Round Two Looming

The good news is that at my 3-week post surgical follow up today, the doctor indicated that the healing of my vocal cords is going well.  I should be able to return to talking "normally" by January, which is right on schedule.  My rigorous enforcement of not speaking for the first 10 days, followed by a schedule of only necessary speaking, in short sentences at a low volume, paid off in spades as the saying goes.

The bad news is that there were massive amounts of papilloma on my vocal cords and in the first laryngoscopy, they were not able to take care of them all (nor was it advised).  There was some early suspicions that this may be case leading into the surgery but they wouldn't know until the follow up to see how things had healed and what remained.  Now it is fairly clear that I will require another procedure, similar to the first, to finish the work.  

Deep breath.

Until the second surgery can be performed to remove the papilloma and polyps that still exist, I will probably have a lower than normal speaking volume.  The date of the second surgery is not known; for now I have a follow up video session to see in detail how they (my vocal cords) look and then we will determine a course of action.  From discussions with the doctor, I gathered that we may be looking at sometime late spring to early summer.  While I will not have the same exact symptoms leading into this round of surgery as I had with the first (raspy voice, sore throat, voice disappearing by mid day), the papilloma won't go away on their own and surgery is required to (eventually) return to speaking a normal levels.  Beyond that, additional procedures over the course of my lifetime may be needed if they return, but for now that is not likely.

After the second surgery, I can expect a similar recovery as to what I am going through now.  That means another 10 days of not talking, followed by 6 weeks of necessary speaking only, in short sentences and at a low volume.

It's not all gloom and doom.  The doctor was happy with my progress and acted like round two was just another routine out patient surgery.  I feel pretty good about his attitude.

In other words, I will have to relive November and December of 2014, again, in June and July of 2015.  It could be much worse; my air passage is now much clearer and I can breathe well without as many obstructions.  I am able to run and the rest of my health is good.  I am thankful for the little things in life and feel blessed to be surrounded by good friends and family.  I could not ask for anything more.