Tonsils and Singing

<p>Hi everyone!</p>

<pre><code> I'm looking to possibly get my tonsils removed for various reasons in which they are more of a bother than a help and cause various problems, as I think they could also be contributing to my sore throats. Before I consider meeting with an ENT, I was wondering if anyone here knew of any singers who have had tonsillectomies and have been able to sing the same or even better after the procedure? My worst fear is to weaken or lose my voice (of course, my life would be over!) and just wanted some opinions or knowledge ont he matter. I have a friend who had his out and can sing even higher and experiences a greater openness when singing and grasping new vocal techniques. I'm sure there are singers on Broadway who do not have tonsils; however, I'm just doing what research I can! Any advice or thoughts would be much appreciated! =)
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<p>I think I remember hearing Kristin Chenoweth saying she had hers out for various medical reasons and gained a few high notes. I think she also said she wrote across her forehead something like, "Be extremely careful- I am a singer!" lol I would totally do that if I had to have someone poking around in my throat.</p>

<p>Friend of ours had it done at 20, he is a young baritone now pursing career in FL. Seemed to have done well with it but not to be taken lightly. When we thought that was D's problem I talked to his Mom had she said it was VERRYY painful and long recovery. He did go to the voice center to have it done, however, where they treat all kinds of people whose profession depends on the voice. The technique they used did as little cut as possible. </p>

<p>Check the threads and talk to the ENT, preferably at a voice center. There are possible complications. It should be the last thing tried I believe. BTW we found out D's problem was not tonsils but silent acid reflux. It was the second ENT we visited that was a voice specialist that treated her finally. Once that was treated she was much better.</p>

<p>I would absolutely go to a voice specialist for the surgery. CoachC who often posts here on CC would be able to assist you with names of someone in your area. My daughter (20) just had hers taken out over Christmas break. It was very scary stuff (excessive bleeding after surgery) and horribly painful, but she's so glad she went through with it. Now sore throats go away relatively quickly if she gets them at all. She can't believe how much more room there is in the back of her mouth and feels it has improved her ability to project. Her voice teacher had been skeptical about student's who claim they can sing better after a tonsillectomy, however she believed it can be true after seeing the improvement in my daughter's voice afterwards. Just don't go into it lightly for the wrong reasons. Only do it if it's really, really necessary.</p>

<p>My son had his tonsils out last summer, before starting college in MT. He is so glad that he got them out, as he had had continual problems with them over several years. He definitely stays healthier now. His tonsils would often swell when he was in the middle of a show.</p>

<p>The recovery is extremely painful when you have this surgery as an adult, so expect to feel very poorly for a few weeks.</p>

<p>Hi there -</p>

<p>As many of the posters' stories above have shown, getting your tonsils out MAY improve your voice, especially if they are large and and what is termed "cryptic":
<a href="http://www.itonsil.com/tonsils_tonsillitis.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.itonsil.com/tonsils_tonsillitis.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>HOWEVER - PLEASE see a LARYNGOLOIST who is a SURGEON in order to make your decision - meaning an ENT who specializes in voice and is also a vocal surgeon. If singing is going to be your livelihood, you do NOT want anyone else to advise you and do the surgery. With a laryngologist, you will get someone who understands the possible risks and benefits to your singing voice and who will advise you on the best course of action based on this.</p>

<p>I can recommend highly-qualified laryngologists in your area if you PM or email me. :) Good luck!!!</p>

<p>Hoping to get in touch with you, thanks.</p>

<p>OK, this question is not about tonsils, but I didn't want to start a new thread or look at pages of old threads to see if it has been discussed. It is related to surgery, though.</p>

<p>My D is needing to have her wisdom teeth removed. She has a consultation with the oral surgeon July 31, and plans to leave for school Aug. 15. School starts Aug. 20 and auditions will be the first week (if not the first day) of classes. What is the recovery time for mouth surgery as regards to singing? Would it be ok to have the teeth out a week before she goes back to school, or should we wait until Christmas break?</p>

<p>My daughter had her wisdom teeth out on June 30th and opened in a community theater production last weekend. She made it through tech week without any difficulty at all. She was actually back to voice lessons 2 days after having her wisdom teeth out and never had any difficulty at all. I would think your daughter would be just fine! :)</p>

