and voice problems?
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
I have seen people post about this in the past--that they had this, losing their voice, etc.
Posted by IckyTicky (Member # 21466) on :
Yes. Mine started around the age of 10 after I got bit on the head in Arkansas (by a tick of course) I went a few years ago to an ENT who did a scope down my nose into my throat. He said I have major scarring of my larynx and vocal chords. I have read that Lyme and Bart. do this. I don't think there is much I can do to help it now. Scarring is Scarring and I'm not doing surgery or anything to correct it. But I've had vocal issues for most of my life... and in middle school was nick named "Froggy" off the Little Rascals.
Posted by elizzza811 (Member # 24713) on :
Yep, I had voice problems a few years ago which are now permanent - a vocal chord polyp is involved. I can't sing anymore, that's for sure.
Posted by sutherngrl (Member # 16270) on :
I have voice issues too. Haven't completely lost my voice, but almost everyday my voice will get hoarse and I feel strained to talk. Sometimes my voice is normal.
Posted by Bocalyme (Member # 26459) on :
Yes. My son who has lyme disease, literally was unable to speak at all during a severe herxheimer reaction. The poor guy (21) was totally freaked out by this (as was I). He did recover his voice, and is in fact doing extremely well now after IV Zithromax.
Posted by Beverly (Member # 1271) on :
Wow, So sorry for you all. I wish someone could have said they had it and it got better or it went completely away.
My son has this problem, he loses his voice on and off and it finally got so bad I took him to ENT. The doc said there was scaring/swelling with the paralysis. The paralysis did clear up some with abx, but doc said there is still something wrong with his voice.
Of course this ENT is not lyme literate and wanted me to take my son to U of M for his Lyme.
Posted by missing (Member # 22437) on :
yes! lots!
Posted by shadesofpurple (Member # 23923) on :
Beverly, I have had this problem and mine has gotten better since I started treatment, so maybe there is hope depending on how bad it is.
I had all kinds of tests before I was diagnosed with Lyme. My voice got really bad when i was pregnant with my first child. So more than 18 years ago....but it was happening maybe one or two years before that just not really bad at that point.
It was intermittent.
Sometimes I just wouldn't talk, and if i did,i talked just above a whisper. It always got worse in times of stress or illness, It would be good for a while then BAM ! I felt my stress level did factor in, if i was stressed it seemed to progress downhill. It would get worse if i raised my voice, or tried to raise my voice to be louder, it seemed better if i spoke softly and limited how much i talked. sometimes it would actually hurt to talk, it was a strain to talk.
Sometimes it was like my vocal cords refused to work properly, i could get sound out but it was very airy, or breathy sounding as one Dr put it.
I had quite a few tests and no one could figure out what it was. I know now it was related to The Lyme/Babesia not sure which one... maybe both.
Mine has gotten better, but still not 100% but WAY better than it was. The frequency of it has been reduced to almost no issues. Occasionally still it will pop up but no where NEAR as bad and it doesn't last as long.
It wasn't until I my ears started ringing non-stop that it was finally determined I had Lyme. (the ringing is NOT from a med, I was not on any meds at that time)
If it weren't for that I probably still wouldn't know what was wrong with my voice. They looked for all kinds of stuff. Polyps etc. they never could see anything...but then they weren't looking for Lyme... they were looking for other stuff like acid reflux, cancer, polyps etc. they were looking for visably physical things. Not a spirochete...
Posted by 2young2die (Member # 25434) on :
I was undiagnosed with lyme for many years and lost my voice for about 6 months 2 years ago. I'm taking ceftriaxone now and my voice has returned but I can't yell or sing loudly.
I also have ALS.
Posted by Yemaya (Member # 8842) on :
This has been one of my major symptoms over the years of having this. It still goes in & out when I am not doing well. I become hoarse. But before I was diagnosed It would paralyze completely for days on end.
Posted by wtl (Member # 19883) on :
OMG, I thought my wife was the only one with it.
I have just made an appointment for her with an ENT specialist, based on her llmd recommendation. Anyone knows if the ENT can actually do anything to help, other than hoping the Lyme treatment will resolve the issue?
Posted by BackinStOlaf (Member # 23725) on :
I've been hoarse and lost my voice for the past 5 days. Now I'm scared. I didn't know it could be from the Lyme.
Posted by psano2 (Member # 11711) on :
I've had this as well. Sometimes my throat would feel kind of sore and I wouldn't be able to speak with full volume, sometimes getting down to just a bare whisper. I was never a great singer, but it got to the point where I couldn't try to sing any note because my voice would just crack.
It seems to have gotten better with Babesia treatment for me. In fact a lot of my head and neck issues have improved with Babesia treatment.