Look ma, no tonsils!

December 30, 2005 12:26 AM

How can a tonsillectomy affect one's singing voice?

My doctor recommended that I get my tonsils out. I have tonsillitis and my tonsils are about 4x the size of regular tonsils. I googled and got a million different answers, so I was wondering if anyone has any real experiences or knowledge they can share. I have a vocal pathologist I can talk with, but she is unavailable at the moment.

Also, I am by no means a professional singer. I sing backup in my band and have never had any sort of vocal lessons.

posted by mr.dan to health & fitness (5 comments total)

My ex-wife was a pretty serious singer in college (voice performance major) and had her tonsils taken out the summer before her senior year. She suffered no lasting effects, but she was advised to rest her voice for a few weeks afterward.

Most people's voices are fine following a tonsillectomy (people occasionally report minor changes in range or quality, and a friend's dad lost a big chunk of his range following a tonsillectomy done in the late 60s or so, but these are uncommon cases). In fact, it's not unheard of for singers to believe that their voice is improved after the surgery. That might very well end up being the case with you; with tonsils that swollen, your voice probably isn't anywhere near as resonant as it could be during a flareup. However, there are a couple of things you should do:

1. Prior to the surgery, talk to either an otolaryngologist or a speech-language pathologist who specializes in voice disorders.

2. Discuss your concerns with the surgeon. He or she will do their best to assuage your concerns, and knowing that singing is important to you might make the surgeon more conscientious of potential aftereffects. If you do see an otolaryngologist beforehand, make sure they consult with the surgeon prior to the procedure.

3. The Internet sources I've found seem to say that you shouldn't expect to sing normally for four weeks or so. This sounds right. Give the tissues time to heal. After a few weeks, do some light warmups... I know you haven't had lessons, but I'm sure you could find someone to go over some simple "yawn-sigh"-type exercises (but if you can't, don't try to figure it out on your own, as incorrectly-performed exercises are probably worse than none at all). Generally, I think warmups that help with flexibility in the soft palate might be most likely to aid recovery of normal voice function. But again, don't push it.

(I am a voice teacher, but I am not a doctor and none of this should replace speaking with a medical professional)
posted by the_bone at 1:38 AM on December 30, 2005

First, IANAD.

Second, mention this to your ENT and see what he says.

Third, in the past (i.e. the 60's), tonsils were removed routinely in almost any case of tonsillar enlargement. These days, its uncommon to remove tonsils unless they are so large they are obstructing the airway, and also chronically. So, removing your tonsils will allow you to breathe easier, which should help improve your singing quite a bit. But, like bone suggested, full recovery could be weeks or a couple of months.
posted by gilgul at 2:04 AM on December 30, 2005

I had my tonsils taken out in March of this year and I can no longer roll my R's which pretty much ruins my any speaking in spanish or making a cool machine gun sound for my kids.

Other than that, getting my tonsils out has been one of the best things I have ever done for my health. It was the most painful thing I have ever done in my life but was worth all three weeks of excruating pain.
posted by captainzero at 7:07 AM on December 30, 2005

You may not be able to get any satisfactory answers on this - I'm sure many results are changes that aren't necessarily good or bad unless the person who was changed minds. So if you were really attached to exactly how you sound now, you might be bothered by any change, even if every other person on the planet thought you sounded better afterwards.

What I can tell you for certain is that as a person who had horribly enlarged tonsils most of his life and didn't have them out till his 30s... WELL worth it. It was an unpleasant healing process and I can only hope my childhood doctor has to pay in the afterlife for the week of extra unpleasantness he cost me. But I still am amazed at how easily I swallow, almost two years later, and I have had no throat illnesses in that time where I normally would have had two or three.
posted by phearlez at 9:21 AM on December 30, 2005

I would recommend checking with your ENT's office to see if someone specializes in Vocal Health if you are really concerned. I work in an ENT department and we have a Vocal Health Center that works with professionals - their [semi-self link] website states this:
A specialty clinic for vocal professionals is also available at the Vocal Health Center, where care is coordinated between a Laryngologist, Speech Pathologist, and Voice Training Specialist.

Feel free to e-mail me if you would like me to see if our they have a recommendation for your area.
posted by blackkar at 10:10 AM on December 30, 2005