<p>I have been doing a lot of recording lately and I've noticed a fuzzy quality about my voice. When practicing my ballad my highest notes sound like mucus is stuck in them, and on my up tempo (which resides in a fairly high range the entire time) sounds fuzzy. I'm recording with my Apple computer, which usually has good quality recording, and I'm wondering if this is a sympton for nodes?</p>
<p>I got checked in July after freaking out about my voice and there was absolutely no problem, so I would really like to hear from all of you before running off to pay 100 bucks to be told I'm Just Fine.</p>
<p>My voice doesn't feel tired after practicing, and I can't necessarily notice the "fuzz" sound until it's played back to me. Could this just be the quality of my voice, excess mucus in my throat, or SOMETHING? </p>
<p>This is the "mucus" time of year. My D's throat has felt "gunky" for weeks now and it affects her high notes. Have you tried a Neti pot or sinus rinse? If it's allergy related, that will help. Do that and take Mucinex - get the generic - and see if that helps. Some people find that cutting back on dairy helps. Get some pineapple juice too.</p>
<p>Do you know if Mucinex dries out the throat? I remember my voice teacher telling me one type of anti-mucus product caused the throat to dry.</p>
<p>And what about clearling the throat on audition day? I NEVER clear my throat normally, but would this benefit me during auditions? To clear away any of the fuzziness?</p>
<p>Coach C who posts here recommends Mucinex so I don't think it dries the throat - there is one that adds another medication that is not recommended - it has initials in the name. Perhaps that one is drying. I'm not sure about clearing the throat - I know my D's voice teacher doesn't recommend doing it repeatedly. Perhaps a soft gargle with warm salt water or water and lemon will accomplish the same thing.</p>
<p>As I recall, just plain Mucinex doesn't dry out the throat. If you get Mucinex DM or something of the sort, it contains Antihistamine which dries out your throat, so STAY AWAY FROM THOSE. Just make sure whatever you take doesn't contain antihistamine</p>
<p>someone on one this forum mentioned getting a personal steamer which I promptly ran out and bought. My D developed something that affected her voice--it was mucousy and allergy-like as she had no sore throat or was not congested. She was hoarse and just couldn't sing. She loaded up on Mucinex (plain NOT DM), Sudafed Xtra Strength (the real behind the counter stuff) Throat Coat tea and steamed and steamed. She didn't talk for most of the day and by the next afternoon she was able to audition with no problems.
Her ENT tells her to take 6 Mucinex a day, not what is listed on the label. Also, a former voice teacher told her to gargle with a mixture of apple cider vinegar and hot water when her voice is fuzzy. I don't remember the proportions, but maybe someone else knows this concoction. It may have had honey in it too.</p>
<p>The "fuzz" is a result of something - not simply the natural quality of your voice. It could be mucus, some technique roadblock that's developed, or a problem with your vocal folds. There's no way to no that without getting your vocal folds looked at (and having medical voice experts who also know singing voices listen to your sound a take your history), and while I definitely understand you not wanting to spend money idly, this is obviously really bothering you. Even without feeling vocal strain, it's risky to try a lot of home remedy suggestions without being followed medically, too. Remember that nothing you swallow, such as tea, etc., touches your vocal folds at all, so while those things soothe your THROAT (which can be important if your throat feels dry or sore), only the steamer and Mucinex will truly help at the level of your vocal folds. Sudafed is really drying, so I'd stay away from that if you aren't really congested. And drinks TONS of water, b/c that helps thin your mucus (when it's metabolized). </p>
<p>If you do go to see a laryngologist - which I definitely recommend - PM me and tell me where you live and I'll give you a recommedation about who to see. You want to see someone who is TRAINED to help professional voice users, not simply someone who may happen to see singers but doesn't really keep up with the latest clinical advances in laryngology.</p>
<p>Hi -
