I used to have a strong voice, having once participated in high school choir, sang opera in college, and achieved top levels in Toastmasters. Another example of “the older you get – the better you were.” (See Poetic Post #179). I’m retired from the broadcasting business, but was rarely on the air. In fact, once I disclosed my role on the advertising side of the business, it usually was the end of any conversation with a curious fan of the radio or TV station.  Disc Jockeys and on-air personalities are the stars of the media business – not managers and those behind the scenes.

I began to have voice problems after we moved to Austin, Texas. I developed some bad cedar allergies that led to an annoying cough, and began to take honey regularly to soothe the irritation in my throat. It’s also believed that ingesting honey made by bees from flowers and trees native to your area will act as an immune booster. Apparently, there was not enough honey in Texas to fight off the cedar pollen allergies that I experienced. After I began to lose my voice, I went to an ENT doctor who referred me to a specialist down in San Antonio. (See Post #401). It became difficult to do my job of communicating with clients in meetings and on the phone. It was also an hour-and-a-half drive one-way to San Antonio for my appointments with this doctor. After several visits, he diagnosed  a wart on my vocal cords, perhaps a result of all the coughing, and began laser treatments, voice therapy, and medication. The laser almost immediately cleared-up the problem, but the wart would stubbornly continue to grow back, and repetitive procedures began to take its toll on efforts to project my voice. In the process, I struggled with my job, quit Toastmasters, and my wife accepted a new position with her company to move to their TV station in Portland, Oregon.

One of the first things on my Portland to-do list was to seek medical attention. Admittedly, I was reluctant to try something new, but this new doctor recommended a CO2 treatment that literally freezes the wart off. Unlike the laser, I was not able to use my voice for a couple of weeks after the procedure, and I began to doubt the success. Instead, the problem has not reoccurred until recently, four years later. I found myself concerned that I would have to go through the surgery again, but my voice was once again growing weaker, to the point where people can’t hear what I say even though I feel like I’m scream-talking. As an old guy, I was also fearing that all the internal inspection would uncover other issues – “looks good on the outside, rusted out on the inside” (See Humorous Poetry Post #17)

Fortunately, I will not need the cryogenic procedure since the irritation is most likely the result of acid reflux. There is evidence of a callous on my vocal cord from previous surgeries, but medication should resolve most of the hoarseness associated with speaking. Without thinking, I quickly drove to Arby’s to celebrate with one of my favorites, a large Jamocha Shake. Predictably, it felt good going down but not so good coming-up this morning. I’ll be glad when the medication finally arrives so I can drink wine and eat ice cream without the heart-burn-like consequences. Sorry about getting too detailed on explaining this condition of being all choked up!