After a total laryngectomy: Recovery from surgery

What changes will there be in my body after going through a total laryngectomy?

#laryngectomy #totallaryngectomy #cancer #laryngeal #larynx #voice

TRANSCRIPT:
/.../ You've got the windpipe coming out to the front and then the gull at the esophagus is just separate so that people then can't choke as they swallow but there's no connection to the upper airway so people don't breathe through their nose anymore which is obviously a big change and I know we're going to talk a little bit more about the implications of all of those changes. With regard to the kind of added changes if you think people have to be very careful about water not entering the stoma and there are changes to the way because people aren't connected anymore to them to the nose there are changes in smell and taste so those are the biggest changes. Can you sort of please describe to me then the options you've talked about the voice box being removed, so what options does a person have for having a voice or communicating after a laryngectomy? There are three I guess three main options and the first one which can be perhaps a backup or it can be a primary source of communication is a handheld electrolarynx that can be held either to the side of the neck or to the cheek and that makes a vibration sound that is then shaped by the mouth and it can be easy to use post-surgery, not everybody can have the other forms of communication option and this one can be accessed by most people it can be difficult to accept the sound of an electrolarynx so working with people about getting used to that sound and family and friends getting used to it is important so that's the first one. The second one is something that we call track esophageal voice and that's kind of swallowing a little bit of air and bringing it back and it vibrates as it comes past a muscle in the throat and that can be taught and people can learn it but it can be quite intensive to learn it, it takes quite a lot to learn it, it can be difficult to hear over background noise and i think the thing to say is that not everybody masters it easily it can be very intensive, it can be quite tiring. The third option which then uses a similar principle of air vibrating in the throat is this tracheoesophageal voice which indeed you have Alan and that's using this little voice silicon voice prosthesis that's inserted into a passage at the back of the trachea and air passes through that passage, vibrates in the back of the throat there and you shape the sound to make this very natural sounding voice that you have. Well thank you for that. I do try. It's interesting that you've talked about the the when we look when we think about the voice box either the actual larynx itself is a just a vibrating little. Exactly, exactly it's a vibe, it's a sound source isn't it? It's two little muscles that just vibrate and let the sound uh be generated as air passes through so have to replace that. Well so once you remove that we have to then create another vibrating source so the electro allowances the vibration in the actual machine exactly whereas just the esophageal speeches the vibrations that you're recreating with the airflow and then and my voice is created for the vibrations in my esophagus. Exactly, just in the in the back there yes absolutely so it isn't the voice prosthesis itself, it's the muscle at the back. These three aspects,what, what will a person have to do in order to master these, I mean would would it just happen or does a person have to ipractice and train. I would say for all of those you have to practice and train so if we take them in order again with the electrolarynx you need to learn how to master various things working it how you hold it where you find the best spot to get vibration, mastering the kind of on off of the sound source so that you're really setting up for success for somebody to understand and practicing I guess flexibility of intonation which can come with these electrolarynx and indeed they can be put into a little kind of holder device so that you can use them hands-free um so it can take a while and I think one of the issues with the electrolarynx can be building confidence so the work around working with somebody to rehab rehabilitate can be you know saying okay we're going to think about where feels easiest for you to start using that it might be with family and friends but it might be outside somewhere it might be on the bus or ordering a drink or in a shop where does it feel easiest to start using it so i think that aspect of that rehabilitation um comes with the electrolarynx the esophageal speech as I've said that can be really quite intense that can be therapy two or three times a week it can be a lot of practice away from the therapy sessions really trying to master that technique and build it up into a really good communicative option.

[koosy]

So Alan, how in the hell do you manage to sound this good after a laryngectomy? I practically gave up on my voice because it sounds horrible. I had a total laryngectomy in 2019 and whenever I try to use my voice prosthesis, the sound is horrible, it's like I am trying to talk under water. You sound so smooth and articulate.I can only dream about sounding like you do. I am a 53 year old male, the girl in the profile picture is my wife :) Thanks for the video!