Anyone ever heard of this before - supposedly caused by post nasal drip?

[C.Ann]

DD and her family are back from their trip.. Her DH went over to his parents house to pick up their dog and he came back quite concerned about his dad..

Two and a half weeks before Mother's Day, his dad's voice started getting really hoarse.. (Not a smoker - never has been..) No pain - just very hoarse.. MIL made him go to the doctor.. Doctor said his vocal cords were "strained" from post nasal drip - gave him a script and told him it should clear up in a week to 10 days..

Didn't happen - got worse.. He decided to change doctors - saw the new one last Monday.. New doctor said nothing about "strained vocal cords" - just post nasal drip.. Gave him a different script.. (Don't know if allergies have anything to do with post nasal drip, but he has none..) Doctor said it should clear up in 5 days at most..

Today it's much, much worse.. He's almost totally lost his voice (again - no pain - no other symptoms of anything) - not much above a whisper now.. He's going to try to get in to see the new doctor tomorrow and ask for a referral to an ear, nose, and throat specialist.. He's not a man to "run" to the doctors, so obviously he's worried..

DD's DH is really concerned - and he is NOT a "panicky" sort of guy..

Can this really be post nasal drip? Do you get "strained vocal chords" from post nasal drip? Do you lose your voice - with no other symptoms?

This one really has me puzzled.. Never heard of anything like this before - have you?

 

[Mickey527]

Post nasal drip will irritate the throat causing the person to continually clear the throat, causing strain on the vocal chords.
Unless he is clearing his throat without making a sound, which is impossible.
I also have terrible post nasal drip this season and the clearing of the throat is constant. I have been using my inhaler and claritan which helps a bit but this has been going on for almost two weeks so it's off to the Dr tomorrow for the z-pack.

 

[EdiePA]

from ENT.net

The most common cause of laryngitis is an infection. These can be a bacterial or viral infection, although viral infects are much more common. The virus attaches to the surface (mucosa), into the mucosal cells, multiply in number (into the millions), and cause the cell to rupture releasing more virus. During a common cold one-half to one-third of all the cells in the vocal cords will be destroyed leaving a raw, uncovered vocal cords. Some viruses are “trophic” to vocal cord cells, but many are not and these will not cause laryngitis. When one-half to one-third of the vocal cord surfaces is destroyed it requires three to six days for those cells to be regrown. Even when they have been replaced the cord has persistent swelling (edema) and increased vascularity. All of these aspects cause the vocal cords to be swollen for a relatively long period. It can cause the vocal cords to be swollen and unable to vibrate normally for two to three weeks. That is why people will be hoarse for that period of time after and upper respiratory tract infection or cold. After a cold it thus necessary to allow the vocal cords to heal. We recommend voice rest, vigorous hydration (lots of fluids), and suppressing cough (cough causes more sheering force on the vocal cords and thus more damage).

Other causes of hoarseness include allergies. Inhaled allergens such as tree pollen, weed pollen, cat dander, mold spores, etc., can coat the vocal cords causing swelling and laryngitis. Chronic sinusitis with frequent puss draining down the back of the throat can also cause the vocal cords to become irritated and swollen.


I had this happen today in church --- the massive amount of flowers just set off my allergies and when I went to sing, there was nothing there.

Sounds like his new doc knew what he was talking about

Edie

 

[tazdev3225]

I lose my voice every spring due to my allergies. The only symptoms I usually have are a post-nasal drip, itchy eyes and a runny nose. It really is a good idea to try and not talk for a day or two to rest the vocal cords. If it continues tell him to see an ears, nose and throat dr. Hope he feels better, I hate losing my voice.

 

[kellydizfan]

I had no symptoms of Reflux at all - only once in a while at night I would wake up and have to drink milk and take antacids. I had lost my voice for days at a time and for months before we figured out what it was. Had a nasal endoscopy done at my Ear, Nose, Throat Doctor and I have LPR Reflux. I have been on Nexium for the last year and it has helped. Just had my annual check up and he stated it looked much better. I also have Sinus problems. It wasn't due to my sinuses at all. We couldn't figure out what it was until I went there. I was told not to drink soda, no mints, no caffeine, no stress, and not to eat after a certain time - wait three hours after eating to go to bed. My voice box was in bad shape and it could have lead to cancer if I didn't take care of the problem. Good Luck but have him ask about this.

