‘Lost my voice two years ago’: Shekhar Ravjiani on being diagnosed with ‘left vocal cord paresis’

 

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He shared how his family became extremely worried and stressed, which further affected him. “I just prayed harder,” he continued.

However, amid this, he had to travel to San Diego, where he met someone who put him in touch with Dr Erin Welsh, whom he called “his angel on earth.”

“Dr. Erin Walsh – who I couldn’t meet due to Covid. So, we did a Zoom call instead. I remember tears rolling down uncontrollably as I told her that I wanted to be able to sing again. I begged her to please do something. The first thing that she told me was that I should not blame myself for what happened to my voice. We spoke at length and she made me feel comfortable and eventually, miraculously, she made me believe that I could sing, which was the first step,” Shekhar’s Instagram post read.

Adding that sheer determination and positivity helped him heal, Shekhar wrote that he is “absolutely fine now” and “can sing even better than” he used to. I have met a lot of people who lost their voices post-Covid. There is a way. There is a solution,” he further added.

To learn more about the connection and its link with Covid-19, we reached out to experts.

Dr Ragitha Binu Krishnan, Consultant at the Department of Laryngology at KIMSHEALTH Trivandrum, said that vocal cord paresis leads to decreased movement of one side of the vocal cord, resulting in a husky or hoarse voice and difficulty raising the pitch.

“The larynx has two cords. When they come close to each other, sound is produced. When they separate, we can breathe. During swallowing, the cords come close to each other. If they cannot close due to paralysis or weakness, swallowing is affected,” she explained. According to her, this condition can arise from various factors, including surgeries of the thyroid, spine, cardiac kinds, stroke, accidents, neck trauma, and tumours.

“Vocal chord paresis is a weakness or an abnormal movement of one of the vocal cords. Hoarseness of voice, shortness of breath, and fatigued voice are common symptoms noted. Viral or bacterial infection may be an underlying cause. It could also result from tumours, or systemic neurological diseases,” added Dr Orpah Kalel, Consultant, ENT Surgeon, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Navi Mumbai.

Neck scans are typically performed to rule out underlying causes. “When no specific cause is identified, it is termed idiopathic vocal cord paresis. Such cases often improve within 3-4 months with voice therapy, voice training, and medication,” said Dr Krishnan.

Dr Kalel mentioned that speech therapy also helps vocal cords recover in such cases. If the chords don’t recover within a year, surgery known as thyroplasty can be performed.

Any potential link to Covid-19?

“Covid-19 may or may not cause a vocal chord paresis, but as of now, no studies prove a concrete connection between the two. Post-covid patients who have been incubated for a long may experience this problem, but it has not been proven yet,” she clarified.

DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.