Well whaddaya know...

[mapsedge]

I need to have my tonsils out.

At 43.

Huh.

Edit. Let me clarify just a bit. This is all about sleep apnea. Dr. Pavlovich (really) looked in my throat and at the size of my tonsils and uvula and, while avoiding the word abnormal, described the aforementioned structures as being rather large. It says a lot for my sensory issues that I would rather have surgery (albeit minor) than wear a CPAP mask.

There are no guarantees, of course, that having a uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (I've always wanted to use that in casual conversation) will fix my sleep apnea. The benefit curve is solidly bell-shaped, and there's no way to predict where my case will land. The worst it can do is give me a sore throat for a week and lose an amount of weight from not wanting to eat. Weight loss will also help me sleep. It's a win-win.

I did ask about singing and he assured me my voice and resonance would not be affected by the procedure.

Comments

[jehosefatz.livejournal.com]

They promised me ice cream when I had mine out. Bastards never delivered. Contract law is easier to enforce when you're 43; I think that gives you an advantage.

- Jeho

[brotherwilliam.livejournal.com]

Why?
Dr needs an emergency payment on his boat yacht?

[brotherwilliam.livejournal.com]

Buy voice insurance before doing it! You could wind up sounding like this:

[billthetailor.livejournal.com]

My voice might be more pleasant to listen to, but Stewart is a multi-millionaire. It's a tough choice...

[starwyse.livejournal.com]

I would seriously ask why. Let him/her know you sing for a living (I don't care if it's not true, yet!) and ask him/her to be ultra careful and protect that vocal mechanism!!

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

This.

Oh shite, honey....I'm sorry!

[billthetailor.livejournal.com]

Edited for clarification :)

[billthetailor.livejournal.com]

Edited for clarification :)

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

Ah good...yeah, surgery for sleep apnea is a much better decision than either ignoring it or feeling like you're choking on a cpap machine.

[starwyse.livejournal.com]

Whew!

[magdaleneseal.livejournal.com]

Oh my. Hope it goes well if you proceed with surgery.

[glesyn.livejournal.com]

Well I'll be damned.

Interesting.

Rocky Road or just plain Chocolate?

[billthetailor.livejournal.com]

"Interesting" was my reaction. I figured sinuses, maybe fix my deviated septum. I certainly didn't expect tonsils.

I'm a big fan of plain chocolate. Especially if there's peanut butter involved. :)

[motherpockets.livejournal.com]

Chocolate is an acid. Acid burns. Read my reply below.

[motherpockets.livejournal.com]

My surgery was the whole shebang. Deviated septum, tonsils, a bit of soft palate, and of course, the tonsils. Read below.

[brotherwilliam.livejournal.com]

I did ask about singing and he assured me my voice and resonance would not be affected by the procedure.

Thats what they told Julie Andrews. But I am not helping any am I. Sleep apnea is a killer. I think worse than overeating, perhaps worse than smoking.
Do what you can to get it fixed. It's not just about loss of sleep, that is a loss of life issue. Wish more folks would pay attention - eh, wife? you listening? I do.

[akaashben.livejournal.com]

I totally get this. I just had mine out last year. The primary reason for my tonsillectomy was chronic tonsillitis and my doc went in and fixed my deviated septum at the same time. Side-benefit was that the surgery, combined with some moderate weight loss meant that I no longer needed my CPAP.

The CPAP wasn't all that bad, really. It only took me about 3-4 nights to get used to it. And I slept soooo much better with it than without - I very quickly jumped on board the "will not sleep or go anywhere without it" bandwagon. And not only did that benefit me, but anyone who happened to be sharing a bed (or often room, house, neighborhood) with me.

It is truly a bell curve for recovery. Mine happened to fall on the outside edge of that curve: two trips back to the ER in the first week to re-cauterize. And it's not necessarily something the surgeon has control over. Your mileage will most definitely vary.

Best of luck and a speedy, uneventful recovery to you!

P.S. Lemme know if you want to know more about my experience. The process did actually change the resonance of my voice just a bit, as well as the way I swallow.

[buffalowmn.livejournal.com]

Bless your heart...er, tonsils! Ditto to N's wishes for a quick and entirely uninteresting recovery. ...Y'know, maybe I could talk him into getting us an ice cream maker, so we could deliver get-well goods to you. Mission of mercy, y'know. ;)

[motherpockets.livejournal.com]

Don't believe him! I had that surgery 2 years ago. Sore throat for a couple of weeks. That's what they said. I was out for six weeks, couldn't swallow anything but water for 2 weeks, worst pain I've ever had in my life, including childbirth (1 contraction that lasted for 17 hours!). And I have lost my singing voice. I used to be a singer. Now when I try to sing, I never know what will come out, and that's after 2 years. Sometimes it comes out the way I hoped, often it just cracks or sounds like a washboard. Unpredictable. Get a second opinion. Oh, yes, and--I still have sleep apnea.

[hdsqrl.livejournal.com]

Wow, really? At first I was of the "well, wouldja look at that...didn't know they did that for adults" mindset. And then I was of the "hell YES, ice cream with no guilt!" mindset. And then I read mom-pockets' message and am suddenly of the "OMG, OH NOES!" mindset. Maybe I'll stick with the "Wow, really?" mindset after all.

Keep us posted, and if you need something, please give a yell! (hah, well, as much of a yell as you're able to, hee.) ;)

[iarraidh.livejournal.com]

Had a friend in his 40's get that done a few years ago for the same reason.
Afterwards his voice didn't sound a bit different, but he was like a new man since he was getting good and restful REM sleep.

You have every reason to expect this to come out to your advantage.

[starwyse.livejournal.com]

Having doe a bit more research into this...I'm still voting for you to talk with another specialist about the affect on singing. This may radically change the resonance of your voice! Not at all a good thing!!

Consider a second or even third opinion...please???