 

[suzannen]

One of my co-workers lost his voice completely for 6 months due his allergies and post-nasal drip until they got it under control, so yes, I've heard of this. Hope your DD's FIL is okay and it's nothing more than this.

 

[Nancy]

It happens to me a lot, but not as much as it did before I had my sinus surgery. I wouldn't even have a cold or allergies and my voice would be gone. I went straight to an ENT doctor because of constant sore throats and losing my voice. At first they thought acid reflux because my throat and vocal cords were so bad. Afer going through working with that there was no change so then we worked on the sinus and drip stuff. I still have issues during certain times of the year (like now) but it is nothing like i was before which was constant and my throat always felt like I had been screaming for hours.

 

[C.Ann]

Wow! That's interesting.. So he could have acid reflux as well - that might be contributing to the problem? He's going to be seeing a gastro for minor intestinal surgery soon - maybe they should do an endoscopy at the same time..

His mind is made up that he's seeing an ENT (which of course could take a long time to get a first appt.), but I'm happy to hear that it's likely not anything terribly serious..

I'll pass that on to my son-in-law - and I'm sure he'll be relieved..

Thanks!!

 

[bookgirl]

I often lose my voice when I have drainage. It was explained to me that it's just a prime breeding ground for bacteria so the drainage breeds bacteria my air way and throat gets irritated and swells which rubs against my vocal cords and compresses them until I lose my voice. I rarely have a sore thoat with it, other then a constant itchy, feeling.

 

[melk]

I had no symptoms of Reflux at all - only once in a while at night I would wake up and have to drink milk and take antacids. I had lost my voice for days at a time and for months before we figured out what it was. Had a nasal endoscopy done at my Ear, Nose, Throat Doctor and I have LPR Reflux. I have been on Nexium for the last year and it has helped. Just had my annual check up and he stated it looked much better. I also have Sinus problems. It wasn't due to my sinuses at all. We couldn't figure out what it was until I went there. I was told not to drink soda, no mints, no caffeine, no stress, and not to eat after a certain time - wait three hours after eating to go to bed. My voice box was in bad shape and it could have lead to cancer if I didn't take care of the problem. Good Luck but have him ask about this.

My situation is much like yours, never had heartburn (except when pregnant), but my voice would get hoarse and had post nasal drip. Woke up one night with my throat closed, gasping for air. Went to ER by ambulance, ER docs thought it was an allergic reaction, sent me home. It kept happening so I went to an ENT dr. who diagnosed reflux. The acid each night was creeping up and irritating my voice box and finally it said 'enough!!' and closed shut. I was so grateful to that dr. for the diagnoses b/c then I could deal with it. Have not had a sinus issue since I got the problem under control with medication/diet.

To the OP, hope everything works out for your son-in-law's dad.

 

[golfgal]

I would get an appointment with an allergist. It really sounds like he has allergies. Even if he hasn't had them up to this point, he may very well have them now. I started with allergy symptoms about 4 years ago, never had them before and I have constant post-nasal drip in the spring and fall.

 

[clutter]

His mind is made up that he's seeing an ENT (which of course could take a long time to get a first appt.), but I'm happy to hear that it's likely not anything terribly serious..

Please, don't assume that until he has a visit. And make sure that they scope his throat to see what's happening. I'm not going into details deliberately, but make sure he gets to the ENT.

 

[C.Ann]

Please, don't assume that until he has a visit. And make sure that they scope his throat to see what's happening. I'm not going into details deliberately, but make sure he gets to the ENT.

-----------------
As far as I know, he's attempting to get the referral today.. Unfortunately, "first time patients" can wait a long, long time for that initial consultation.. I'm hoping the fact that he pretty much can't talk now would factor into the ENT seeing him sooner..

 

[tasha99]

There are all kinds of reasons someone could have irritated vocal chords. I think he should see an ENT rather than his regular doctor. I would see an ENT before an allergist (who he could be referred to by the ENT if it indeed allergies.)

 

[PatsMom]

Please, don't assume that until he has a visit. And make sure that they scope his throat to see what's happening. I'm not going into details deliberately, but make sure he gets to the ENT.

Totally agree with this - he needs to be seen quickly.