<p>This depends on whether the wisdom teeth are imbedded or not. If the crowns have erupted, it is less of a problem. If the teeth are deep in the jaw, the pain of recovery can be horrible, and it could be a couple of weeks before she feels well enough to do anything.</p>

<p>It sounds as if they (meaning oral surgeons!) have improved upon the process since I got my four wisdom teeth removed back around 1980. It took me at least two weeks to feel myself again. The pain wasn't so bad, but I was swollen up and nauseated for more than a week post-op. I am glad to know things are better now. Ugh. :(</p>

<p>NMR....They certainly have come a long way!! My son had his wisdom teeth out on a Friday and taped a public service announcement on the following Tuesday. The key for my son was consistent icing.</p>

<p>Thank you for your responses. I guess we will wait until the consultation to find out how complicated it will be to remove them, whether or not they are embedded. I had two of mine pulled many years ago, was prepared for the worst, and it was no big deal at all, but I have no experience with having them cut out. I was afraid her mouth might be too sore to open it enough for singing and with auditions coming soon, I just am not sure about the timing. It would be more convenient for ME for her to do it now rather than waiting til December, but now may not be convenient for her and the doctor!</p>

<p>What a coincidence to see this post. I just got a call from the ENT the other day suggesting I get a tonsillectomy. I have had the most frustrating year of my life...ever since last spring/summer, my voice has not been in prime condition. It has had its ups and downs (really bad downs...) and overall has just been in this constant state of soreness. I KNOW I can trace this to unfocused breathing patterns, other unhealthy treatment of my voice, etc. But I had my vocal chords scoped multiple times and they told me NOTHING was wrong. Don't get me wrong...it's nice to hear you DON'T have nodes...but I also had no answers. I learned tohught, that I have had tonsil problems and have a prolonged case of "cryptic tonsilitis" which you can have tons of fun reading about in the article provided in an earlier post. I truly hope that after removal and what I hope will be a successful recovery, I will be able to get my voice at 100% and do what I love to do :)</p>

<p>Lucky for me, I have gappy teeth like my mom, so my wisdom teeth are only helping my smile :P Sorry for those of you who will have to go throgh wisdom teeth removal. My friend did it this school year and it didn't seem like fun...:&lt;/p>

<p>It's hard to say about wisdom teeth, my older son had a lot of problems and wasn't himself for about two weeks. My younger son (the one who drew me to this site) had his out about 10 days before college last year and had no trouble.</p>

<p>My daughter is having her two bottoms out on July 31st (the oral surgeon said her upper two might not be ready for another couple of years). As with my older daughter, he wants a follow up visit two weeks after surgery. My older daughter had horrible dry sockets, and had a much longer recovery time. When I did some research on dry socket, there were some studies that suggest it's more common in girls, and a correlation exists between its frequency and when in a girl's menstrual cycle she gets the wisdom teeth removed.</p>

<p>Oh, the wisdom teeth....They didn't stop me from singing. With all the drugs they had me on I started singing in the recovery room as soon as I woke up! I wasn't completely there but I was still singing :) Funny story...
I didn't have any pain or swelling luckilly. Hopefully she won't be allergic to the drugs and just ice it nonstop.</p>

<p>Thanks to everyone for your "wisdom" (lol) and experience. After talking to the dentist's office again, it looks like there will not be time to do the surgery before she returns to school with having to get insurance approval and all. So it is likely she will get to look forward to it at Christmas break.</p>

<p>Just a quick update on my D and her wisdom teeth- all four were impacted, and all were removed yesterday morning. She is in amazing shape. Last night she went to a beach bonfire and to a friend's house to watch a movie.
Today she has taken one advil just in case it starts to hurt, and her antibiotics. She has three things planned. Last night I had to put my foot down and say no to swing dancing, which she wanted to do!
One of my friends in the neighborhood on the other hand , had her son's removed yesterday and he is really suffering. It is just wierd how it affects some people more than others.
A funny story: when I was driving my D home from the oral surgeon yesterday I asked her if she could feel her lip...she was really out of it from the pain medication...she pondered my question and fiddled with her lip with her fingers and answered seriously" I can feel my lip, but it can't feel me!"</p>

<p>My D went for her consultation with the oral surgeon last Tuesday, but we can't schedule the surgery until the insurance company provides written confirmation of what they are going to pay. Unless that happens quickly (fat chance), she will have to wait until Christmas break. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences.</p>