I was recently diagnosed with nodules. I'm not a medical professional, but I can at least give you a little perspective on this. I know it's expensive, but if you really feel like something is off, you should go see an ENT or a larygologist. My voice teacher couldn't hear anything, and neither could my choir director. I even had another voice teacher listen to me, and she couldn't hear anything either. But I really felt like something was wrong, so I went with my gut and saw an ENT, and as it turns out, I did have nodes. So, in my opinion, see someone if you think something's wrong - your peace of mind will be well-worth the money it costs to see the doctor.</p>
<p>From my experience, the biggest clue about the presence of nodes is the reduced ease of onset.....in other words, it takes more breath effort/flow/attack to get the cords to start vibrating/phonating/making sound. There may be a sputter to it, or it may just be harder to get it going. When moving around in the middle range, the voice does not respond so readily. The other issue would be the feeling that one needs to keep clearing the throat, like there might be a clump of something on the cords. Good luck!</p>
<p>Flint - What is the treatment for nodules? My D just saw an ENT who said she does not have nodules, but her left vocal cord is a little swollen. He recommended talking to her voice teacher about it which she is going to do. She feels much better about her recent voice problems since starting to use singulair, nasonex, sinucleanse (loves that!) and entertainer's secret. She already has been using most of the recommendations of CoachC - Wonder Woman!! She always has a hard time in the winter, and it has gotten worse since being in a college dorm.</p>
<p>I am surprised that your ENT didn't recommend speech therapy. I am a ASHA(American Speech Language Hearing Association) certified Speech Language Pathologist in the Public School System in New Jersey. In fact, I've helped our own school choir teacher who suffers from vocal nodules. Contact your ENT again or go on the NJSHA(New Jersey Speech Language Hearing Assoc) website for a referral. There are specific exercises and modifications that can help you.</p>
<p>Speech therapy can help a lot, especially when the nodules/nodes are caused by misuse of the voice. I was diagnosed with them years ago, when I was in a job that required me to be on the phone with people more than 9 hours a day. I think that the more tired I got, the harder I tried to squeeze/force my voice out from the throat, which is improper technique. A speech pathologist can help a lot if you are willing to put in the time and comply with her/his recommendations. Speech therapy is probably the only thing that can alter ingrained bad vocal habits.</p>
<p>A few clarifications (written after my long medical clinic day, so this is all fresh in my mind! - saw 35 voice patients today, working in conjunction with 2 laryngologists):</p>
<ol>
<li><p>A "lump in the throat" feeling ("globus sensation" is the medical-speak for this, for all of you who are curious :)) and/or mucus may be associated with vocal lesions, but it may also be associated with several other types of problems that are NOT lesions - so if you feel this, don't panic! What it often is a sign of is a specific type of acid reflux called LPR (laryngo-pharyngeal reflux) - which is usually NOT felt as heartburn but can wreak havoc on vocal folds.</p></li>
<li><p>This is very, very important. All vocal lesions - "lumps and bumps" - are NOT vocal nodules. In our pratice, the doctors are leading a movement not to name a lesion before we see how it responds to therapy. By definition, nodules can be reduced with good voice therapy. However, there are other types of lesions that cannot be reduced with voice therapy and therefore usually need to be removed surgically. (They are cysts, polyps, granulomas, and fibrous masses.) So make sure you see a LARYNGOLOGIST!!!!! We see many patients every day who have been MISDIAGNOSED by generalist ENT's, who simply don't have the clinical experience to differntiate between different types of lesions. And NEVER, EVER have vocal surgery if the surgeon is not a FELLOWSHIP-TRAINED laryngologist!!! Botched vocal surgery is VERY hard to fix, in terms of vocal quality produced. :( :( :(</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Please know that I'm not promoting the practice where I work - my boss is all about getting a 2nd and 3rd opinion - but there is a top echelon of larygologists in the country, defined by their extensive training and exemplary surgical track record with complicated cases - and these are the doctors who you ALL should be seeing! </p>
<p>dancermom - hi! :) And I agree with RB123, that your D should be working with a medically-trained singing voice specialist and speech-language pathologist. I can recommend at least once such person in NYC - so PM me. :)</p>