if it was something as simple as an allergy. But the highly paid specialists like to "milk the money out of a situation" or "use a sledge hammer when a mere tack hammer will do" just because they get caught up in the more specialized work = more specialized pay syndrome.

This may sound somewhat redundant but I hope you are taking a daily vitamin... which boosts the immune system... wards of ailments... and doing other good things that promote good health.

Anyway if someone uses a chesty voice to sing with... that probably won't noticably change their sound/tone much by having the sinus cavities worked on... on the other hand if someone routinely sings "in the mask" a lot, than yes altering the sinus cavities could make their sound/tone less than satisfactory... there is a small chance that it could improve though..

Hope this helps more the henders the situation, S.L.

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"digging deep in the verbal sludge of society, for the gems of interest"

Sometimes while warming up in my highest head register, my sinuses will drain from resonating areas that obviously had some fluid...but not to the degree you describe.

I find that if I continue to warm up, it eventually stops and is completely clear. Have you tried a long warm up?

Past few years Flonase has helped me big time thru the pollen season. I do a lot of troat clearing too. Makes you good at 'working' the mike. My prayers go with you in this thing.

Peace,
Slick

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