Note to all parents - The Danger of Nodules on the Vocal Chords
I received this e mail from Matthew Barrass`s mum recently and she has agreed to let me post it to the web site as a warning to other parents of what to watch out for and as an encouragement to be persistant.
Vocal nodules can form like knots on the vocal chords of anyone at any age (including children) if they over- exert their voices repeatedly - often in the case of boys by shouting in the playground or at football. Teachers are other prime sufferers because they have to repeatedly to project their voices. Singers also suffer if they use the wrong techniques and do not warm up their voices properly before they start (WHICH IS WHY I NAG IN PARENT NEWSLETTERS ABOUT CHILDREN NOT BEING LATE TO STAGECOACH AND CONSEQUENTLY MISSING OUT ON VOCAL WARM UPS AT THE START OF A SINGING CLASS)
We have had two parents lately who we have spoken to because of the worry that their children`s voices were damaged and we asked them both to get a medical check. In both cases the specialists doubted that there was anything the matter but in both cases when the children were looked at under anaesthetic it was found that they had nodules which then had to be removed. I have included Mrs Barrass` e mail below for your information.
Trudy, a while ago we had a conversation about Matthew`s voice problems and you told me about another Stagecoach boy, Aaron who had experienced a similar thing. You gave me the phone number of his parents. I spoke to the Aaron’s father, Gary. I found this helpful as Aaron and Matthew’s stories sounded similar. He said the same as you - “don’t be fobbed off” After I spoke to Gary I did as much research as I could on the subject of Nodules and Polyps, the symptoms and the treatment. I made another appointment with the consultant. This wasn’t easy as the he didn’t seem convinced that there was any real problem. I made it clear that I wanted Matthew examined again, this time under general anaesthetic so he could get a proper look. Yesterday Matthew had 4 nodules surgically removed from his larynx and is recovering at home. He can’t speak at all for 3 days, and can’t sing for 6 weeks and he’ll receive speech therapy. I just wanted to thank you for your concern and interest in Matthew and for putting me in touch with Gary Chilton. We are now looking forward to Matthew getting tone and clarity back in his voice and having many more happy moments performing at Stagecoach!
I think it’s important for parents to know about this. For many months Matthew was having trouble singing. It seemed like he was always losing his voice, then a day or two later it would return, only to go again the next week. He was quite often straining to speak and would be out of breath and husky. Then suddenly he’d be okay for a few days. The point I would make is that previous to this, Matthew’s voice was perfectly normal. Gradually over the months it deteriorated. Matthew was losing his confidence in his voice and I noticed he was miming the words at a school choir concert recently. The GP thought he had asthma and gave him an inhaler. It’s such a relief that Matthew can work towards having a normal voice again.
Thank you Mrs Barrass for this information. It is very useful indeed and I am glad that Matthew and Aaron got the treatment they needed. Nodules when diagnosed do not always need surgery and can sometimes be treated with complete vocal rest.