In October 2009 my voice became hoarse. At the beginning I thought the reason might be my frequent viremia, but when the hoarseness didn’t stop even after 5 weeks, I went to the doctor. The diagnosis was: ‘You have an iflammation in the throat.‘ After treatment with antibiotics the hoarseness eased off but didn’t pass. During one of the next visits of the doctor he found a polyp on my right vocal cord and sent me to a phoniatrist. He said that it is not a polyp but a papilloma, a tumor of viral origin. Although it is usually not benign, it must be removed immediately.
In June 2010 I underwent my first surgery. After that I had a sore throat, headache and tootache for more than a month. I was taking three antibiotics. The hoarseness did not pass, speaking was difficult for me, I could not sing at all. In September the protuberance on my right vocal cord appeared again. At first the doctor thought it was again just a polyp and ordered another surgery in January 2011.
Before that surgery we prayed together at joint meetings so that the surgery would go smoothly and that God would heal me. That time I had no postoperative problems. Therefore, when the doctor told me that it was a papilloma again, and not only one but three at once, moreover, that the whole vocal cord was covered with them, thus the surgical intervention was significantly greater, I was suprised because I really did not feel any pain. But at the same time the doctor told me that papillomas can appear again many times. When asked if I might lose the voice he answered that anything can happen.
After 14 days of vocal rest I started speaking. It was exhausting, but I could say at least few words. In the following week I felt pain in my throat again. The doctor confirmed my fears that another protuberance had appeared. But he assured me, as always before, that it only looks like a polyp. He concluded that we had to wait six weeks until the vocal cord would heal after the previous surgery. After that he would order a third surgery. During that time I should try to be silent as much as possible.
Every mother can imagine how impossible it is not to speak when she has small children around her. It was very difficult, I could not talk with my children properly, could not negotiate contracts, could not manage anything. I had a notepad with me and whenever it was possible, I used it to communicate by writing. I was silent not only because my doctor ordered it but also quite ‘voluntarily‘ – every word was very difficult for me, my voice was so weak that when we were in some noisy place, for example a playground, nobody could hear me. And it was simply not possible to speak louder…
The day before another check by the doctor, I asked in the church which I belong to to pray for me again in the assembly. They prayed. Already in the evening when I went to sleep, I felt that something in my throat had become loose. The next day I went to the doctor, he examined me and found that the protuberance had disappeared. ‘How to explain for you that the protuberance has disappeared, I don’t know…‘ he said.
Since that time I can both speak and sing well and loudly. Only sometimes after a bigger vocal strain, my voice becomes a bit raspy, but the doctor explained for me that the vocal cord is still weak after the surgery and the voice rest and needs training. But I am healthy.
